TPC-Journal-V4-Issue2

The Professional Counselor \Volume 4, Issue 2 109 Table 1 Web Resources to Support Military Students with Transition Organization Web Address Summary Operation Military Kids www.operationmilitarykids.org This site offers Ready, Set, Go Training, which educates community members on military culture and specific issues military children face. Military One Source www.militaryonesource.mil This site offers current information on military culture to community service providers including printable and orderable materials. The site includes a link to “Youth on the Move,” which is a website dedicated to helping military students with school transition. Department of Defense Education Activity www.militaryk12partners.dodea.edu This site offers best practices for working with military students and quick reference guides about military culture and families. Militaryk12partners also describes several DOD initiatives to assist public schools that serve military children. Military Child Education Coalition www.militarychild.org This site offers resources for parents, students, and school staff to help military children with school transition. The coalition links schools with local military installations and military student transition consultants. Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission www.mic3.net This site provides information and documentation of the interstate compact designed to help ease school transition of military students between states. Community Resources Another avenue to help students adjust and adapt is connecting parents and caregivers to community re- sources. Mmari et al. (2010) found that some military parents did not utilize resources simply because they did not know they were available. Waliski et al. (2012) explained that counselors can serve as gatekeepers through whom military families can gain access to appropriate programs and services. Additionally, school counselors are in an advantageous position to develop partnerships between families and communities, to identify chal- lenges such as transitions, to address these issues, and to advance student progress (Epstein & Van Voorhis, 2010). As military families transition, they may be unfamiliar with their new community and struggle to locate health care providers, childcare, tutoring, and mental health and counseling resources. School counselors are often equipped with lists for local providers and resources that could ease the transition for mobile military families. In addition to local resources, school counselors can proactively assist military children and their families by maintaining a record of resources specific to military families. For example, Tutor.com provides free tutoring and resources for military students (“Tutor.com for U.S. military families,” 2014). Also, a new Web www.operationmilitarykids.org