9 Free Educational Resources and Programs for Military Kids

Inside this post: Learn 9 free educational resources for military kids that will help support your child’s education through all the ups and downs of military life.

The K-12 journey is tough enough. When military families factor in just how often we move — 10 times more often than civilian peers — that process can become unbelievably overwhelming.

Statistically speaking, a typical military school can experience up to 50 percent turnover every year. That’s a lot of change for kids.

Free educational resources for military kids.

Supporting military kids’ education takes a school-wide effort, support from parents to inform school staff of the academic and social-emotional challenges military children face, and access to outside resources.

Luckily, there are some awesome — and free — resources and programs for military families.

MIC3

Okay, so this is more like an agreement than a program. The Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission is an agreement between all fifty states and DoDEA schools for children in the K-12 public education system.

Essentially, the MIC3 ensures the smoothest transition possible between public schools due to PCS. It guarantees that students enrolled in kindergarten will continue on their academic journey, even if they move to a district where their birthday falls after the enrollment deadline.

MIC3 can also help older students stay in gifted programs or meet graduation requirements.

Sesame Street

When deployment or other tough military times come along, let Elmo and Louie help your child through. With engaging video content and familiar characters, kids are sure to fall in love with these just-for-military-kids episodes.

For parents, there are episode and situation guides to help you talk about the tough stuff with your children. With almost 50 years of outstanding content, military families can trust Sesame Street to get it right.

Tutor.com

Hiring a personal tutor is usually the best way to go for academic help. When that’s just not possible, Tutor.com is a perfect stand-in.

Tutor.com has rigorous tests for potential tutors to ensure that they employ only subject matter experts. These tutors include certified teachers, college professors and graduate students. The tutors are available around the clock, every single day (except major US holidays).

No matter what your student (or you) are struggling with, Tutor.com has someone to help. From SAT prep to elementary level math, there is a tutor out there for you.

Operation Hero

Children between ages 6-12 bear a lot of the stress of military life. Working through all of their emotions and the situations they face can cause their academics to slip.

Operation Hero aims to help this group of kiddos get back on the right academic path! This program is put on by the Armed Services YMCA and offers a safe space for military kids to get together.

Working as a team, the kid process their concerns and fears, while also learning coping and life skills.

United Through Reading

One of the most challenging parts of school for many kids is learning how to read. For families that are operating with one parent, or for other family members filling in for a deployed parent, this process can be more challenging.

With United Through Reading military families can still read together even when they are apart. This is great for kids learning to read, struggling with reading or really just like to read.

Parents can record themselves reading a book, then send the recording home. At home, the children can play the video and the non-deployed parent records the child’s reaction.

For older kiddos, consider making their own read aloud video to send back to Mom or Dad.

School Liaison Officers

Every single military base has at least one School Liaison Officer (SLO). This wonderful person (or people) can help your family locate and contact schools in your area.

SLOs can also help you to communicate with your current or future school about issues or concerns impacting your family. SLOs cultivate relationships with many close-to-base public schools and have knowledge about private schools. They can help with meetings or smooth over rough spots.

Schools and communities are better when they work together. SLOs know this. So they often help their military base build connections through different programs that bring troops into schools or bring students onto base.

Military Child Education Coalition

The Military Child Education Coalition is an awesome training tool for parents and teachers of military children. There are webinars that train military parents about how to react to tragedies, dealing with Common Core and working through tough situations at school.

Parents can share this site with their teachers and schools. MCEC also offers trainings and webinars for education professionals. This is a great way for schools to learn how to help their military-connected students.

SAT/ACT Prep

As part of MCEC, SchoolQuest offers free SAT/ACT prep with Schmoop. The whole college application process is stressful enough. When you add in prepping for and actually taking the SAT or ACT, it can be overwhelming. Plus, none of that is cheap.

With this great resource, military families can save some money and make sure that high school students are ready their tests.

MilKids Education

MilKids Education Consulting is a one-stop shop for both parents and teachers, providing resources to make the K-12 journey easier for all families. This site offer tips and advice to get through school. It also breaks down the educational and legal jargon so that it’s easy to understand.

And…There’s a whole part of the website dedicated to reviews of military schools in a given area. This can help you get a sense of a school before moving to a given duty station.

Did we miss a resource or program? Tell us about it in the comments!

Want more on military kids?

Are you new to this community? Start here, friend.

9 Free Educational Resources and Programs for Military Kids

Free educational resources for military kids.