West PlatteSchool District

Classroom and Counseling Activities

• Educator's Guide to the Military Child During Deployment Department of Defense Educational Opportunities Directorate Direct intervention strategies are included to help educators working with military youth.
• Operation: Military Kids This joint 4-H/Army project offers resources for all military youth and trainings for adults who work with military kids.
• Medal of Honor: Lessons of Personal Bravery and Self-Sacrifice Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation This site includes free, on-line teaching resources for middle and high school teachers with a curriculum drawn from the personal accounts of living Medal of Honor recipients.

Videos

• "Military Families Near and Far" Sesame Street Workshop Preschool and now school-age videos and activities are at this site to help families cope with deployment, change and loss.

Special Populations

• Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families Information and guides are provided for military parents and those working with very young military children.

Student Support

• Military Youth on the Move Department of Defense Designed for students and parents, this website has helpful ideas and advice by age group on everything from deployment to moving to finding a job.
• Armed Services YMCA Free YMCA memberships and summer camps for military families are available, as well as contests for military youth.
• American Legion A comprehensive listing is available of scholarships for military dependents.
• Camps for Military Youth Check with nearby installations or your state's National Guard or Reserve unit for local camps that they may sponsor.
  • Military Teen Adventure Camps 

Wellness Resources for Kids and Families

• Families OverComing Under Stress (FOCUS) Family resiliency training for military families is available both in person on some military installations and on-line.
• Military OneSource Department of Defense resource provides a wealth of information and short-term, non-medical counseling via telephone or on-line with the additional option of face-to-face counseling services in the community.
• Military Pathways Free, anonymous mental health and alcohol self-assessments for service personnal and family members; also includes a brief screening for Adolescent Depression."
• Real Warriors An initiative by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, the Real Warriors site has information for both service personnel and family members.

Family Support

• Parenting National Resource Directory This comprehensive guide for service members, veterans and their families has links to a wide range of resources.
  • Veteran Parenting Toolkit: Together Building Strong Families Designed for parents coping with the post-deployment phase, many of the handouts would be great for any parent struggling with parenting issues.
  • Welcome Back Parenting: A Guide for Reconnecting Families after Military Deployment A brief online guide for parents focusing on the homecoming and "after deployment" phase of deployment.
• Deployment Guides for Families
  • U.S. Army Deployment Support Handbook: Children and Youth
• PTSD Support: https://www.drugrehab.com/co-occurring-disorder/ptsd/