Start with a Child: A Kid’s View on Military Homecoming
Summary
In 2016, The Station Foundation and its partners committed to expand The Station’s childcare curriculum to equip military children with positive, healthy approaches to deal with the adversities of combat. Through comprehensive mindfulness practices and a character development course, military children at The Station’s Montana retreat will learn techniques to manage stress, increase awareness of emotions, and demonstrate compassion. Inserting these mindfulness practices will allow The Station to provide the same level of care to military children that is currently offered to their parents. A working group of pediatric mindfulness experts will develop the “Start With A Child” course and other resources. The Station’s approach will begin with its family workshops in Montana and alumni supports, with the goal to eventually identify a school for piloting integration of the “Start With A Child” curriculum into schools near military installations. Additionally, a program evaluation professional will document curriculum efficacy.
Approach
The Station commits to expand its childcare curriculum to equip military children with positive, healthy approaches to deal with adversities of combat. Through comprehensive mindfulness practices and a character development course, military children will learn techniques to manage stress, increase awareness of emotions/feelings, establish a value system, and demonstrate loyalty and compassion towards others.
These complimentary courses encourage children – and their parents – to appreciate how caring for yourself and becoming aware of your choices can lead to a more positive journey, helping them enjoy a richer experience in life. Inserting mindfulness practices in this way will allow The Station to provide the same level of care to military children that is currently offered to their parents, including techniques to manage energy level and view stressors and anxieties as transient, fleeting moments.
A working group of pediatric mindfulness experts will develop a course to teach children the importance of mindfulness, compassion, and character. The Station will identify appropriate techniques: exercises, acronyms and visual cues, to integrate into children’s daily routines, and reinforce use of techniques when the children return home from Montana. Staff will provide handouts to parents, which include articles about compassion, mindfulness, and character development.
“Compassion It” will provide curriculum focused on the importance of self-compassion and compassion for others. “Mindful Classrooms” will implement activities and discussions that help children understand the importance of being mindful of their emotions and behaviors. With 25 years of experience, “Success through Character” developed curriculum inspires youth to be the best version of themselves and realize their dreams. In addition, a professional versed in analyzing program effectiveness will provide documentation supporting the efficacy of “Start With A Child” curriculum.
It is The Station’s immediate goal to develop “Start With A Child” curriculum and materials within the first three years. Once there is proof of concept and The Station is seeing a positive impact on families, the organization plans to expand its reach. The Station’s approach will begin with its family workshops in Montana and alumni supports with the goal to eventually identify a school to pilot integration of the “Start With A Child” curriculum into schools near military installations. In addition, The Station will provide traveling seminars near alumni military installations to develop after school programs utilizing these new techniques and skills.
On-site observers will evaluate the performance of the commitment by gathering intake about the perception and acceptance of materials, and The Station’s program analyst will evaluate program efficacy through exit reviews, follow up surveys, and interviews to ultimately determining if participants are successfully using new tools and techniques in their homes and communities.
The Station is forming a working group to identify holistic approaches that help children manage stress and energy levels. Simultaneously, staff is reviewing studies and data substantiating the impacts combat has on military children and what behavioral and emotional adjustment problems are observed.
By August 31, 2016, The Station will generate an interim project report (IPR) that presents an overarching theme for The Station’s Child Development Center with three inter-related areas of focus. Areas of focus are required to support healthy, stable transitions for military children with deploying parents. IPR will identify partners to support lesson plan development.
By November 30, 2016, The Station will formalize an overarching framework to The Station’s Child Development Center. Selected subject matter experts will create curriculum and present an initial program of instruction to The Station’s staff.
By February 28, 2017, The Station will identify resources that help scale aspects of the program to create collective impact in military communities.
In March 2017, The Station will initiate a soft start incorporating aspects of the “Start With A Child” coursework. After Action Reviews will identify adjustments needed to better the experience. Monthly reviews in March and April will provide critical feedback, helping The Station finalize curriculum and lesson plans for the workshops. From March 2017 to March 2018, the organization will conduct Monthly After Action Reviews.
In May 2017, The Station will initiate a hard start of the program using the full, agreed-upon curriculum. By May 2018, the commitment partners will formalize the training manual. And by August 2018, they will identify four schools near military installations to serve as a pilot school.
In November 2018, The Station will provide a formal presentation to appropriate personnel in multiple schools. In January 2019, The Station will provide current outcomes of “Start With A Child.” Finally, by May 2019, The Station will formalize a contract with one school to execute a pilot program in Fall 2019.
Background
Children are the innocent casualties of war, bearing tremendous burdens that often go overlooked and underserviced. They lack a voice of advocacy, and are typically last to receive services for their challenges.
According to a peer reviewed publication in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, “parental combat deployment has a cumulative effect on children which remains even after the deployed parent returns home, and is predicted by psychological distress of both the active duty and at-home civilian parent.” Results of the study indicated that “although behavioral adjustment and depression levels were comparable to community norms, anxiety was significantly elevated in children in both deployment groups (currently deployed and recently returned). In contrast, at-home civilian parental distress was greater in those with currently deployed (vs. recently returned) spouses.”
While many U.S. military forces are reducing their presence overseas, Special Operations Forces (SOF) have seen the pace and risk of their missions continue to increase. SOF families will thus continue to endure tremendous amounts of pressure as loved ones are in harm’s way.
The Station Foundation (The Station) believes SOF families deserve the same world-class support during the re-entry to civilian life that they received in combat with a homecoming that is integrated, engaging, and carefully designed to foster healthy, holistic growth. The Station is staffed by SOF veterans and families fully dedicated to the SOF community, helping participants navigate reintegration back into civilian life. Whether on a week-long Transition Azimuth Check (TrAC) or during a 10-day bonding experience with SOF loved ones at The Station’s retreat site in Montana, the organization provides families with an excellent starting point to reset and rebuild.
Over the past four years, The Station has refined an approach for military spouses and service members to manage the stress and pressures of the active duty lifestyle. By focusing on breathing, yoga, and guided meditation, participants have seen an improvement in their ability to remain calm and manage demanding circumstances. Historically, 10% of participants have been minorities. The Station conservatively estimates that at least 40% of the people it serves suffer from disabilities based on participant medical intakes, although the number may be significantly higher due to limited diagnoses of Traumatic Brain Injury, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and other medical needs due to injuries incurred while in the line of duty.
The Station is now poised to expand its well-rounded approach, centered on concentration and positive self-talk, to help military children create a strong, positive, and healthy identities both within themselves and in their families.
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
Any financial resources would be extremely beneficial to the success of this initiative. Expenditures and partnership requests include:
– A program director is critical to the success of this program. Someone that can synthesize the areas of focus into a cohesive seamless approach will ensure The Station makes a significant impact in the lives of military children.
– One childcare assistant will implement classes at The Station’s headquarters. One staff member will observe, compile information and begin documenting instructions.
– An illustrator/graphic designer will create classroom materials that are kid focused and adult friendly.
– Partners in technology will provide easy access to course materials.
The Station must identify pediatric mindfulness and character development subject matter experts to enhance the organization’s workshops and expedite course material development. It is critical to have committed professionals to train on-site staff, observe workshops, and provide constructive feedback to better the services.
“Start With A Child” courses will begin with military families free of cost during The Station’s 10-day workshops. As the courses evolve, The Station will train staff at military installations and schools to implement “Start With A Child” techniques during their daily instruction. Eventually “Start With A Child” will expand into after-school programs, all of which will be at no cost to military children and participating schools. Once “Start With A Child” has a greater reach within communities, training will be made available to local volunteers in order to expand The Station’s reach. In addition, The Station will present training to specific states where military alumni live. This will provide service members and spouses with the opportunity to pay it forward and continue to serve beyond the uniform. This will afford an exciting opportunity for these alumni to use their skill sets stateside to promote community enrichment in their local neighborhoods.