Other Matters of Importance

10 Things Parents Should Know About Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families

1. Safe, Anonymous Learning Environment. Every tutoring session is anonymous and takes place in a secure online classroom. No personal information is every shared between the tutor and the student.
2. Personalized On-Demand Support. Every Tutor.com session is one-to-one between the tutor and student. Your students get help with their own specific questions or assignments - right when they need it.
3. Students Love It. We get thousands of comments every day from students who tell us they "absolutely love Tutor.com" and the boost it gives their grades, confidence and interest in schoolwork.
4. Accessible From Anywhere. Wherever your students have online access - at home, at school and anywhere in between they can connect to a tutor using any internet-enabled computer or mobile device.
5. All Subjects, All Skill Levels. Students can get help in 50+ math, science, social studies, English and world language subjects, including algebra, statistics, biology, essay writing, Spanish, German, and French. Tutors can also help students prepare for the SAT, ACT or other standardized tests.
6. Expert Tutors You Can Trust. All of our tutors - almost 3,000 of them - complete a rigorous application and qualification process that includes an extensive third-party background check.
7. Builds Confident Learners. Students of all skill levels - from elementary to honors - can get help from a tutor. In fact, 86% of students are more likely to take an AP course if they have on-demand access to Tutor.com.
8. Extends The Learning Day. When students are struggling with homework after school, on the weekends and at midnight, our tutors are available to help any time, any day.
9. Help is Free for Eligible Military Families. The Department of Defense funds access to Tutor.com at no cost for eligible military families worldwide. (Approx. $40/hr. civilian cost).
10. It's Quick and Easy to Get Help. Students in military families create an account at tutor.com/military. After logging in, a student selects a subject and asks a question to start working with an expert tutor in just a couple of minutes.

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Blue Star Families was founded by military spouses in 2009 to empower families to thrive as they serve by connecting them with their civilian neighbors - people and organizations - to create strong communities of support. The goal of Blue Star Families’ research and policy work is to increase the awareness and understanding of military family life trends and the ramifications for both our Armed Forces and our American society. Through this work, they are inspiring meaningful engagement between military and civilian neighbors in our communities. They are accomplishing this through individual research projects, policy analysis, and the seminal Comprehensive Report from the annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey.

Created by the University of Southern California, the Building Capacity project provides ongoing research and practices that public schools can implement to ease transitions for military children and their families. Additional resources can be found on the project's archived website.

DoDEA's Educational Partnership provides outreach to the schools that serve military-connected children to support academic achievement and positive educational opportunities and outcomes for military children. Through a variety of outreach initiatives, such as working collaboratively with the U.S. Department of Education, managing a robust grant program, and providing training and development opportunities, the DoDEA Educational Partnership champions quality educational opportunities for all military children.

Grounded in decades of research on family resilience and prevention programs, FOCUS was adapted for military families by a team from UCLA and Harvard Medical School. Since 2008, FOCUS Program has provided state-of-the-art family resilience services to military families, children, and couples.  FOCUS is now located at designated Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Air Force installations, and is offered to all military families, including Special Operations Command, through the Department of Defense Office of Military Community & Family Policy. Please visit this site to search for FOCUS programs available at military installations in Virginia.

Boost your family strengths - online! FOCUS World is an interactive website where families can practice skills that support resilience. The whole family can play together and explore Feeling Fox's family home. Two new activities, a virtual calming jar and silly stories game, are great for taking a break when things get hectic.

Don’t just get by, get stronger! Contact FOCUS to learn how managing emotions can support a stronger family. Call 757-373-9620, email Norfolk@focusproject.org, visit www.FocusProject.org or www.facebook.com/FOCUSresiliencytraining. 

Through the nonprofit Military Child Education Coalition, educators can enroll in continuing education courses and access a series of guidebooks (available for purchase online) for supporting military children.

Based at Purdue University, the Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) aims to assist military families through research and partnerships with civilian communities. In its "How to Help" series, MFRI offers guidance targeted to early childhood educators about how to help young children of military families before, during, and after deployment. It also offers guidance for K–12 classroom teachers and support staff.

MISA is a national organization of school superintendents that serve school districts with a high concentration of military children.

As of January 2015, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have joined The Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission (MIC3), which advocates equal treatment of military children transferring between districts and states.

A project of the U.S. Department of Defense, Military Kids Connect offers lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school teachers on how to integrate military culture into the classroom. 

Military OneSource is a free service provided by the Department of Defense (DoD) to active duty Guard and Reserve service members and their families with comprehensive information on every aspect of military life including deployment, reunion, relationships, grief, spouse employment and education, parenting and child care, and much more.  For videos, articles, and more geared to military kids and teens please visit Military Youth on the Move.

Sometimes strength means asking for help and the care of friends and family isn’t enough to pull through a difficult stretch. Military OneSource is committed to promoting readiness and resilience in military members and families. Confidential non-medical counseling provides resources and support to address a variety of issues and build skills to tackle life’s challenges.

Check eligibility requirements or call 800-342-9647 to speak with a consultant 24 hours a day, seven days a week – from anywhere in the world.

MilTax free tax services include tax prep and e-filing software and personalized support that address the realities of MilLife – deployments, combat and training pay, housing and rentals, multistate filings, living OCONUS and more.

The Military State Policy Source site seeks to engage and educate state policymakers, not-for-profit associations, concerned business interests, and other state leaders about the needs of military members and their families.  

Military students respond well to seeing their unique experiences represented in the curriculum. The American Library Association's list of W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction winners offers ideas appropriate for older students.

While April has been designated as the “Month of the Military Child,” schools are encouraged to take time throughout the year to recognize the nation’s military servicemen and servicewomen, their families, and their children. See possible activities, download materials, and read why the Month of the Military Child was designated.

Founded 43 years ago, the National Military Family Association is a non-profit organization focusing on issues important to military families, such as comprehensive child care, accessible health care, spouse employment options, great schools, caring communities, a secure retirement, and support for widows and widowers.

Partners in Promise is a non-for-profit organization run by military-connected parents. This organization is leading the way in shaping the conversation about supporting military-connected students who receive special education services. The site is a great resource for those who want to know more about the P.R.O.M.I.S.E Act or simply connect to others who know the challenges of raising special needs students in the military culture.

The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) supports Virginia’s military families and the professionals who serve them by providing Virginia-specific information on special education and state disability services. Assistance is provided through individual consults, workshops and webinars, and statewide training. PEATC’s dedicated military outreach program partners with the VDOE to reach families stationed at all of the military installations in Virginia. PEATC’s services to families are free and confidential.

Staying Strong, an initiative of the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, offers a documentary video, downloadable educator toolkit, and classroom activities to raise awareness of the issues military kids face and to encourage the creation of "a resilience-building classroom community."

For tips and insight into the unique needs of military-connected teens, read "10 Things Military Teens Want You to Know" from the National Military Family Association. 

Senate Bill 775
"The Child shall be allowed to enroll in the school division of the child's intended residence if documentation is provided, at the time of enrollment, of military orders of the service member parent or an official letter from the service member's command indicating such relocation.  Documentation indicating a permanent address within the school division shall be provided to the school division within 120 days of a child's enrollment in school.  The assignment of the school such child will attend shall be determined by the local school division."

House Bill 1085
"Any local school board of a school division in which a military installation or other military housing is located shall establish and implement policies to provide for the enrollment to any school of any student residing on a military installation or in military housing within the school division upon the request of his parent if space in the school is available.  In developing such policies, a local school board may include any of conditions listed in subsection A of § 22.1-7.1 or any other condition deemed appropriate by the local school board."

House Bill 1623
"Military families; relocation to the Commonwealth; student registration.  Permits any student whose service member parent is relocated to the Commonwealth pursuant to orders received to register for courses and other academic programs and participate in the lottery process for charter schools and college partnership laboratory schools in the school division in which such student will reside at the same time and in the same manner as students who reside in the local school division.  This bill is identical to SB 1249."