AUGUST 18, 2021 – With the new school year approaching, it’s a good time to learn how School Support Services can help military families adjust to a new location and navigate a new school system.
School Support Services provides Army school-aged youth with educational opportunities, resources, and information necessary to achieve academic success, according to https://mccoy.armymwr.com. School liaison officers (SLOs) assist with transitions associated with military life and facilitate communication among schools, parents and installation leaders. SLOs act as the conduit between the school communities — including local public school districts, private schools, and home-schooled families — and the installation.
SLOs and School Support Services can also help coordinate youth sponsorships, which helps youth adjust to a new location by pairing them with another local student; facilitate the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children and liaisons between parents and schools as needed to ensure compliance and develop solutions; and provide information about local school policies and post-secondary opportunities.
School Liaison Officer Rebecca Walley is Fort McCoy’s link to local schools. She recommends families reach out to SLOs before arriving at a new PCS location, if possible.
“With the contact prior to arrival, I can assist them with school registration, school zone information, school calendars, youth sponsors, and also community information,” Walley said. “Sometimes families may not know where they will be living yet, so I provide them with information with surrounding school districts.”
Walley said she can also help families leaving Fort McCoy by reaching out to their next location’s SLO and connecting them with the right resources.
Walley also recommended checking out some of the online resources available to military families, such as online tutoring through tutor.com and moving resources for families with children, available at https://www.militaryonesource.mil/moving-housing/moving/planning-your-move/nine-ways-to-help-your-kids-cope-with-moving/.
“I look forward to helping Fort McCoy families regarding school information, and I encourage families to contact me for more information,” Walley said. “I’m here to make the transition for families less stressful, as much as I can.”
More information about School Support Services at Fort McCoy is available at https://mccoy.armymwr.com/programs/school-support-services. Families may also contact Walley at 608-388-6814 or by emailing rebecca.l.walley.naf@mail.mil.
Story by Aimee Malone
Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office