Ways to Support Your Kids in Grade School

As the guardian of your family, you want to both protect your children and help them be their best. Helping them to learn and grow is a big way to achieve both goals. You’ll want to give you kids a head start in their education, and safely navigate them through the sometimes tricky terrain of grade school.

Give your child a boost in school

Remember: Military OneSource offers parenting help so you can help your kids through the school years. You can support your child early and often when it comes to adjusting to and doing well in school:

Give your child a Head Start. The national Head Start Program teaches reading, math and other key skills to kids age five and younger before they start kindergarten. They also receive nutrition, health and social services. If your family has low income, a foster child, or a child with special needs, you’re eligible.

• Live overseas? The Department of Defense developed the Sure Start program to provide Head Start-like services to families living overseas. The program is open primarily to four-year-old children of command-sponsored service members.

Support your student at home. Learning never stops. Here’s how to support your student at any age:

• Give your child a quiet place to study; help your student develop a routine.
• Monitor homework and help junior chip away at larger projects.
• Keep your kids engaged. Ask them specific, not general, questions about school. Talk about your own work and how it connects to what they are learning.

Get them a tutor. It’s easier to keep up than catch up. Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families can help your student stay ahead or get caught up. Tutoring and homework help is available 24/7 at no cost to active-duty service members and their K-12 dependents. Live tutors are online and can help with homework, studying, test prep, proofreading and more.

Home-schooling? A school liaison officer can fill you in on state and local home-schooling requirements and connect you with nearby home-school groups. Find your installation’s school liaison officer at MilitaryINSTALLATIONS.

Child, youth and teen programs. Youth programs offer enrichment classes and may open its facilities during the school day to children who usually receive home education.

Military OneSource is by your side so you can be good guardians of your children’s education. Questions along the way? Whether it’s looking to give your children a head start in life or taking standardized tests in high school, we can help. Call us at 800-342-9647 and we can hook you up with an education consultant.