Blue Star Families’ Post

Partners in PROMISE 2022 Survey's second finding was that IEP goals may not adequately support military students' long-term educational outcome goals!  PIPs 2022 Survey further found that the existence of long-term educational outcome goals is related to the family's familiarity with special education law, not demographic factors, like military rank, location, or race. Confirming previous years' findings. Have you read our survey? Click the link to read the findings or the entire survey: https://lnkd.in/e-z2ZUNR What are your thoughts on your child's long-term educational goals? What do you hope to see your child accomplish? Comment below! #MilitaryChildren #MilitaryFamilies #SpecialEducation #EFMP #PIP2022Survey

Please consider adding your voice to this open letter calling for a potentially transformative law for both Australian kids and parents: "A law that says every child should be given the best chance to Thrive by Five. It would: - Set up a national body that would be responsible for rolling out universal early learning that would be responsible for resolving key issues in the early years system – including supporting the early childhood educators our children need, and ensuring the quality of early learning is consistently high. - Give every child 3 days of early learning per week, capped at a cost of $10 a day. #thrivebyfive #earlychildhood

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 15, 2024 GOV. LANDRY SIGNS HOUSE BILL 385, PROVIDES EDUCATION INCENTIVE FOR LOUISIANA VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES BATON ROUGE, La.—LDVA Secretary Charlton Meginley, COL (USAF Retired) is proud to announce that Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law House Bill 385 by Rep. Chuck Owen, which makes changes to Title 29 state educational benefits. HB 385 is a key part of LDVA’s efforts to retain service members who are currently stationed in Louisiana, and return those service members who left the state. “Parents make important decisions centered around their child’s wellbeing every day, and because of this, we must identify barriers and implement change to give our servicemen and women reasons to live in our great state,” said Secretary Meginley. “HB 385 does just that, and I want to thank Rep. Chuck Owen for his support not only as a legislator, but as a fellow veteran as well.” HB 385 makes a significant change to a veteran’s child’s ability to pursue higher educational goals by reducing a veteran’s residency requirement from two years to one year. This reduction provides an additional incentive to veterans to make Louisiana their home. Perhaps more significantly, if a service member permanently assigned in Louisiana was killed in action, or passed away under the conditions provided in the bill, his or her children receive a free college education. In these instances, the citizens of Louisiana acknowledge we could never repay the price paid by a parent’s ultimate sacrifice, but will do everything we can to provide for that child’s future. Title 29 is a state educational benefit for children of veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 90% or more; children of veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 100% due to unemployability; and for surviving spouses of deceased veterans. For more information about Title 29, contact a veterans assistance counselor at a parish veterans service office by using LDVA’s locator at https://lnkd.in/dDG8aDXj, emailing veteran@la.gov or calling 225.219.5000. ### #LDVA #ServingThoseWhoServed Charlton J. Meginley Jerome Buller, MD, MBA, MS, CPE, FACOG, FACHE John Phillips Dustin Guy Brandee Patrick

Virginia education program cuts for military families spark backlash - The VMSDEP program provided tuition waivers to help cover the cost of college for spouses and children of military members killed or permanently disabled in service. This was seen as an important benefit earned through sacrifice. - State officials cited data showing VMSDEP participation had grown dramatically, from 1,400 students in 2019 to 6,400 in 2023 - a nearly 350% increase. This raised concerns about the growing costs being absorbed by universities and taxpayers. - The changes imposed by the state included a stricter Virginia residency requirement, preventing waivers from being used for advanced degrees or second undergraduate degrees, and requiring participants to first pursue other financial aid. - Military spouses and veterans on the task force convened to study the program expressed feeling "betrayed" and accused state leaders of being "insular" and "out-of-touch" with the impacts on military families. - In response to the backlash, the Virginia legislature is now planning to reconvene later in June to fully reverse the VMSDEP changes. A bipartisan task force will continue studying the program and make recommendations for the 2025 session. This highlights the need to carefully balance fiscal responsibility with supporting critical benefits for those who have sacrificed for their country. The strong response from military families illustrates how deeply these education programs are valued. #GoldStarFamilies #MilitaryFamilySupport #EducationBenefits #GovernmentAccountability

4-H partnership offers a positive platform for military-connected youth The collaboration between the military and the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, through the 4-H Youth Development program, exemplifies a shared approach to supporting military-connected youth and their families. This partnership is known as the 4-H Military Partnership. UK Extension provides 4-H educators with the training and resources needed to support military-connected youth, ensuring that the next generation of leaders is well-prepared to face the future with confidence and skill. With 46,406 active military personnel, 35.3% of whom have children with a significant portion falling within the 4-H age range of 5-18 years, supportive educational programs are needed. Among the 12,008 Kentucky National Guard members, 42.9% have children with 58.9% within the 4-H eligible age. Sourced from the U.S. Department of Defense's Military One Source, these figures underscore the potential reach and impact of educational programs. The 4-H Military Partnership program: - Focuses on positive youth development, offering military-connected youth opportunities to engage in learning experiences in science, health, agriculture, civic engagement, and more -Provides a platform for young individuals to explore their interests, develop essential life skills, and grow them into future leaders. Through hands-on projects and supportive mentors and peers, youth learn by doing — fostering a sense of independence, confidence, resilience, and compassion. -Offers programming in a safe, nurturing environment for military-connected children. Stability is crucial for families frequently on the move or dealing with the challenges of deployment and reintegration. By connecting these families with local and state 4-H programs, the partnership ensures that military children have the continuity and support needed to excel. Learn more by contacting your local county extension office. Visit extension.ca.uky.edu.county to learn more. #ukyextension #extensionexclusives University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment

The experiences of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities from UK Armed Forces families will be examined in our forthcoming study. #ArmedForcesCovenant

**60 seconds of your time is required right now for youth across Massachusetts.** Spreading an important message on behalf of the 600+ students and families served by LEAP for Education, Inc and thousands more supported by the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership: Critical funding for afterschool programs is at stake, and we urgently need your help to secure it! Legislators are currently considering Amendment 1152, which proposes a $1.5 million increase for the After School and Out-of-School Time (ASOST) grant. This funding would allow programs to expand access to afterschool programs, ensuring more children and families can benefit. Existing programs would be enhanced with additional resources, leading to a higher quality of service. Finally, afterschool professionals, who play such a crucial role, would receive the training and support they deserve. Here's how you can make a difference: Contact your legislator! Use the link provided to find their contact information and send a short email urging them to co-sponsor Amendment 1152. In your email, highlight the importance of afterschool programs. Emphasize how they keep children safe, engaged, and learning after school hours. Don't forget to mention the benefits for working families who rely on these programs for childcare. Finally, highlight the positive impact afterschool programs have on both academic achievement and social development. If you serve on a youth-focused nonprofit organization board of directors or serve in some other volunteer capacity, be sure to note that. Thank you. https://lnkd.in/eGCEQWZ7

https://lnkd.in/d679q3sn Minister Humphreys announces Child Benefit to be paid in respect of 18-year-olds from next week. Child Benefit extended to 18-year-olds in full-time education or with a disability Families of an additional 60,000 children set to benefit annually Minister Humphreys: ‘This is about putting money back in the pockets of working families’ Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, has today (May 1st) extended Child Benefit to 18-year-olds. The first payments will be made next week and will benefit around 60,000 children who are in full time education or who have a disability. Minister Humphreys secured agreement to extend Child Benefit to 18-year-olds as part of Budget 2024 with the measure initially due to be implemented from September. However, in February the Minister announced that her Department was in a position to introduce the changes in May – four months earlier than initially planned

This morning, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the FY25 Labor HHS Education Appropriations bill. While all of the details are not yet available, the summary released indicates that it will provide $895 million, an increase of $5 million, for the Title III English Language Acquisition program, which helps close the achievement gap for our country’s 5 million English learners. Other programmatic increases include: 🔵 $80 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education 🔵 Title I-A grants are boosted by $280 million over fiscal year 2024, to $18.687 billion, for the more than 80 percent of school districts that receive these funds 🔵 The primary IDEA Special Education State grant program is increased by $295 million, to $14.509 billion, and supports more than seven million students with disabilities who receive IDEA services 🔵 An additional $20 million for the Impact Aid program, raising the program’s funding to $1.645 billion for more than 1,000 public school districts that receive funds, including those serving students residing on Tribal lands and military bases. https://lnkd.in/g45QVKwE

Our latest Sector’s Manifesto piece is from Luke Sparkes Dixons Academies Trust He sets out three policies to put schools at the heart of a civic mission: - a joint workforce plan between local services, enabling multi-disciplinary work to happen smoothly - mandating local convening partnerships in every area to ‘make people who live and breathe communities the core of the solution’ - a national mission to ‘reset child protection and wellbeing, fix the parlous state of children’s services and the care system, and fully recognise that childhood is now partially online’ ‘Education is a profession of ideas and delivery: we have proven that we can continue to deliver on the vapour trails of budgets long wrung dry. But the world has changed and so must the system. ‘We need a government who listens and responds, and who understands that a nation is built of individuals. Of one child, at one table, learning day by day’ You can read the full piece here👇 https://lnkd.in/eCKmwhp6