One of the most important bits of information that young children can carry with them in school and throughout their daily activities is the knowledge that someone is aware of them, cares for them, and is making an effort to make their lives better.
Advocacy, Awareness
With this as a goal, organizations are now focusing on ways to support military kids with:
- Advocacy: Working toward improvement in policies to support those who silently serve the country
- Awareness: Educating the public on the unique situation of being a military-connected child
- Outreach: Offering programs to enhance empowerment and self-awareness
- Support: Establishing connections between community programs, services, and military-connected children
Early efforts would include making sure that schools know which children are military kids by using a basic enrollment identifier form and emergency card. Programs such as County Our Kids and Salute Our Kids are two specific efforts in this direction. You can find out more about them by calling Military Children’s Collaborative Group at (714) 536-6184 or by visiting Domain.
You Can Help
You can do your part to support military kids in Orange County, CA. The organization encourages healthcare professionals to adopt the military self-identifier that would be used for school enrollment. This information would be entered on intake forms so pediatricians have access to accurate behavioral information. Community members can help honor military children through such activities as a Military Proclamation Ceremony, during which children are encouraged to share their personal stories.
The organization’s website offers a Principal’s Assembly Toolkit which includes everything needed to produce an assembly recognizing military children in the month of April. This has been designated the Month of the Military Child. You can support military kids in many ways, the most important of which is to recognize that these children are serving the country every day. Volunteer, donate, help in some way today. Connect with them on Facebook for more information!
