Transcript Iowa National Guard Youth and Teen Program

IOWA NATIONAL GUARD YOUTH
AND TEEN PROGRAM
Overview & Pre-Deployment Brief
MISSION STATEMENT
The Iowa National Guard Youth Program exists
to…
…promote and sustain the quality of
life and resiliency of National Guard
families by providing secure, timely,
flexible, high-quality support services
and enrichment programs to National
Guard children and youth.
WHAT THE YOUTH PROGRAM DOES
 Plan
and implement state-level youth events
 Provide resource support for Families
 Conduct educator trainings
 Resolve/refer military youth-specific issues
 Develop youth-specific curriculum/briefings
 Recruit and train volunteers
 Community capacity building
 Serve as the youth SME at the state level
 Provide support to various state-level
programs
 Participate in various community programs
MILITARY CHILD EDUCATION
COALITION (MCEC)
 MCEC
focuses on ensuring quality
educational opportunities for all militaryconnected children affected by mobility,
family separation, and transition
 Works
collaboratively
with Youth Program to
offer trainings in Iowa
STATE YOUTH SYMPOSIUM
 Annual
symposium held in Des Moines
each spring
 Held in conjunction with the State Family
Readiness Conference
 Youth and teens are grouped by age to
participate in exciting activities
OUR MILITARY KIDS
This organization provides up to $500 in grant
money for various youth extracurricular
activities
 Requirements:

Service Member must be on Title 10 orders
 Children of a wounded or fallen National Guard
Service Member are also eligible for grants
 Must not have received a grant previously for this
deployment
 Must be for an approved extracurricular activity

OUR MILITARY KIDS :
APPLICATION PROCESS
 Applications

www.ourmilitarykids.org
 By

may be submitted online:
phone:
703-734-6654
*Complete the form specific to your service
branch.
CHILD CARE AWARE OF AMERICA
(CCAA)
 Previously
known as NACCRRA
 CCAA is our nation's leading voices for
child care
 CCAA works with more than 700 state and
local Child Care Resource and Referral
agencies nationwide
 These agencies help ensure that families
in 99 percent of all populated ZIP codes in
the United States have access to
high-quality, affordable child care
CCA FOR MILITARY FAMILIES
 CCAA
is working with the U.S. Military Services
to help those who serve in the military find
and afford child care that suits their unique
needs
 Through several innovative civilian/military
efforts between the Services, CCAA and Child
Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs)
are building the quality and capacity of child
care throughout the country
OPERATION MILITARY CHILD CARE
(OMCC)
 OMCC
is a fee assistance program available
to:
Service Members on Title 10
 Families of the Fallen (Survivors of Fallen Warriors)
 Wounded Warriors

 Includes
ADOS only if…
In support of overseas contingency operations
 A period of 30 or more days

MILITARY CHILD CARE IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD (NCCYN)
 MCCYN
is a fee assistance program available
to:
Service Members on Title 32 orders (ARG)
 Army Federal Technicians
 Army Civilians

ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements must also be met:
 If
Service Member is married, the spouse must be…
 Currently working
 Actively looking for work*
 Currently attending school*
*Documentation of spouse’s income or education is
not required for Wounded Warriors or for the
Respite Care program.
 If the Service Member is single, same requirements
apply to legal guardians at time of deployment
GIVE ARMY PARENTS A BREAK
RESPITE CARE
 Available
to Army Guard Members on Title 10
 Eligible for up to 16 hours or child care every
month
 Respite Care is available to:
Army Guard Members on Title 10
 Army Guard Members on Wounded, Ill, or
Injured Status
 Survivors of Fallen Warriors

AIR GUARD WOUNDED WARRIOR
PROGRAM
 Wounded
Warriors Program is a fee
assistance program
 Air
Guard Members must be enrolled in a
Wounded Warriors program recognized by
the Air Force to qualify for this program
 Fee
assistance rate is determined on a case
by case basis
HERO & MOBILIZATION PACKS
 These
resources are available to youth dealing with
an upcoming or recent deployment of a loved one
 Hero Pack


For youth ages 3-12
Each back pack contains family support materials,
communication tools, and fun items
 Mobilization


Pack
For youth ages 13 and up
A collection of resources collected by fellow Military
teens to help their fellow Military teens deal with the
challenges associated with a loved one’s deployment
 Both
of these resources are available from the Iowa
Child and Youth Coordinators
SCHOOL RELATED ISSUES
Is your child having school issues related to
military life?
 Talk
with your child’s teacher about the
deployment as soon as possible
 Working
together with the teacher leads to
more positive outcomes for children with a
deployed parent
SCHOOL ISSUES (CONT.)
 Contact
Child & Youth Coordinators:
 Youth Program staff are available to offer
on-site trainings to educators and school
systems
 Help problem solve school related
concerns
 Provide resources for educators
DEPLOYMENT – WHAT TO EXPECT
 Reactions
to a loved ones deployment based
on a variety of factors such as age of the
child, previous deployment history, and
location of deployment
 The change and adjustment is stressful for
children and adults
 Typical reactions at various ages may not
reflect your child’s unique experience
REACTIONS BY AGE (1-6 YEARS)
 Toddlers


(1-3 years)
Reaction is largely dependent on remaining care giver
Tantrums, being tearful and changes in eating or
sleeping patterns are common
 Preschooler




(3-6 years)
Clinginess, thumb sucking, bed wetting, separation
anxiety and changes in sleep are more common when
stressed
Signs of irritability, low energy, physical complaints such
as stomach aches
Their imaginative thinking can lead to feelings of guilt
that they were responsible for their parent leaving
Increases in attention-seeking behavior are common
REACTIONS BY AGE (6-12 YEARS)
 This
age group understands some of the
realities of deployment and often worry
about the safety risks
 May act out , be irritable, or whine more
 Physical complaints such as stomach and
head aches can be a sign of excessive worry
or stress
REACTIONS BY AGE (TEENS)
Greatest awareness of dangers related to
combat deployments
 Sensitive to reaction of peers and can feel
isolated is others express negative views about
the military conflict
 Increased rebellion is common
 As with younger children irritability and
challenging behaviors are typical

STRATEGIES BY AGE (1-6 YEARS)
 Remaining
caregiver must take care of self…if
you are doing well, your young child will do
better as well
 Maintain routines as much as possible
 Provide reassurance through positive
attention
 Set aside play time with the child
 Address false beliefs
STRATEGIES BY AGE (6-12 YEARS)
Maintain routines and expectations
 Listen to your children. Allow them to express worries
and feelings
 Be honest and use age appropriate communication to
discuss the deployment


Otherwise all they will know is what they hear from peers or
media
Provide reassurance on a regular basis
 Help them identify their entire network of support (i.e.
grandparents, teachers, aunts, and other important
people)


Understanding their many sources of support can increase
their feeling of security
STRATEGIES BY AGE (TEENS)





Maintain open communication: teens understand the
potential consequences of war and benefit more from open
and honest communication.
Model healthy coping skills.
 Allowing them to see your sadness/worry and how you
handle it is one of the best ways for them to learn how to
manage similar feelings.
Look for signs of high risk behaviors and help teens identify
healthier strategies to manage stress
Help them identify other sources of support and encourage
them to share their concerns with another safe adult
Include teens in discussions regarding significant changes in
routine
BE PROACTIVE
 There
are a lot of deployment-related
resources available, but it may take some
time and research to find the ones most
appropriate for you
 Reach out to FRG and State Youth Staff…we
can help you find the resources that are best
for you
CONTACT
Jeremy Van Wyk
Lead Child & Youth Coordinator, IANG
Office: 515.252.4040
Cell: 515.689.2617
Email: [email protected]
Audrey Giese
Child and Youth Coordinator, IANG
Office: 515.757.3064
Cell: 515.897.8168
Email: [email protected]