Challenges Students of Military Parents Face at School

From the outside it may appear easy, being the child of a military service member. Generally, your housing is paid for, regardless of where you live in the world. Paying for service related airline tickets and hotels is not a concern military dependents and their parents have. But the life of military dependents, particularly school-aged military children, is not always easy.

For example, school-aged military dependents have to:

• Switch schools in the middle of the school year

• Frequently say good-bye to the best friends due to the fact that their military parents receive new duty station assignments
• Continuously make new friends, even if they have to transfer to two or more schools in a single year
• Introduce themselves to new teachers and athletic coaches (if they participate in sports)
• Learn new teaching styles and academic expectations at schools they transfer to
• Learn their way around new school campuses and neighboring environments

In addition to the above, military dependents must also get acclimated to different bus schedules and routes to and from home to school. For younger children, this frequent change can feel burdensome. In fact, some military dependents can start to feel like the odd kid at school as they rarely stay at the same school for three years or longer.

Programs that Help Military Dependents Transition Academically

Fortunately, programs are available to help military dependents transition to new elementary, middle and secondary schools. Some programs offer programs that help military dependents prepare for college, ensuring that military dependents apply for tuition assistance benefits through scholarships, grants and the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

By enrolling their school-aged children in Military Child Education Coalition, United States Department of Defense (DOD) and other organizational programs, military members can help ease concerns their children may have around transferring to new schools. They can also help ensure that their children’s school transcripts are delivered on-time to schools their children have recently enrolled in, schools in districts where military parents have been recently assigned to work on military installations at.

Furthermore, by staying aware of and participating in programs offered by organizations that focus on helping military dependents deal with being separated from their parents, having to make new friends at school and living long distances from their extended family, military parents can also give their children better chances of developing into healthy adults. They can also send a message to their children that their overall and academic well being is a priority.