School Support Services Program

The School Liaison Program is a Department of the Army Program designed to improve the educational environments and academics of K-12 school-aged family members whose parents are assigned to Army installations and activities. Our program also reaches out to other branches of the military and also our civilians who work for the DOD.

The purpose of the program is to provide a link between military families and on and off post schools to assist them with those unique problems facing military children (PCS moves, deployments, differences in curriculum between stateside and overseas schools, and Department of Defense Schools and civilian Schools).

 The program’s focus is to assist family members in being advocates for their children’s education and to deal with school issues such as:

•  Varying school-to-school academic curriculum and schedules.

•  Varying graduation and records transfer requirements.

 And other major issues such as:  Installation-School-Community Partnerships, Parenting Skills Development, Violence in and Around Schools, and Home Schooling.

 

Vision

“Level the playing field’’ for transitioning military children and youth (all branches and DOD civilian children).

 

 School Liaison Officer Responsibilities

• Serve as primary advisor to Commander/command staff on matter relating to schools and School Liaison Services (SLS)

• Function as installation subject matter expert for youth education/school issues.

• Inform and assist parents on youth education and school issues.

• Develop solutions in partnership with local schools that ease barriers to successful education transitions for military connected youth

• Collaborate with local schools, installation organizations, and community organizations to facilitate the education experience of military connected children and youth.

 

 Mission

• Mobilize and utilize community resources to reduce the impact of mobile military lifestyle on children/youth.

• Implement predictable support services that assist children/youth with relocations, life transitions and achieve academic success.

• Provide access for parents, children, youth, school, commanders, and  communities to a wide range of resources to facilitate school transitions.

Goals

· Provide practical assistance to navigate resources and help parents become effective advocates for their child’s education.

 

· Identify barriers to the academic success and smooth transition of military children  and develop solutions to barriers.

 

· Develop and coordinate Partnerships in Education (PIE) initiatives.

 

· Educate local schools and communities about the needs of military children/youth and  the military lifestyle.