Tools and Resources for Schools
Veterans Day Toolkit for Teachers: The Veterans Day Toolkit for Teachers is a comprehensive resource designed to help schools honor veterans through lessons, activities, and events. It includes background on Veterans Day, Kentucky-specific military information, sample announcements, activity guides for all grade levels, art and writing projects, interview frameworks, and printable materials. The toolkit also provides links to educational resources, support services for military families, and ideas for creating meaningful schoolwide celebrations that recognize veterans’ service and sacrifice.
Student to Student (S2S): This peer-led program unites military and civilian students to welcome newcomers, foster a positive school culture, support educational initiatives, cultivate connections through community service, and facilitate smoother transitions for all students.
Anchored 4 Life: A dynamic peer-to-peer club designed to connect youth while developing change and resilience skills. Participants gain valuable social and leadership skills, enhance their self-esteem, and build character, all while integrating into their community through engaging club activities.
Global Game Changers: A national nonprofit organization, Children’s Education Initiative, Inc. (GGC) offers a project-based program that provides evidence-based, teacher-tested curriculum and resources for free to Pre-K through 5th-grade educators. Utilizing service learning and talent development, GGC nurtures children’s social, emotional, leadership, and academic growth, including free lessons on topics such as 9/11, Veterans, and the Purple Star Award Program.
School Quest: This free, interactive tool supports highly mobile military-connected parents and students in making informed decisions before, during, and after transitions, enhancing both academic success and social well-being.
Military Interstate Compact Commission: Recognizing that military families frequently relocate, the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children ensures seamless transitions for their children across various states and school districts, addressing the unique challenges they face during these moves.
Military Student Consultant: (MSCs) are education professionals who provide concierge support to students, parents, or professionals who serve military families (Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, ROTC cadre, recruiter, and veteran) anywhere in the world. They offer individual professional services to education professionals, parents and students with our goal being to educate professionals and parents to best serve the needs of the military child.
Military Child Well Being Toolkit: This resource offers accessible social-emotional support and tools directly for parents, educators, school counselors, administrators, and youth-serving professionals working with military-connected youth, ensuring they have the assistance needed to thrive.
Month of the Military Child Toolkit: Celebrating the invaluable contributions of military children, the Month of the Military Child (MOMC) highlights their sacrifices and strengths throughout the year. This toolkit provides resources for communities to honor and celebrate these remarkable young individuals.
Tutor.com: Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) General Library Program, this initiative offers eligible service members, civilians, and their dependents on-demand online tutoring and homework assistance at no cost, ensuring academic support is readily available.
Supporting Military Families in Kentucky’s Schools: Military-connected youth—children with family members serving in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces—face unique challenges when transitioning between schools due to deployments and relocations. Discover resources and strategies to effectively support these students and their families within Kentucky’s educational landscape.
A Toolkit for Communities: The National Military Family Association is a leading nonprofit dedicated to supporting the families of active, retired, wounded, and fallen service members across all branches of the military, providing essential information, advocacy for benefits, and programs that enhance their lives, making it a trusted resource for military families and national leaders for over 40 years.
Kentucky Principals Podcast: A podcast that explores the Purple Star Award, a state-sponsored recognition celebrating schools’ commitment to supporting military-connected youth. Launched in 2016 in Ohio, the program emerged from discussions with veterans, educators, military family members, students, and service members, focusing on how schools can enhance their support for military students and their families.
Things Military Teens Want You to Know: Each summer, the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple® program offers a free week of camp for military youth worldwide, providing them with recreational activities while addressing the unique challenges they face as children of service members, including those dealing with deployment, combat-related injuries, or the loss of a parent, through a toolkit designed to help teachers, counselors, and community leaders support these teens in managing stress and affirming the positive aspects of military life.
Supporting the Military Child: Each summer, the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple® program offers a free week of camp for military youth worldwide, providing them with recreational activities while addressing the unique challenges they face as children of service members, including those dealing with deployment, combat-related injuries, or the loss of a parent, through a toolkit designed to help teachers, counselors, and community leaders support these teens in managing stress and affirming the positive aspects of military life.
Helping Hands Guide: The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) recognizes the unique challenges faced by military children due to deployment, providing comprehensive support through trained educators who use motivational strategies, maintain structured environments, and promote resilience, while also offering resources such as tutoring, community programs, and a “Helping Hands” guide to connect families with additional support to ensure the emotional and social well-being of students.
Educator’s Guide to Deployments: The increasing and complex demands placed on military families, particularly during deployments, create significant emotional challenges for children, making schools a crucial environment for providing stability and support, which educators can facilitate through specific guidelines and strategies aimed at helping military-connected students build coping skills during these transitions.