The Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission (MIC3), www.mic3.net, website is designed to better inform the public about the Interstate Compact for Educational Opportunities for Military Children and serve the needs of the families of our service men and women. It will also provide valuable resources, news, contact information, links, and recent rulings by the Commission. Military families move between postings on a regular basis, and while reassignments can often be a boon for career personnel, they can be difficult for the children of military families. The average military student faces transition challenges more than twice during high school and most military children will attend six to nine different school systems in their lives from kindergarten to 12th grade. The Compact therefore seeks to make transition easier for the children of military families so that they are afforded the same opportunities for educational success as other children and are not penalized or delayed in achieving their educational goals.

The Compact provides for the uniform treatment of military children transferring between school districts and states. It was developed by The Council of State Governments' National Center for Interstate Compacts, the Department of Defense, national associations, federal and state officials, the Department of Education of each state, school administrators and military families. Thirty-five states have adopted the Compact. The Department of Defense will continue to work with the Commission, Council of State Governments, national organizations, and state leaders to bring the remaining states on board. Member states are beginning to form their State Councils and inform school districts of the terms of the Compact. The Commission has met twice and is working to implement and communicate the requirements of the Compact.


The National Guard Family Community Center & Youth Website: www.guardfamily.org This site connects you with a list of the most current resources, training opportunities, and outreach activities available to military families. The State Youth Coordinator is Theresa (Beth) Stoddard. Ms. Stoddard can be reached at Theresa.stoddard@us.army.mil or 410-576-2994.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Educational Partnership website promotes quality education, seamless transitions and deployment support for military students through outreach and partnership development.

The resources are all related to the education of our service members' children. It is an important issue and many of the organization and agency relationships are cultivated to assist our families, commands and education professionals toward that goal.


The Military One Source: www.militaryonesource.com This is a 24/7 site that is rich with resources on almost any topic. They can locate counseling services that will provide 6 free sessions per issue and will also provide a one hour session assisting with applications for your college bound student. They provide a tremendous variety of free written and audio visual material. Recently more than 100,000 copies of the Military Child and Adolescent Deployment Support Video Program endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics was made available to schools and military parents. To order a free copy of Military Youth Coping with Separation or Mr. Poe and Friends, call Military One Source at 1-800-342-9647. Click here for sample information about deployment, the new normal, etc. intended to help kids deal with issues of parents in military, etc. including info for parents. Sesame Street DVDs for families with youth ages 2-5. Available for free through Military OneSource (1-800-342-9647) OR http://www.sesamestreet.org/tlc.


Free Homework Help for Military Children
Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families (www.tutor.com/military) provides free, personalized 24/7 online academic support to military-connected children. This Department of Defense-funded program is provided at no cost to grades K-12 children in National Guard, Reserve and Active Duty military families, regardless of the service member’s deployment status.


The Military Child Education Coalition: www.militarychild.org This organization provides training and resources to aid in developing support systems for military children and youth within the public school system. They have a wide variety of outstanding resources that view military children issues from the Guard and Reserve perspective as well as that of the active duty families.

• Note: For a recent description of the mental health needs of our military children, click here.

Recently the National Guard Bureau purchased 75K copies of "Finding My Way" , a book written by Michelle and DeAnne Sherman. "Finding My Way" is described as “A Teen’s Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has Experienced Trauma.” This guide has been recognized as “an invaluable tool in the hands of those so often forgotten in dealing with trauma: the teenagers who are confused and frightened by what is happening.”


Our Military Kids, Inc: www.ourmilitarykids.org This organization provides $500 grants for every child who has a parent deployed in support of the “War on Terror”. This grant is available to cover fees for a wide range of academic and athletic activities and is provided regardless of income.


National Association for Child Care Resource and Referral Agency: www.naccrra.org or 1-800-424-2246 This organization provides childcare subsidies for all Service Members deploying in support of the “War on Terror”. If you need assistance or advocacy in getting these benefits contact your State Youth Coordinator at Theresa.stoddard@us.army.mil.


The Army has funded a program called Operation Ready. One of the OP READY products is a Children and Deployment Handbook. It discusses the different developmental phases and the impact in different age groups. Originally it was intended to be written for parents, and it was later changed to program staff and educators. It contains a list of books and websites both for children and parents. The handbook is also accompanied by handouts that address different age groups. For a copy contact Cindy Enroth at cme4@cornell.edu.


The National Military Family Association (NMFA - http://www.nmfa.org) provides a comprehensive macro-listing of websites to support families and children of all military members.


The Military Impacted Schools Association (MISA) is a national organization of school superintendents. Our mission is to serve school districts with a high concentration of military children. click here.  MISA also supports a partnership with The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships that provides a free on-line course for teachers and school personnel intended to increase understanding of the…Military community, lifestyle and culture as the backdrop for your military students’ social, emotional and educational needs and challenges of military students including issues of mobility and deployment. Special challenges of youth during wartime including separation, reunion, death and disability, and programs to help students cope with these challenges are addressed. Strategies used by school staff—administrators, support staff and teachers—to improve educational, behavioral and health outcomes for all students are provided. Click here.


The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides links to numerous resources to support the health and emotional well being of military and veterans children. The AAP Military Youth Deployment Support Website has been designed to support military youth, families, and the youth serving professionals caring for this population. To learn more about what youth serving professionals are doing to help military children and adolescents every day, click here.  Coming Home: Adjustments For Military Families and Families In The Military.   Youth Coping With Military Deployment: "Promoting Resilience in Your Family" and “Mr. Poe and Friends.” American Academy of Pediatrics. Video from Operation Purple summer camp with interviews by kids. Click here.


Army-sponsored Operation Military Kids (OMK) is a program in Maryland; it would be connected with Maryland Cooperative Extension. Here is the OMK national website. Also, Young Heroes: Military Deployment Through the Eyes of Youth. 18 minute video created by teens of the New Jersey Operation Military Kids’ Speak out for Military Kids Program explaining the deployment cycle: http://www.operationmilitarykids.org/public/somk.aspx