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September 28, 2006

Conference addresses children of troops

Every school district in Rhode Island likely has one or more children whose parents are deployed in the country’s war on terror with the National Guard or Reserve.

Not all of those parents are serving in Iraq or Afghanistan right now, said Keith Martin, of the Military Child Education Coalition, who is in Rhode Island training educators and social service providers this week on the unique stressors that military children face.

But they all can be called to duty over there.

And as the war continues, the military is calling up individuals and small groups, a change in the years since Sept. 11, 2001, Martin said. That means children now fit in a category the military calls “onesies or twosies” – meaning a few children in this school district and a few children in that school district are affected.

“It’s more likely that they’re isolated and anonymous,” said Martin, who came to Providence to help educators understand how to work with the children of deployed military personnel.

Fifteen of Rhode Island’s 35 school districts sent guidance counselors, school nurses, teachers and others to this week’s two-day conference, which ends this afternoon. Given such participation, Martin said it’s safe to say that every district has children whose parents are deployed. Some may not even realize it.

“They need to be aware both that there are children in their district and that these children can be and often are significantly impacted by the stress and strain of potential or actual deployment,” Martin said of educators throughout the state.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson

At the height of deployments after Sept. 11, 2001, the Rhode Island National Guard had 1,000 troops deployed – leaving probably 1,500 children home without at least one parent, according to Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Denis Riel.

As of today, the 210 Rhode Island Guard members deployed probably leave 500 children at home with an absent parent, Riel said.

For the children whose parents are at war, routine is very important, Martin said. Firmness is very important.

“Of course, tinged with the understanding that every child is unique, that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to how a child is going to react or respond to the pressures and strains of deployment,” he said. “And those kinds of things can manifest themselves in psychological, physical, sociological, academic and emotional problems.”

The seminar also offered educators places to go for help in dealing with the stresses on their military children, Martin said.

Here in Rhode Island, the National Guard Child and Youth Program works much the same as it does in every state throughout the country, said Laura Paton, the state youth coordinator. Their mission is to support the emotional, social and academic needs of the children of National Guard members.

Paton works out of the Family Assistance Center at 705 New London Ave. in Cranston, a place where she said teachers are welcome to come in and talk about ways to work with their military students.

Some Web sites that offer help for military families:

www.guardfamilyyouth.org
www.militarychild.org
www.nmfa.org

Posted by Kate Bramson at 2:57 PM | Permalink

September 28, 2006

Conference addresses children of troops

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