Understanding the Community-Based Military Child Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program 2008

Did you know????? ___Military families living in your community ___Children attending area schools *Note to YRSS-please insert the correct demographic information above and delete this instruction before presenting. You may not know it, but there are military children living in your community. In fact, there may be military children in your classroom. Often children of the Reserve Components, Army and Air National Guard and Army, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard Reserve, go unnoticed because their parent’s participation in the military isn’t as obvious as it might be if there was an active military installation or base close by. In your community there are approximately ____ military families with ____ children attending your schools. Orlando Conference - National Guard J1 - Professional Development Seminar Jan 26-28, 2010

What this means to you… Children experiencing stress: Pre-Deployment: Period prior to Service Member leaving Deployment: Period during service Reunion: Period immediately upon return Reintegration: Period of transition after reunion Before 9/11, Reserve Components were primarily completing their military service one weekend per month and over two weeks during the summer. Since 2002, Reserve Component service members have provided as much as 50% of the troops on the ground supporting the Global War on Terrorism. Many have deployed more than once. Before you ask yourself why this information is important to you, I’d like to share the following. Deployment creates a great deal of stress for families and that includes the children. During pre-deployment there is anxiety about how the family will cope without the service member and for the safety of the service member. During deployment the family begins to adjust to the separation, but often feels overwhelmed , isolated, and lonely. Reunion presents its own stresses as the thrill of the return of the service member quickly turns into learning how to function as a family again during reintegration. Orlando Conference - National Guard J1 - Professional Development Seminar Jan 26-28, 2010

How children may react… 0-3 may display anxiety through fussiness, sleeplessness, etc. 4-8 may exhibit anger, fear, may act out 9-12 may exhibit anger, fear, may act out 13-18 may act indifferent, withdraw, change behavior, exhibit anger, may act out As an educator, you will likely see the stress of deployment and reunion manifest in a variety of ways. Very young children may be fussier than usual and have difficulty sleeping. Young children may revert to more immature behaviors, be angry at the absent parent, and act out in aggressive ways. Older children may also revert to more immature behaviors, be angry at the absent parent, and act out in aggressive ways. However, they are also likely to hear conversations about war, see television broadcasts that display disturbing realities of war, and exhibit fear for their parent’s safety. Teenage children may appear like they don’t care about the circumstances presented during deployment, but they do. Often they withdraw, may have sudden and distinct changes in their behavior i.e. they used to be very social but have recently withdrawn from friends and the things they used to enjoy. They may also act out by engaging in risky behaviors like drinking, drugs, and sexual activity. Orlando Conference - National Guard J1 - Professional Development Seminar Jan 26-28, 2010

What you can do…. Determine if there are any Military children in your class Engage these children in a conversation about the Military parent Engage the non-Military parent in a conversation about Military service and ask to be kept informed if/when a deployment occurs Make parent aware of your concerns Make school counselor aware of your concerns Ask the child to talk about it Connect the child with other Military kids If behaviors are extreme-refer the parent to Military OneSource (offers referral for free counseling) As professional educators you may be wondering what you can do. First, you need to figure out how many military children attend your school. Once you’ve identified a military child in your classroom, ask him/her about the military parent. Children are often proud of their parent’s service and enjoy sharing. Second, engage the non-military parent in a conversation about military service and ask to be kept informed if/when a deployment occurs. If you learn of a deployment, watch for changes in behavior or grades in your military children. If you notice any of the aforementioned behaviors, contact the non-military parent and let him/her know. Let the school counselor know about the situation and encourage him/her to connect all of the military children in the school. Sometimes just knowing there are others experiencing the same thing is a comfort. If behaviors become extreme, make the non-military parent aware of the resources through Military One Source at www.militaryonesource.com or by phone: Stateside: CONUS: 1-800-342-9647 En español llame al: 1-877-888-0727 TTY/TDD: 1-800-346-9188 Orlando Conference - National Guard J1 - Professional Development Seminar Jan 26-28, 2010

How we can help… Information Referral Connection to other Military families Resources for educators who serve Military children As a member of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, it is my job to support families throughout the deployment cycle. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me with the information I’ll share on the last slide. If you have a concern about a child or family member, let me know and I can contact them to find out what they need and follow through to see that they get it. Often military families feel isolated and are not aware there are other local families experiencing deployment. I can help them connect to other military families. I can also provide resources to you as an educator if you wish to learn more about deployment and how to help military children cope. Orlando Conference - National Guard J1 - Professional Development Seminar Jan 26-28, 2010