When Schools are Welcoming, the Whole Family Benefits

Schools are one of the most positive places for children to develop their social, academic, and emotional skills. Military children who must regularly move with their families may not have the same opportunities to build these skills, or they must restart the process repeatedly. Blue Star Families is excited to share that Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) and Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) are official partners for this year’s Blue Star Welcome Week. As Blue Star Families started planning for Blue Star Welcome Week, they worked closely with MCEC to help guide and create welcoming resources for schools and with CCAoA to create welcoming resources for child care centers.

According to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey (MFLS), the majority of active-duty family respondents (80%) have a child enrolled in K-12 education. A quarter of those respondents have a child enrolled in special education (28%). While any child may struggle when moving to a new school, children with special education needs often have additional challenges. It can be a challenge for a military family to ensure those special education needs are met at the new school. Moving from home to home comes with enough stressors; integrating children into their new school environment should not be one of those.

For any child, especially military children, to thrive in school - they must feel welcomed and that they belong. The same feelings of inclusion and support are important at child care centers as well! That sense of belonging during a child's formative years is crucial to their overall growth. The social bonds that come with a sense of belonging are a stress-relieving influence. A significant focus of the 2021 Blue Star Welcome Week is to prepare schools and teachers, child care centers and care providers, with resources to help active-duty children have a smooth transition into a new school or care center. When a school, teacher, or care provider understands the military family lifestyle, they are able to more easily identify when there may be an issue, or find unique ways to help a student feel more connected in the classroom.

We are thrilled to work with MCEC and CCAoA for this year's Blue Star Welcome Week, and we look forward to forming vital partnerships like these all year long. Together, we will help welcome military families into their new homes and strengthen our communities. To learn more about Blue Star Welcome Week, visit bluestarwelcomeweek.org