Meet Our Resource Partners (in PROMISE)

We don’t know it all. No one has all the answers. At Partners in PROMISE we believe that good ideas are born out of collaborations. Telling our stories and sharing our varied perspectives strengthens our collective efforts.

The Resource Partners (in PROMISE) below have committed to helping our military special needs community. Their areas of expertise range from providing disability-specific resources, to advocating for improved services at the federal and state level. Learn more about our Resource Partners and the resources they provide below.

• Blue Star Families – With more than 150,000 members in their network, including in chapters all over the world, Blue Star Families touches more than 1.5 million military family members every year. Through our research and program partnerships, Blue Star Families ensures that wherever American military families go, they can always feel connected, supported and empowered to thrive – in every community, across the nation, and around the globe.
• Educating All Learners – Educating All Learners is a civilian advocacy group. Their website, equityatthecore.org provides resources and planning support to administrators as they prioritize inclusion and equity in the planning process for reopening and recovery due to COVID-19. This is a great resource for educators, EFMP coordinators and school liaison officers!
• It’s a Military Life – It’s a Military Life is a networking platform that brings military spouses and families together through our lifestyle blog and social media communities. IML focuses on education and advocacy for our children through our website at itsamilitarylife.com, with a specific page dedicated to educating and enriching the lives of our families. We also have an Instagram account @itsamilitarychildlife that continues to share helpful resources for our children, as well as our private group on Facebook, “It’s a Military Child Life”. IML has networked with Partners in PROMISE, by sharing Michelle’s story on our blog, but we want to continue advocating for this amazing cause by becoming an active Resource Partner. Ideally, we would like to dedicate an advocacy page on our blog that leads our readers to Partners in PROMISE. We look forward to working together to continue to take care of our EFMP/special needs community.
• Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) – MCEC supports the EFMP/special needs community by providing training, workshops, webinars and resources from their website for parents, educators, and other caring adults. For professionals they offer a 6-hr course, Responding to Military Children with Exceptional Needs. This training helps professionals identify the amplified transition challenges that impact military-connected students with exceptional needs, and explore strategies that support these unique learners as they transition from school to school.
• Organization for Autism Research (OAR) – The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) first published A Guide for Military Families in 2010, and released an updated version in 2019. This comprehensive resource provides expert information on Department of Defense and service policies related to autism; coverage for autism services within the military healthcare system; tips and advice relative to transitions such as PCS moves; and more. The guide’s companion website, Operation Autism, is regularly updated with the latest information about military healthcare, and includes a searchable database of local resources – including schools, EFMP contact information, and ABA providers accepting TRICARE – organized by military base.
• Parent Centers – There are nearly 100 Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) in the US and Territories. These Centers perform a variety of direct services for children and youth with disabilities, families, professionals, and other organizations that support them. They are experts in local state disability laws and can help our military families who are often not familiar with local area resources.
• SEALKIDs – SEALKIDs provides immediate and individualized educational interventions for children in the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community. Through an encompassing approach of academic testing, tutoring, therapy, advocacy, and enrichment, we help NSW families better understand and overcome the academic barriers their children face. SEALKIDS operates four academic programs: Academic Support, Specialized Needs, Testing and Evaluation, and Advocacy. In 2019, 70% of SEALKIDS grants were awarded to students with one or more diagnosed learning disabilities and 100% of students served showed improvement in at least one area of measure. Parents of children served work closely with a SEALKIDS Family Advocate who guides them through the process of identifying and obtaining the academic support their child needs to succeed and provides emotional support throughout the entire process. Families interested in requesting help from SEALKIDS can begin the process by visiting sealkids.org and clicking “Request Help”
• Secure Families Initiative – The Secure Families Initiative mobilizes military partners and family members to be active voters and advocates for their community – especially on issues of foreign policy. We help coach through the voter registration process and provide free, online webinar trainings about how to be an effective advocate.
• The Dyslexia Life – The Dyslexia Life exists to help parents navigate the world of Special Education for children who have dyslexia. They believe in mandated dyslexia screening in Kindergarten thru 2nd grade in public schools in America in all 50 states.