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 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 www.sesameworkshop.org/tlc

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