By Marguerite Cleveland

Megan Stith is one of the hundreds of scholarship winners who is off to college in part due to the $2,000 grant awarded to her by the Scholarships for Military Children Program. You can watch her story on here. The Fisher House Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2021/22 academic year through Feb. 17, 2021.

The program is a partnership with the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) and the Fisher House Foundation, a nonprofit organization which supports military and veteran families. The foundation administers the program. Celebrating its 21^st year, the program has awarded more than $20.1 million to 11,814 students from an applicant pool of nearly 105,000.

The program is funded by the DeCA’s business and manufacturing partners. The donations go to the Fisher House Foundation which receives each as a “restricted donation”, meaning it can only by given out as a scholarship grant. Every dollar received goes to a worthy student and the Fisher House Foundation matches all donations. In addition, the Fisher House donates its services for the cost of administration and the scholarship management contract.

“Our commissaries are honored to be a part of a program that provides the children of military service members with such a valuable financial boost to their higher education dreams,” said Marine Corps Sgt.Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director. “We at the Defense Commissary Agency extend our thanks to the Fisher House Foundation as well as our industry partner donors and others that make these scholarships possible.”

For the 2021-22 scholarship year, the Fisher House Foundation will grant $2,000 scholarships to 500 deserving students. The selection process will begin immediately after the Feb. 17, 2021 deadline. To begin the process, determine your eligibility for the program. It is verified through the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) database. The applicant as well as their sponsor must be enrolled in DEERS and have a valid military dependent ID card. Students must be attending or planning to attend an accredited college or university, full time in the fall of 2021. Students who will receive a full scholarship for college or accepted to a service academy are not eligible for this program.

In order to apply an applicant must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale for high school and a minimum GPA of 2.5 or above on a 4.o scale for students enrolled in college. Applicants will write a 500 word or less essay that is no longer than two pages. Visit the Scholarships for Military Children website for the application and the subject of the essay. All rules and requirements as well as frequently asked questions are available on the website.

The Fisher House website recently added a custom scholarship search engine to their website. It is tailored to military families and is free and easy to use. By filling out an online questionnaire you will receive a list of scholarships that you are eligible for. Visit “Scholarships for Service.”

“While a ceremony to congratulate and present each recipient with a certificate was not held at commissaries for scholarship year 2019-2020 due to COVID 19, that did not in any way diminish the accomplishment of each recipient selected to receive this honor,” said Marye Dobson, DeCA’s scholarships program liaison. “At this time, no decision has been made on in-store ceremonies for the upcoming program.” 

After months of being in quarantine or social distancing mode, it is fair to say that most families want to just get out to go somewhere.  The country is still practicing social distancing and mask wearing and now the majority of the country is in virtual schooling mode. Parents and caregivers across the country have become teachers to varying degrees. As a student, the best part of the school year was field trip day! Is there a way to continue those much-anticipated school activity of field trips for learning, and for a break in the routine? Virtual field trips are now on offer as an option to “get out and explore!”.

There are many free options for virtual exploration from international museums to parks across the United States. This is not an exhaustive list, it provides a starting point for the opportunities to explore the world via the world-wide web.

So get dressed, pack a picnic lunch, and take a field trip in your living room!

National Parks

While a road trip may not be doable for all, you can still visit the National Parks virtually both on the web and through your mobile phone. The National Park Service has videos, web cams and additional learning resources for each of the parks across the United States. Here are a few favorites.

Hawai’i: Thanks to Google Arts and Culture, you can head out over a Volcano in Hawai’i and learn about lava flows while “walking through a lava tube” at Hawai’I Volcanoes National Park.  Interactive portions with full audio make it feel like you are there. The National Park Service (NPS) has a combination of 15 thermal and static webcams. Discuss geological features of the park,  learn about the volcanoes that make up the park including the historical eruptions and the lava that builds the islands. Free downloadable curriculum plans are available from kindergarten through eighth grade and review the history and science behind volcanoes, natural rock formations and the night sky.

Wyoming: At Yellowstone National Park, you can watch the live stream of the Old Faithful Geyser erupt. Inclusive of prediction times for eruption from April through November. Explore more of the wildlife and views of the park with their 9 static webcams. Worksheets provided by NPS provide learning if desired, as well as recorded distance learning videos.

Florida: The virtual tour of Florida’s Dry Tortugas National Park offer the ability to swim a shipwreck and learn about the coral reef protection around Fort Jackson through Google Arts and Culture. There are interactive portions with additional areas of text to read.

Google Earth provides the ability to “walk” through the Everglades National Park without the humidity. Static webcams  provide views of the wildlife on the trail and the NPS made video series discusses the wildlife and nature preserve around the park.

Montana: Explore Glacier National Park through Google Earth or with the 13 static webcams through the National Park Service website. In addition to the images and webcams, NPS provides grade-specific lesson plans as a free resource.

If there is a National Park local to you, check their website for hours and reservation times. There are new virtual experiences added to the website along with free educational resources as well as the individual park shops to purchase under the “Support” tab for each park to financially support the National Parks from home.

Additional Resources for National Parks Virtual Field Trips

Check out the local library for National Geographic Kids National Parks USA as an adjunct resource for elementary and middle aged children. It provides tidbit information and pictures about the national parks across the United States inclusive of maps and photos.

Military families can download Park Passport for free thanks to Blue Star Families. The app lists all the National Parks. Additionally, it has virtual field trips to many more parks, along with activities including earning “virtual badges.” More virtual visits have been added over the last several months and the National Park Trust plans to continue to add more opportunities. 

Museums

New York: The American Museum of Natural History has broken up virtual field trips by age group, and each category has corresponding worksheets and videos. If you want to explore the museum, walk-through the museum via this Google Arts and Culture view or get exhibit information and close-ups here.  The museum has developed a free app for download with even more highlights and quizzes.

The Lourve: Now is the time to visit Paris for the low cost of $0! No worries about the long flight with kids – with one click you can explore the Lourve in Paris. Virtual tours of the Egyptian Antiquities and History of the Lourve are interactive, allowing viewers to “walk” through and around the exhibits.

Washington D.C.: The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. by way of Google offers a “walk-through” of the galleries. The two online exhibits about Fashioning a Nation and Vermeer and the Masters of Genre Painting provide up close views of the artwork along with information. In addition, there are over 40,000 pieces available to look at through both regular screen and augmented reality.  The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History offers a walk-through of the entire museum for exploration.

National Museum of the Marine Corps: Learn about World War II through artwork courtesy of this exhibit from retired Colonel Charles H. Waterhouse. It includes photographs, artwork and history behind each piece.  You can also explore the museum virtually with full, panoramic views here. Don’t forget to look up!

Check out Google Arts and Culture for their daily picks of museum highlights. Want to explore the Smithsonian Air and Space museum with a penguin? You can! Online exhibits from museums around the world like the Museum of Natural Science in Brussels or the Natural History Museum in the United Kingdom are available and more are added. Take a trip around the world all while wearing your pajamas!

Zoos

There are numerous animal cams you can enjoy from home. Do you remember huddling around the computer to watch April the Giraffe, and watch her give birth to Azizi? Did you check the animal cam multiple times a day to watch the progress? There is something amazing about watching the animals at the Zoo. While Zoos around the world were closed, they turned to the internet to share the adventure of being a Zookeeper behind the scenes! While Zoos have opened in some capacity, you can still explore the virtual zoo offerings, and their weekly events on social media.

San Diego Zoo: Beyond live webcams of the platypus and Polar Bears, the San Diego Zoo has an entire website San Diego Kids dedicated to elementary education with resources of videos, crafts, animal worksheets, recipes and games. Want to learn to draw a Tiger or talk about conservation with your kids – this is the resource for you. The San Diego Zoo Kids You Tube channel  offers animal videos in addition to Kids Corner and craft videos. The San Diego Zoo You Tube channel offers even more animal videos from watching Pygmy Hippos learn to swim to Ring-Tailed Lemur health checks.

Cincinnati Zoo: Check out specific topical presentations and videos from the Cincinnati Zoo Facebook page. Check out their Facebook page for a schedule of live events like question and answers with zookeepers. While the Zoo is open to the public now, they have continued these events online.

Chester Zoo: Across the pond in England, the Chester Zoo put together virtual Zoo Days.  Each day showcases the zookeepers along with red pandas,  jaguars, kangaroos, otters, painted dogs, and Orangutans while they go about their normal day. While feeding the animals, the zookeepers share facts about their zoo and the animals in a close-up experience. They are continuing live events on their Facebook page, and post the schedule a few days ahead of time.

Aquariums

If you haven’t tuned into the Jelly Cam while doing quiet time, you should. The soothing music alone promotes a zen atmosphere, but just enjoying the blue background and fish is soothing. Aquariums continue to share the webcams and a few are offering additional resources and virtual course offerings!

Georgia Aquarium: The Georgia Aquarium offers webcams of the belugas, Jellyfish and piranhas just to name a few in addition to multiple tanks. Twice weekly on their social media pages, the education department at the aquarium offers videos and learning opportunities that are then uploaded here. There are listed by topic and can easily be added into science learning or just for fun. Each video has a corresponding study guide for download.

Sea World: SeaWorld has an entire website dedicated to education. While Busch Gardens and SeaWorld may not be local or feasible to visit at the moment, there are free curriculum packets for Kindergarten through 12^th grade to discuss birds, sea life and ocean preservation. Corresponding videos are available on the Sea World Parks You Tube Channel. The focus of learning is on conservation, and the curriculum puts it into age appropriate terms.

Monterey Bay Aquarium: The Monterey staple is a world-renown aquarium and worth the visit. While the aquarium remains closed, they offer weekly live videos on their Facebook channel. An added bonus are the Grade specific online courses for preschool through high school . These courses were developed by the staff and are completely free. Each course includes videos, corresponding worksheets and resource links for additional learning. In most cases, these courses are offered in both English and Spanish. The curriculum has everything ready to go so you can dive right in!

The Aquarium of the Pacific: The Long Beach Aquarium has created the Aquarium Academy with live online courses for preschool through high school with topical videos. Animal webcams are open various hours with the Penguin cam being on 24 hours.  For the preschool and early elementary age children, the Pacific Pals show is an online version of their Puppet shows bringing the aquarium to the living room of everyone who watches.

NASA

If space is your jam, NASA has you covered. You can take a 4k tour of the moon or tour the International Space Station! Or even explore Mars courtesy of the Curiosity Rover. The Kids Zone on the NASA website provides games, activities and more space resources to explore!

National Geographic Weird But True

This television series can be found on Disney Plus so it isn’t free unless you already have the digital platform, but these topical episodes provide information, facts and field trips. Based off the “Weird But True” books by National Geographic, this series discusses the history and science behind various topics and includes a field trip to meet with experts on the topic each episode. There is an episode about training for space missions where they interview an astronaut and travel to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. One of the presenters goes to Colonial Williamsburg to learn about the jobs in the Colonial times. There is even an episode on the importance of bees. It is presented in a fun and captivating way that will entertain children up to the teen years. There are things that even the adults will learn!

2020 has been a strange year. Thankfully, museums, zoos, aquariums and the National Parks have figured out ways to bring their location to the world through technology! No un-air-conditioned bus ride needed!

Heather Walsh is a mom, Marine wife, Navy child, blogger, and lover of all things crafty and Disney. Professionally, she is a Physician Assistant and writer and has a passion for helping others to stay positive and supported. She has been writing since KidPix was on a floppy disk! She is one of three women who founded MilMomAdventures, sharing travel and lifestyle tips for the military family at www.milmomadventures.com . When she isn’t crafting with her kiddos, going on the next adventure, or writing for MilMomAdventures, she has contributed to NextGen MilSpouse, Daily Mom Military and Military Disney Tips while reheating her first cup of coffee for the tenth time.

Education as we knew it no longer exists. In it’s place is a new normal: socially distant in-person learning, hybrid online/offline learning or (more commonly right now) 100% virtual learning from home.

School looks very different from when we were kids. Luckily there are laws and regulations that protect your child’s right to an equitable education.

Military Families Need to Use These Rights In Public Schools Now

Note: nothing presented in this article should be construed as legal advice; families should consult an attorney if they suspect that their child’s educational rights have been violated.

FERPA for Everyone

All students enrolled in public schools are protected by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This law works like HIPAA in healthcare.

Basically, it means that only very limited information about your child can be shared publicly. That usually means any “directory” information: name, address, phone number, place/date of birth and awards or honors.

Everything else, like grades or education plans, remains highly restricted. Only teachers and staff with a vested current interest in the student may access non-directory information. This means that a third grade teacher can’t poke around in a fourth grader’s cumulative records.

FERPA also means that you, as parents, have the right to review your child’s record and request corrections or add a letter that states your concerns with the information present. FERPA also allows parents to make photo copies of their child’s cumulative records. However, schools may charge a fee for these copies.

Why you need to know about it now:

You need to know about FERPA right now because we are in the age of digital everything. Grades are stored online, assignments are all online and even teaching is virtual.

The digital world means that you need to guard your child’s records even more carefully. It’s easy to attach the wrong info to an email!

Asking for a careful review of records is also crucial prior to a PCS. Make sure that everything is intact and correct before you leave the school. Ask to correct any errors that you notice right away.

Individualized Education Rights You Might Miss

No part of school is normal right now – and that goes double for children with IEPs! Luckily, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and state laws include special protections for parents navigating special education.

Basically, schools are duty bound to find, assess and support students with diagnosed or suspected learning differences per Child Find.

When kids are enrolled in schools, testing data determines whether a child is in need of an IEP or individualized education plan. The whole IEP is designed to meet your child exactly where they are with services and supports to fit their specific needs.

Parents must consent to initial and annual evaluations. Parents must also be part of the IEP team, collaborating in the development of the IEP, and providing written consent to the IEP.

Why you need to know it now:

With the pandemic school shut down, special education services look different. However, parental consent is still required before any changes in placement, supports or services is made to an IEP.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has repeatedly stated that IDEA is not altered in any way and that states will not be able to seek waivers. A waiver would allow states to skirt testing timelines or make changes without parental involvement.

We all recognize that things won’t look the same for students with disabilities during distance learning. However, parents still should be involved in the process and be able to give fully informed consent.

Right now, parents should be reviewing any and all documents related to their child’s education plan and services from March to the present. You should be checking for changes to which you did not provide consent or missed assessment timelines. If you notice either of these things, it’s time to ask questions, possibly with the support of a professional education advocate or lawyer.

Free Access to Education is Important

One of the major tenants of IDEA is Free Appropriate to Public Education (FAPE). This little clause means that students with disabilities should have access to an equitable education, delivered at their instructional level and per their IEP.

FAPE is something that parents need to advocate for every single year.

Why you need to know it now:

Again, school doesn’t look like it did last year at this time. Services don’t look the same and aren’t going to be delivered in the normal setting.

Students with disabilities might not be able to access the technology required for equal access to the distance learning platform being used in their school. They may not be able to demonstrate skills or receive services virtually.

Each school needs to be aware of these possibilities and be prepared to make adjustments that ensure FAPE for each child with an IEP.

As a parent, you should be holding the school accountable for FAPE by checking that they are adapting technology, curriculum, assignments and services for our new educational reality.

Have you needed to advocate for your child during virtual learning? Sound off in the comments!

Every Thursday, my daughter goes to ballet. Except she doesn’t actually leave the house and has never met her teacher in person. Everything is 100% online, which is actually perfect for this summer.

Virtual Camps Offer Families New Option During Pandemic Summer

Virtual or online camps and lessons are one new option available to families in the US this summer. Across the country, sports and summer camps are largely cancelled for in-person. If “live” camps are happening, it is very likely that they are going forward under much different circumstances than last year.

The YMCA is one of the few major, nationwide- camp and child care providers that remained open this summer. While they have not seen a large spike in cases, all Y camps have been following strict social distancing and cleaning procedures.

In addition, the CDC released guidelines to help camps and summer child care centers limit the risk of exposure.

Despite the guidelines, many parents have opted to keep their children home from in-person camps or child care entirely. To help fill the void, families are turning to online classes, camps and even summer school.

Camps Pivot to Online Options Early

As quickly as mid- to late-May, many summer camps were shifting from in-person to online options.

In the DC area, major summer camp provider Baroody Camps shifted from their traditional model to a hybrid. They opted to offer limited, small group camps in person alongside online only options. The in-person camps are limited to less than 10 children from the same neighborhood.

Camps across the nation also made these adjustments in response to the pandemic. All camps are offered with streaming video along with other ways to engage.

Parade Magazine shared more than 45 options for virtual summer camps to keep kids busy this summer. Their list included online camps from the San Diego Zoo and SeriousFun Children’s Network as well as classes offered by individual makers or themed courses.

Virtual Camps Offer Exciting, Cheaper Opportunities for Kids

The influx online camping experiences has broadened horizons for children who are not co-located to the camp of their choice. For example, children can now “go” to camp in SoCal while living in Northern Virginia!

In addition, many of these online camps are free or very low cost when compared to the expense of in-person camping. According to data analyzed by Care.com, camps can be very pricey for families.

In summer 2018, families could expect to pay, on average:

• Day Camp: $314/week
• Sleep Away Camp: $768/week
• Specialty Camps: $500-$1,000/week

For families that needed multiple weeks or months of camp-based child care in the summer, costs can rapidly soar into the thousands of dollars quickly. Virtual camps, in many cases, are significantly cheaper or even free this summer. Some online experiences, like private music lessons or tutoring, cost about the same as pre-pandemic.

Some Districts Offer Free, Inclusive Summer School

In May, many districts in Northern Virginia and across the country announced that they were offering free summer school for 100% of their students. Alexandria City Schools, for example, released a plan that automatically opted all students into the summer school program. Parents could choose to remove their child from the online-only experience, but everyone was included with no academic benchmarks to be met.

This Northern Virginia school district used the same platforms that students were familiar with from distance learning in the spring. Students may return to those online learning platforms should distance learning return in the fall.

Many districts around the country, including New York City, followed suit.

Parents Still Juggling Child Care & Work

While online camps offer some options to keep children entertained while parents work from home, many families are still juggling all the things.

Some online summer camps require heavy parent involvement or prep work. Many, like PBS Kids, provide tips and activity ideas alongside streaming videos and games.

Not all children are able to be occupied or remain attentive during online camp or classes. Younger children in particular have shorter attention spans, not always conducive to all-day, every day virtual engagement.

While online learning and camping experiences do provide some measure of relief for busy families, it’s not the same as in-person versions.

The key seems to be to find an online course or camp that aligns with your child’s age level and interests. Which is why every Thursday afternoon my basement turns into a ballet studio and my daughter shows her plies to Madame via Zoom.

Has your family tried virtual summer camps? Sound off about your experiences in the comments!

By Marguerite Cleveland

     Military families face many challenges with their children enduring frequent school changes. They are either ahead or behind each new school. Many families are turning to homeschooling to provide more stability for their children. I turned to my friend, Mary (name changed to protect families privacy) who homeschool all five of her children. She currently has 3 college graduates who were all accepted to competitive schools and received scholarships, a junior and one in 8^th grade. With over 20 years of homeschooling under her belt, she has a track record of success.

Why is homeschooling a great option for military families?

     Living at Ft. Irwin, the school on post was very academically behind the Catholic school we had attended at our last duty station. The “local” catholic school was an hour drive each way on a long, thin, road in the desert.  We still had other small children and felt a 2 hour drive was not something we wanted.  So for us, the start of homeschooling was because we wanted a faith-filled education but it wasn’t accessible.

     We realized our oldest had gaps and holes in her math and science education from changing schools 3 times between Kindergarten & 3^rd grade. We found she could complete her entire day of school in 2 hours. This enabled us to travel all over CA, visit family, complete field trips, CA missions, Grand Canyon and see the giant redwoods. Real life became a bonus education.

     For the kids to have any time with their dad, we needed to be available whenever he was available.  This continued through 2011.  So when dad had block leave in October or February, the kids had school vacation.  When dad was gone, we did school through the summer and often on weekends. During this time, we also moved high schoolers in middle of fall and spring semesters.  We would have had to stay behind and miss out on time as a family.

     Since 2011, we haven’t lived in one place more than 20-30 mos. Homeschooling has made the moves and transitions smoother.  We started with an academic purpose, but continued because we became accustomed to the freedom of our own schedule.  Additionally, the kids had more time to participate in multiple extracurriculars such as sailing teams, swim teams, scouts, youth groups, etc.

When OCONUS stationed, what makes homeschooling so great?

    When stationed overseas, homeschoolers are able to participate in DODEA classes and sports.  We opted for sports.  Outside of the academics, we traveled to 15 countries in 20 months.  The kids were responsible for directing us to train platforms, airline gates, bus stations, etc.  I would make the itinerary and they would plan the transportation.  They also had the advantage of seeing so much history, culture:   They stood next to Caesar’s burial, walked through Mozart’s childhood home, stood 4 feet from Pope Francis and rode bikes to all the Sound of Music sights. I can’t type enough about the experience living overseas gave them.  All are capable of traveling the world.

What are the keys to success and how do you stay organized?

     Success is measured differently by each family. For us, we wanted our children to have a worldly view of life. We wanted them to know how to crunch numbers and write papers, as well as look people in the eye and speak to anyone of any age, lastly, but most importantly, we prayed they would be faith filled and good citizens.

     In order to accomplish our goals, we needed to be organized and we all needed to have good discipline. The discipline to get up on time (alarms) and do what is needed each day. If they didn’t finish their work due to their own laziness or disobedience, they did not participate in outside activities that day.  Anything not complete by Friday would earn them Saturday school.

     Our rule for curriculum has always been, “If it doesn’t work for mom, it’s not going to work for the child.”  We follow a schedule and a few rules.  We school 8am-1pm, sometimes less, sometimes more.  We have an annual goal for each child. Then we break it down into weekly goals. 

     We started our kids in 8^th grade with online classes. They meet weekly or bi-weekly in an adobe classroom with a teacher and 15-18 other students. The teacher goes over the material, gives assignments and deadlines, and grades the work. They’ve had teachers who broke up the class into debate groups. The groups coordinate who is covering which portion, pass information through emails and conduct the debate in class.

     When it came to the upper levels, I did not try to teach subjects I was unfamiliar with. Online classes for some kids included Chemistry, Adv. Chemistry, Calculus, and Physics. Some places we’ve lived the kids took classes with other homeschoolers in a family’s home or a co-op type environment.  Our kids have also been dual enrolled in community college courses. This year, our son will take Chemistry from another homeschool mom who used to teach science at the local university.  Our daughter will take a computer apps class from the same teacher.

So, while we started because one child was missing math topics, we continued because of the freedom it gave our family.  I never thought I would homeschool. Then I never thought I would homeschool high school. But here we are, 21 years later with 5 more years to go.

     If you decide to homeschool your children make sure to visit the School Support Services or Liaison Officer on your installation. They can help you make sure you are in compliance with state laws, for example Washington State regulates home schooling. Also check your local MWR which has many programs for homeschoolers. At JBLM, there are sports programs, art classes, and a school center with a gym, computer room, art room and even a cooking space all available to homeschoolers.

Marguerite Cleveland is a freelance writer who specializes in human interest and travel stories. She is a military brat, a veteran and now a military spouse.  Her military experience is vast as the daughter of a Navy man who served as an enlisted sailor and then Naval Officer. She served as an enlisted soldier in the reserves and on active duty, then as an Army Officer. She currently serves as a military spouse. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Visit her website www.PeggyWhereShouldIGo.com

You want to know what’s more complicated than a PCS? Try adding in the extra responsibilities of moving with kids in school. Yup, once your kids enter school, moving becomes a whole new ball game!

Between finding a good school, organizing the paperwork and making the best school work within your BAH or ideal commuting range, it’s quite a lot to juggle. Luckily, if you follow a few super simple tips you can make your PCS with school-aged kids so much easier.

PCS Success for MilKids in K-12 Schools

Now, making your move easier will (ironically) take a little bit of planning and prep. I promise that it’s so worth it!

Learn How to Triangulate

Over in the Stress-Free PCS Challenge, the first step is to connect the dots and triangulate your wants. What’s on your must-have and nice-to-have lists?

Here’s a peek at our family’s list:

• Commute, door to desk, under 30 min
• Walkable neighborhood with public transit options
• Homes available at/under BAH
• Parks & playgrounds
• Schools ranked average or higher

As we’re house hunting, these are the criteria we are looking for in our next community or neighborhood. Now, obviously, getting everything on this list is the best case scenario. So we’ve decided that having at least three of these five “wants” is going to be enough for us.

Before you even start your deep dive into which schools are “best,” get your priorities straight and start your house hunt. Keep your list of ideals in mind at all times.

Once you narrow down your search area based on your criteria, it will make your moving process so much simpler.

Narrow Down Your Child’s School Needs

Every child is unique. Not every school will work for every child. And that’s okay!

To figure out your child’s baseline needs, consider:

• Education Plans: IEP, 504 Plans, Gifted & Talented
• Athletics & Extracurricular Activities
• Personality
• Past Experiences – good and bad
• Future Goals: college, military, entering civilian workforce
• Academic Interests: science, tech, vocational, arts, humanities

Creating a small overview of your child will help you to rule schools in or out as you search. For example, you wouldn’t really want to send your soccer loving child to a school without a soccer program.

Get Organized

If you’ve been around the PCS block a few times, you probably already have a binder (or 10) floating around. You might not exactly want to add another binder to your collection, but it’s 100% worth it.

You can set up a binder for each child or just create sections in one master organizer. Either way, you’re going to include copies of:

• “Unofficial” school records: report cards, grades, attendance records
• Personal records: birth certificates, SSN card
• Education plans: IEP, 504 Plan, Gifted & Talented
• Medical records: medical plans, physical exams
• Legal documents: custody paperwork, adoption paperwork, etc.
• New enrollment paperwork
• Athletic & extracurricular records
• Recommendation letters
• Notes on the school search

You can grab a free binder organizer, along with other great checklists, in the Stress-Free PCS Challenge!

Having all your documents in one place makes it easier to find just the right item when you need it most. It’s also important to make multiple copies of essential info, like the academic records and any education plans.

Know What the Rankings Mean

There are three major ranking websites: Niche, GreatSchools and School Digger. Each draws on the same hard data, like state testing scores and demographics. The numbers are run in several different ways on each website, with the final “grade” based on a variety of factors.

These scores, plus the state Department of Education’s school report card, give a great snapshot of the school’s success. You’re looking for a high passing percentage on state tests, a high graduation rate, and average or better community reviews posted within the last five years.

When it comes to these scores and websites, you’re looking for consistency across platforms. It’s a red flag when a school is ranked average in several places, with a super high ranking on a different website.

It’s also important to remember that the ranking websites compare schools in one region or state against each other. So a 5/10 in a high achieving area, like Northern Virginia, may not mean the same thing as a 5/10 in another area. Before you right off a school because of a perceived lower ranking. Instead, check the actual percentage of kids in the school who are achieving proficiency or higher on state tests.

Always Connect with Schools Personally

A high ranking is great. Hearing positive things from other parents is good, too. But it’s not everything. A high achieving school with good reviews doesn’t mean your child will feel comfortable or successful there.

To really nail down your child’s options, always connect with the schools personally. That might mean sending an email or making a phone call. You should try to connect with:

• School principal
• Special education coordinator
• Gifted education coordinator
• Coaches or extracurricular mentors
• Grade level lead teachers
• Subject matter lead teachers – sciences, humanities, tech, vocational, arts

Building a personal connection can be the make or break factor in deciding where to live and send your children to school. Remember to keep notes on your conversations, storing everything in your binder.

What are your tips to PCS with school-aged kids?

As military families, we have a lot of complications and balls in the air. Consistently, one of our top worries is about our military kids and their education.

Between moving every three years during the K-12 years and saving for their college educations, it’s a lot!

April, being the Month of the Military Child, brings the focus onto the needs of our military kids, especially their education. It’s also a great time to find cool resources and opportunities to help support your military kid and their education!

Educating a child, through the K-12 years or at college, is expensive. Military families are always on the hunt for ways to make this more affordable and possible with budgeting and scholarships.

Give Your Military Child’s Education a Boost with Help from Nabisco and Coca-Cola

Every little bit totally helps. Which makes scholarships and grants a great resource for military families. In honor of Month of the Military Child, Nabisco and Coca-Cola have come together in support of military families to award scholarships to six lucky winners.

One Grand Prize winner will win $5,000 in the form of a check!
Or you could win one (1) of five (5) first prizes consisting of $1,000 in the form of a check!

We love a good scholarship, especially one that’s easy to apply for and comes with very few strings attached. That makes the scholarship from Nabisco and Coca-Cola so sweet!

There’s no purchase necessary to enter or win. And you can enter once daily through 4/30/2019!

Scholarships for Military Kids

Sending a child to college or paying for private school is expensive! Between tuition, fees, uniforms and supplies, the bills collect awfully fast. Having some financial support is often crucial to making quality education a reality.

There are lots of great scholarships for military kids, including this new opportunity from Nabisco and Coca-Cola. A quick Google search will bring you to lots of information about scholarships for K-12 schools and colleges, both generally and specifically for military kids.

With a little bit of financial support, there is so much opportunity for education and success!

Just thinking about what that $5,000 check or even the $1,000 check would do for a military child is incredible. We’re talking books and school supplies. Maybe even a decent chunk of tuition or fees.

Every little bit of financial support truly helps!

Enter for Your Chance to Win!

Throughout April, in honor of the Month of the Military Child, Nabisco and Coca-Cola are offering the chance to win one of five $1,000 checks or the grand prize, a $5,000 check, to help support your military child’s education.

To enter, please text PURPLE to 89884* for a chance to win up to $5,000 for your child’s education! You can also enter online at www.NabiscoMilitaryMonth.com.

This scholarship is 100% limited to military families.

Supporting Month of the Military Child

April is the Month of Military Child, honoring the support, service and sacrifices of our military connected kids. All month long, please Purple Up to show your support of military kids!

Nabisco & Coca-Cola are proud sponsors of the Month of the Military Child!

All month, look for Purple Up events at a military base near you! From major supporters, like Nabisco and Coca-Cola, to national supporters, like DoDEA, or local events, military kids are being celebrated and supported all month long.

Supporting military kids and their education is important. Having Nabisco and Coca-Cola on-board and showing their belief in education for military children is a huge deal!

It’s not just major businesses or organizations that can act to support military kids. Anyone can help military kids find support, resources and success. All it takes is just a little bit of action or one click to start making big changes for our littlest warriors!

You can show your support by:

• Celebrating the military child in your life
• Wearing purple, even just a small pin or scarf
• Sharing Month of the Military Child or Purple Up posts and articles on social media
• Donating to military child-specific non-profits and causes
• Volunteering to help military kids on base, at school or through non-profits
• Advocating for support for military kids at K-12 schools and colleges

This April, help support your military child’s education and future with a cool scholarship opportunity! And share Nabisco and Coca-Cola’s scholarship content with other military families.

How does your family support your military child at school? What do you do for Month of the Military Child?

*NO PURCHASE OR TEXT NECESSARY TO ENTER THE NABISCO MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD SWEEPSTAKES.  Making a purchase or sending a text will not increase your chances of winning. Sweepstakes starts 12:00 am ET on 4/1/19 and ends 11:59 pm ET on 4/30/19.  Open to residents of the 50 U.S. (& D.C.) and active duty U.S. military personnel and their families, stationed within U.S. or abroad, 18 and older. Enter online at www.NabiscoMilitaryMonth.com.  See Official Rules for free alternate method of entry. 1 Grand Prize: $5,000. 5 First Prizes: $1,000.  Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received during sweepstakes period. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: Mondelēz Global, LLC, East Hanover, NJ 07936.

Re: text messages. Std. msg. & data rates may apply. Text STOP to end. Text HELP for info. If you enter via text-messaging, you will receive 1 text message in response from an automated system; winners will receive 1 additional text message. Consent is not required to buy goods and services. To view the Sponsor’s Mobile Privacy Policy, http://bit.ly/2lt3IBr. To view Administrator’s Mobile Terms and Conditions, http://bit.ly/2g6zTZa.