When the Orders Come from Headquarters
Military families move a lot. Given the average time of station is between 18 and 24 months, the average military family knows not to set down too deep a set of roots in any community. They know that routines and friendships with civilian families can be fleeting because they are never too far away from a new set of orders from the Pentagon telling them to pick up and move again.
As a military spouse, I moved 26 times during my husband’s 38-year career in the Army. These moves allowed me to see the United States and the world. It also taught the importance of developing a routine, including numerous check lists, to help make moving easier. While I mastered the art of getting our stuff from one station to the next, one area where things didn’t always go easily was moving our kids from one school to another.
Fortunately, thanks to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, a 50-state agreement to help with school transition issues, is in place and available for military families.
But, the Interstate Compact is only as good as the people who are implementing it. In some cases, school administrators know how to make the Interstate Compact work. In other cases, the administrators are unfamiliar with it. As a result, parents still need to take the initiative to make sure their children’s transfer goes as smoothly as possible.
To help in these efforts, Military Families for High Standards developed “A Military Family’s Guide to School Transition.” The guide features a check list of nine things parents should do to facilitate their children’s move. When we released the guide last year, it was well received and was endorsed by organizations such as the National Military Family Association and the Navy League.
However, some of you asked for more context and information. Examples of how these steps were helpful, was a frequent request — and we listened.
Visit http://militaryfamiliesforhighstandards.org to see the guide!
As a result, I am pleased to announce the release an updated, expanded version of the guide.
The guide and associated resources add that additional layer of detail some of you requested.
For each of the nine steps, a military spouse either walks you through the process or explains more about why this step is important.
For example, for the first step — “Organize School Records” — Melissa Helmick talks about the steps she took to organize her children’s records and explains how this made her life much easier. She even included a picture of one of the binders she created for one of her children.
To help bring the idea of “Get to Know Your Local School Board” to life, Melissa Johnson talks about why investing time in getting to know your local school can be so important in deciding where to send your child to school.
Finally, Kate McKenney talks about why getting to know your school district’s school liaison officer (SLO) is so important. As she notes,
“For the months leading up our summer relocation date, the SLO provided information on application deadlines for public magnet schools, charter schools, and private schools as well as scholarship opportunities. Without this information, we would have certainly missed these due dates and therefore reduced the number of potential educational opportunities available for our elementary-aged children.”
I believe the interactive guide provides additional context and detail, compared to the original. Please take a look and let me know what you think. If you like it, be sure to share it with friends and family who can use the guide. And please provide us comments as we want to continue to make the task of moving as easy as possible.
I look forward to your feedback.
Click here to see the Military Guide To School Transitions.
Christi Ham is chairwoman of Military Families for High Standards.