Pre-K to 12 Education

Supporting your child’s education is one of your most important responsibilities as a parent. By cultivating a love of learning and knowledge at a young age, you put your child on a path to success so they can open doors to endless opportunities.

Military OneSource can help you build a strong foundation of learning for your child. This includes building a relationship with your child’s school and tapping into the support and resources of your military community — all to help you help your child succeed.

Parents can tap into education strategies and resources to support their child’s schooling, nurture learning at home, explore digital resources and assist with school transitions.

Starting early means laying a foundation for lifelong learning and success in school. This can happen at home or in a child development center. The Defense Department developed the Early Learning Matters curriculum used at on-base child development centers to give military children a strong foundation by promoting skills linked to school readiness, well-being and life success.

If you are stationed overseas, Sure Start — a Department of Defense Education Activity program — is open to command-sponsored military children who meet specific age requirements and other criteria. You can also take advantage of Thrive, a free online parenting program, designed to help you raise healthy, resilient children from birth to 18.

Your relationship with the school shows your child and the school’s staff the importance you attach to education. Even if you relocate often or are temporarily deployed, you can build a relationship with the school by meeting the teacher, volunteering, attending school events or joining a parent group.

Providing the best possible education for your child is not a one-person job. Be sure to tap into the support and resources of your military community.

• The Military Child Education Coalition supports all military-connected children, youth and teens by educating, advocating and collaborating to resolve education challenges associated with the military lifestyle. MCEC offers programs, initiatives and resources to both military families and educators. MCEC provides support to military-connected students through peer-to-peer mentoring programs, the Frances Hesselbein Student Leadership Program, student-focused webinars and their Student Advisory Council.
• School liaisons are the main contact for military families, local school systems and installation command for school-related matters pre-K through 12. Local school liaisons help with transition support before and after a PCS and assist military-connected children with Interstate Compact compliance. School liaisons provide information on school districts and boundaries, assist with transfer of credits and class registration, help locate after-school and extracurricular programs, set up tutoring and youth sponsorship referrals, and help with college, career and military readiness. They can also connect you to the Exceptional Family Member Program and your school’s special education department, as well as help you navigate your new school district’s special education program.
• Homeschooling resources are available on your installation. They include local school liaisons and child, youth and teen programs. You can also find home-schooling support and activities when you are located on an installation with a Department of Defense Education Activity
• Tutoring resources can help your child keep up or catch up. Tutor.com for U.S. Military and Their Families can help your student stay ahead or get caught up. Live tutors are online and can help with homework, studying, test prep, proofreading, organizational skills and more. Tutoring and homework help is available 24/7 at no cost to:
  • Active-duty service members, their spouses and K-12 dependents
  • Surviving spouses (unmarried)
  • Surviving dependent children and orphans of personnel who died on active duty or while in retired status (whether the surviving spouse remarries or not).
• The Head Start program teaches reading, math and other developmental skills to children 5 and younger before they start school. If your family has a low income, a foster child or a child with special needs, see if you qualify for this program. If you are stationed overseas, Sure Start is open to command-sponsored military children who meet specific age requirements and other criteria.
• The DOD MWR Libraries is a free, online resource for service members and their families that offers a wide variety of activities and materials for all ages — including eBooks and audiobooks on virtually every topic. Children can learn to read, explore interests, research school assignments, access professional tutors for homework help and much more.
• Military OneSource education consultants can assist you with questions about your child’s education. These one-on-one sessions are free, confidential and can provide you with referrals to in-home tutors and tutoring centers in your area as well as public and private school information. Contact Military OneSource any time to schedule an appointment. Call 800-342-9647, view international calling options or schedule a live chat.
• Student 2 Student is a student-led and faculty-advised program with the mission to take care of new students. An S2S program shows students their new campus and introduces them to their new community. It provides fun ways for new students to get to know other students, build new peer groups and encourage new students to perform better in school.

Learning doesn’t stop when the school day ends. Children absorb as much or more at home and through their extracurricular experiences as through a textbook. To encourage learning at home, establish a routine to keep children on schedule with their homework and provide plenty of praise for a job well done. Take advantage of available resources to support education and learning at home. You can also look for additional opportunities to foster learning during activities such as cooking, gardening and food shopping. They present opportunities to strengthen skills such as science, math and reading. Installation youth centers also offer a safe environment for youth to explore interests, build skills and experience success.

If your child has a disability or special need, the Exceptional Family Member Program can help you navigate the Defense Department’s network of services and support.

• Contact your installation EFMP Family Support provider who can provide information and referral about your child’s special education needs. They also offer PCS transition assistance by providing a warm handoff to the EFMP Family Support provider at the gaining installation.
• Visit the EFMP & Me online tool to create an education checklist with information and resources tailored for your family.
• Check out the Education Directory for Children with Special Needs to locate early intervention and school-age special education information specific to your locale.
• Reach out to your local school liaison to access a variety of education support for family members with special needs, including help with transitioning to a new school, navigating the special education system in your current school or addressing general education issues and needs. School liaisons can also assist with referral to the DOD Exceptional Family Member Program.

While the federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires every school district to test students in reading and math, each state now has more flexibility to develop and administer what it considers to be the most effective testing system. Contact the school liaison at your new installation with questions or concerns. Here’s what you need to know before you move: