Community Educational Outreach

“For Them”

The following, carefully selected links are provided to teachers, counselors and students in the Lehigh Valley in an effort to help them understand the value and importance of our military, veterans and their families in our communities. These sites will also help in the understanding the challenges that these families – particularly children – may face as members of our school communities.

This web page is part of a new LVMAC Community Educational Outreach Program intended to sensitize counselors, teachers and the students they serve to the value and importance of our military, veterans and their families to our own communities and our nation throughout our history. Our hope is to foster the desire for greater understanding of the challenges they may face as members of our school communities while contributing to an evolving democratic society which requires no military service obligation from its citizens – thus, having less direct knowledge and understanding of their particular needs. The program also desires to stimulate more efforts from our veterans and others to the benefit of our school districts and the children of military and veterans within them. Education is key to the survival of our nation as a democracy.

For more information, please contact Robin Carmody, Chairman, Community Educational Outreach, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For Educators and Counselors

Educators Guide to The Military Child During Deployment
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/homefront/homefront.pdf

Remarks: Informs educators about the impact of deployment on military families and provides them with strategies of overcoming the challenges their students face.

Working With Military Children – A Primer for School Personnel
http://support.militaryfamily.org/site/DocServer?docID=642

Remarks: Provides a basic introduction to military culture for educators. Information is included on deployment, homecoming and crisis concerns. Classroom activity suggestions are also included.

Military Child Education Coalition
http://www.militarychild.org/

Remarks: Includes information on resiliency, scholarship opportunities, and training for teachers working with military families.

Military Kids Connect Educators
https://www.militarykidsconnect.org/educators

Remarks: As a compliment to the Military Kids Connect page below, it gives educators an excellent resource. The site includes sections on military culture, guides for helping student’s cope with deployment and a section on various age appropriate lesson plans to use in the classroom.

Military Child Initiative
http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/military-child-initiative/

Remarks: Assists public schools in improving the quality of education, with a special focus on military children and their families, by providing educational professionals with information, tools and services that enhance school success.

For Families and Children

Military Kids Connect
https://www.militarykidsconnect.org/

Remarks: This is a password protected site geared towards children aged 6 throug17 years old. It has activities, games and other information including helpful comments from other children who have family members deployed.

The USO Treehouse
http://www.uso.org/uso-treehouse.aspx

Remarks: This USO sponsored site has games and activities including coloring sheets that can be printed out. There is also information on what it is like in some of the countries where troops are serving.

Military Youth on The Move
http://apps.militaryonesource.mil/pls/psgprod/f?p=123:HOME2:0::NO

Remarks: Addresses the special concerns children and teens have when moving and adjusting to new schools, friends and teachers.

Families Near and Far
https://www.familiesnearandfar.org/login/

Remarks: This site allows the user to create works of art and music to send to loved ones who are deployed. It also has valuable resources for family members and networking capabilities for older children.

Veterans Reading Brigade

Part of the Community Educational Outreach Program effort. After gaining a school district’s approval, the Reading Brigade brings our community’s veterans into its elementary schools to read short stories to the school children. The pre-approved book read is either of a historical or military nature, and is then donated to the classroom along with an educator’s guide.

For more information about the program, to volunteer as a reader or to request a reader at an elementary school, contact our Team Leader, Robin Carmody, by telephone at 610-972-7371 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. m.