Child & Youth Websites

ASYMCA  Armed Services YMCA – www.asymca.org/  ASYMCA has family programs like the DoD Military Outreach Initiative, Military Family Month and Operation Outdoors.  Their children’s programs include Operation Kid Comfort, Student Art & Essay contest and Operation Hero. There newest is Operation Lighten The Load is a campaign designed to raise awareness, understanding and appreciation of the heavy burden of military life for service members and their families alike. YMCA Memberships for Title 10 DoD Military Groups. The Department of Defense has contracted with the Armed Services YMCA to fund memberships at participating YMCAs throughout the United States and Puerto Rico for the following Title 10 DoD Military Groups  -Families of Deployed National Guard and Reserve  – Active Duty Assigned to Independent Duty Locations- Relocated Spouse of Deployed Active Duty Personnel  – Community-Based Wounded Transition Unit
- Respite Childcare   To find a YMCA near you go to:    www.ymca.net.

Bullying:  www.stopbullying.gov – StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying. If you or someone you know is being bullied, get help.

Boys & Girls Club -  www.bgca.org  Military Partnership at http://www.bgca.org/meetourpartners/Pages/MilitaryPartnership.aspx  Boys & Girls Clubs of America has partnered with the U.S. military to provide youth development programs and activities to the children of military personnel, giving families the vital support they need.

Child Development Institute -  childdevelopmentinfo.com/  Child Development Institute was formed in 1999 and has been providing information to parents through its website ever since. The website currently receives over 4 million visitors per year. The website was recommended for parents by the American Psychological Association and Psychology Today during its first year of operation. The site is linked to by thousands of sites including universities, school districts, professional organizations and public agencies.  The Mission at Child Development Institute is to provide information to parents based on current research that is both comprehensive and practical. The purpose is to enable parents to help each child to develop to his or her full potential. We also want to help families develop into supportive environments for all family members.

Free Printable Behavior Charts – www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/ Batman, Captain America, Incredible Hulk, Superman and Wonder Woman all have something in common, they are all on individual behavior charts provided to you free of charge at www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com.  For the older kids there are popular TV movie characters like Avatar, Cinderella, High School Musical and the Wizards of Waverly Place, just to name a few. They offer charts such as chore charts, potty training charts. homework charts and daily routine charts   They even have reward coupons, stickers and behavior money of all types.  And remember ‘It’s Free’! Behavior charts are broken down into ages 3+ and 11+.  Chore charts range from ages 4-10 and 11+.  There are articles of interest such as ‘Using Behavior Charts’, ‘When No Means No’ and ‘Reward Ideas’. Free Printable Behavior Charts.com is developed and created by Joanne McNulty.  Joanne has an M.S. in counseling and Guidance with expertise in child and family therapy.

Family & Youth Resiliency – resiliency.cas.psu.edu/Resiliency.html  From Penn States College of Agricultural Sciences this site provides links for Family & Youth Resiliency. Resiliency is the ability for a family/youth to bounce back from stress or adversity. This site has links for Families and for Youth Development Professionals.

Kids Health.Org -  kidshealth.org/teen/your-mind/problems/bullies.html  The Nemours Center for Children’s Health Media, a national leader in health education, creates KidsHealth.org as well as other online, print, and video programs. These resources bring knowledge, perspective, advice, and comfort to tens of millions of families every year. With subjects such as your body, your mind, drugs and alcohol, bullying etc… they provide information for parents, kids and teens.

Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) – www.militarychild.org/  Military Parent information with education and family links.  Contains child and student programs to include art contests early literacy space camp and scholarships.  Education, training and resources along with coalition partnerships are provided.

Military One Source -  www.militaryonesource.com  Education, relocation, parenting, stress-you name it-Military OneSource is here to help you with just about any need.  Available by phone or online, this free service is provided by the Department of Defense for active-duty, Guard, and Reserve service members and their families.  This service is completely private and confidential, with few exceptions.  If you have a concern start solving it today using Military OneSource.

NACCRRA -  www.naccrra.org  Works with the U.S. Military Services to help those who serve in the military find and afford child care that suits their unique needs

Operation We are here – www.operationwearehere.com Operation We are here’s mission is to create an awareness of the challenges of the military community and to provide a comprehensive list of resources for the military community and its supporters.  Resources include: organizations that support, counseling, crisis numbers, encouragement, military life information and kids info.

Our Military Kids – www.ourmilitarykids.org/ Our Military Kids provides substantial support in the form of grants to the children of National Guard and Military Reserve personnel who are currently deployed overseas, as well as the children of Wounded Warriors in all branches. The grants from Our Military Kids pay for participation in sports, fine arts, camps, and tutoring programs that nurture and sustain children while a parent is away in service to our country or recovering from injury.

Search Institute – www.search-institute.org For more than 50 years, Search Institute® has been a leader and partner for organizations around the world in discovering what kids need to succeed. Their knowledge and resources help motivate and equip caring adults to create schools, communities, and families where young people thrive. Based on surveys of more than three million kids, the 150 plus books we’ve published, and the work we’ve done with schools and youth-serving organizations in more than 60 countries, Search Institute can help you solve critical challenges in the lives of young people. Our 40 Developmental Assets are the most widely recognized and most frequently cited approach to positive youth development in North America, and serve as the foundation of our work.

40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents – (ages 12-18)   www.search-institute.org/system/files/40AssetsList.pdf

YouthSense – www.search-institute.org/resources/newsletters/signup  A monthly newsletter providing commonsense approaches to improving your interactions with youth.  Receive tools, free downloads, and stories with an emphasis on the everyday things you can do to make a positive difference.   

School Quest -  www.schoolquest.org/  Designed for military students, their families and the caring professionals who support them, SchoolQuest is an educational resource tool from the Military Child Education Coalition. Although our primary audience includes military students and their parents, SchoolQuest is well-suited to anyone who is “questing” information about schools, college and workplace readiness, transition, etc. It is meant to facilitate the search for new schools and centralize resources

Scholarship Programs of the Fisher House Foundation – www.militaryscholar.org/ The ‘Scholarships for Military Children Program’ was created in recognition of the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. The “Heroes’ Legacy Scholarships” program honors not only those who have fallen in battle, but all who have died or have become disabled through their active military service since September 11, 2001. The program is open to their dependent unmarried children under age 23.

Sittercity – www.sittercity.com/  Helping parents find babysitters and nannies for over 10 years. Free Memberships for Military Families.  The Department of Defense has contracted with Sittercity to fund free memberships for all military families. Finding sitters

Tutor.com -  www.tutor.com/military  Are you eligible for Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families:  Military families are eligible for free access to the Department of Defense online tutoring program with Tutor.com.  Authorized patrons include: *United States (U.S.) active duty military service members and their dependents  *U.S. military reservists and their dependents  *U.S. National Guard personnel and their dependents  *Wounded Warriors and Survivors and their dependents .This program is funded by the Department of Defense MWR Library Program and Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. Free Online tutoring and Homework Help for Military Families: Subjects Covered include: MATH for Elementary, Middle Grades, Algebra I & II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus and Statistics. Science for Elementary, Earth Science, Biology, chemistry and Physics.  English for Vocabulary, Grammar, Writing Center and Literature.  Social Studies and Proofpoint Writing Center.

United Through Reading -  www.unitedthroughreading.org/  One of the most difficult things a child can experience is having a parent deployed to a war zone for an indeterminate period of time. United Through Reading helps ease the stress of separation for military families by having deployed parents read children’s books aloud via DVD for their child to watch at home.

Wisconsin Challenge Academy -  www.ngycp.org/site/state/wi/  Offering Sixteen year nine month old through eighteen year old at-risk teens the opportunity to develop the strength of character and life skills necessary to become successful, responsible citizens. We offer habitual high school truants an opportunity to obtain an HSED (High School Equivalency Diploma) and to change their lives in a positive manner.

ZERO TO THREE – www.zerotothree.org/ ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. Their mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers.

For Youth

Boys & Girls Club of Fox Valley – website
Program Information
Program Flyer

Sesame Street for Military Families - www.facebook.com/SesameStreetForMilitaryFamilies Sesame Street has done it again!  In addition to the videos they have put out to help military families deal with deployment and other stressors related to military service,  they now have a facebook page.  The page is meant to be a place for military family community to share their experiences and feelings with others.  More importantly, the page will be a place for military families to learn about the latest initiatives from Sesame Street Workshop and their partners. You are invited to be an active part of this community, and don’t forget to “like” the page once you are there!

Brat Town Bugle – www.operationwearehere.com/BratTownBugle.html  What’s up with “NON-RECRUITS IN BIG BOOTS?” Military children are not recruited to be military brats; they just are.  Try this newspaper for the kids to send to their deployed parent.

Deploymentkids.com – www.deploymentkids.com  Get the right time for a timeline, make homemade postcards on ‘In Touch’ at deploymentkids.com.  Use a distance calculator and get time zones at ’Where in the World’.  Get free downloads for “Thank You’ and “I am so proud” cards.  Print out and color an American Flag on ‘Downloads’.  Learn more about journaling or get ideas for “Home & School”.  Go to ‘Playtime” to find fun facts about bubble gum or learn the military alphabet. You can even take a look into National Geographic.

Kids.gov -  http://www.kids.gov/  A collection of information and fun for kids K-8. It includes arts, careers, fun stuff, math, money, science and more. Some of the ‘Hot Topics’ include Our YouTube Channel, Activities and Games, Government, American History and more!

Military Kidz – http://www.militarykidz.com/  Want to learn the Semaphore Flag system or Morse code? How about ‘The Next Frontier’? You can even go to their on-line Boot Camp to find out more about ‘The Ranks’ in any service, Knowledge & Drill Movements, and R n R.

Military Youth On the Move - website Moving can be really exciting but can also be pretty hard.  If you worry about losing old friends, dread starting over at a new school, or wonder what you will ever find to do there then this is the site for you.  This site was designed for elementary, middle and high school students.  There is a link for each school group and one just for parents.  The information covers topics specific for military youth, like dealing with deployment and moving to a new location.  Yet there are also everyday youth topics, like dealing with divorce, getting enough exercise, and making money.  So even if you have moved before check out the answers to the questions about being the new kid in school, opening a bank account and help with your homework!!!

VA.Gov Kids -  www.va.gov/kids  VA Kids K-5^th Kids Learning about VA~VA Kids, 6th—12th Grades.  Honoring America’s Veterans