Editor’s Note: TriWest participated as a main sponsor of the MCEC conference.

team successes

Kansas City Conference Identifies, Addresses Challenges Military Children Face

By MC2 Tim Wightman
Navy Compass Staff

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — "We need, as a nation, to make absolutely certain that we do not create a situation for our children that make them the victims of our service," said Commander, Navy Region Southwest Rear Adm. Len Hering.

Hering shared those words with parents, educators and service members who gathered in Kansas City, Mo. July 11-13 for the Ninth Annual Conference of the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC).

MCEC is a non-profit, worldwide organization that identifies the challenges that face the highly mobile military child, increases awareness of these challenges in military and educational communities. The organization also initiates and implements programs to meet those challenges.

Their goal is to level the educational playing field for military children wherever they are located around the world and to serve as a model for all highly mobile children.

The three-day national conference brought together different organizations that work to address the unique challenges military children face.

"Our children have to cope with not only the social and emotional issues of separation of parents and friends and community, but they have to deal with things like transferability of school credits, they have to worry about courses, grades, varying education requirements, different test scores; issues that while on the outside don't seem very important, it does mean a whole lot for a student who is now having to take a history course for the third time because he transferred from one state to another state to another state - so he can graduate on time," Hering said in his July 13 conference remarks.

"We are committed to make this work, and we are committed to make absolutely certain that we work very hard to communicate this strategy that gets this recognized at the national level," he added.

Among the many individuals and organizations who attended the conference was high school student Kacee Corrigan. She, along with three of her peers, was representing the Department of Defense Dependent Schools - Korea.

The students, along with Commander, United States Forces Korea Gen. B. B. Bell, shared their perspectives and experiences in working with military children - during a breakout session of the conference.

Corrigan is head of the "Student-to-Student" program at OSAN American High School on OSAN Air Base in Korea. She talked about the difference 'Student-to-Student' is making at her school.

"It's a program for students who are either moving to a new school or leaving a school to be assisted and mentored by other students. Most of them are military, and we also have some civilian contractor kids," Corrigan said.

"A lot of them come in and don't know what's going on; they don't know anything about the school or the community so we show them around the school, we tell them what it's like, we tell them about things they can do on base and off base, things like that; and usually it works out really well because they get into the community right away and they feel more welcome and accepted."

Conference Coordinator Carrie Garlick also works as team supervisor for the Parent-to-Parent program, one of the many programs that partners with MCEC.

Parent-to-Parent works with military installations throughout the country to educate parents about some of the tools they can use to better ease school transition and deployment issues for their children.

Garlick said the program is currently working with nearly 25 Army installations, specifically targeting the posts projected to have a huge influx of families because of base closures and realignments.

"The (Parent-to-Parent workers) really get the word out; they get in the schools, they work with civic organizations and family-readiness organizations, and they put on workshops for other parents on different things; it can be school transitions, it can be deployment-related... they have 12 to 15 different lesson plans," said Garlick.

Garlick, a military spouse of 19 years, said she knows of many active duty and retired service members who wish MCEC had been around when they were young parents.

"What I hear most from some of the senior ladies whose kids are grown and gone... they'll come in and say, 'I wish I had this information when my kids were growing up.' And I think that's the great thing about it because for years, spouses have just had to learn by experience," she said.

"When I think back to my oldest; he's in college now, and just by the nature of where we had to move, he was in three first grades, and I remember at the time, being a young mother saying to myself, 'he's only in first grade; what could that matter? What's the big deal? It's not like it's Calculus he's missing,'" Garlick added.

"But it was through MCEC, and then talking about the academic portion of Parent-to-Parent when I found out that (first grade) is one of the most critical years for a kid. I didn't have the information, and had I had the information as a young mother, I would have been more in tune to that at the time.

"And that's what I think is the great thing about MCEC; they're getting the message out. They offer advice, tools, everything a parent can use and need."

MCEC Executive Director Dr. Mary Keller talked about the benefit of the conference and what she hoped it had accomplished.

"I think anytime that you enlarge your community or educate your community, that's a good thing. But to go from good to great is what I really think happened here... people worked together and they made new connections," Keller said.

"And a lot of people told me, 'hey we've thought of some new ideas that we're going to go back and do something about.' So that's the deal. That's where I feel the hallmarks are, when you hear folks say, 'hey we're taking this back; this is going to help us.'"

Hering stressed the importance of service members familiarizing themselves with MCEC and all they do for military families.

"If you have children, you need to be involved with Military Child Education Coalition, because it's only through understanding and communication that we succeed," Hering said.

"I'm personally involved in MCEC because I see that there's an opportunity for me to make a difference. And as we get smaller and smaller in the number of individuals who are serving in uniform, it becomes that much more important for us to have a voice.

"If we are expecting to make absolutely certain that our children are not the victims of our choice in profession, the involvement in MCEC and organizations that promote that standard of requirement across the country is vital to our success."

Dr. Keller emphasized that she appreciates the opportunity that she and everyone involved with MCEC has in making a difference in the lives of those who serve our country.

"It's such an honor for those of us who don't wear the uniform to get to use our vocation to help (military members). It's a way that we can share in the patriotic responsibilities to serve our nation, and just thank them for the chance to do it," Keller said.