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Children and Teen Programs in the Marine Corps

Friday, January 30, 2009

The Marine Corps has established programs to make sure that the children of Marines get the educational, social and recreational opportunities to help them reach their potential. The programs are run by the Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) and are especially important right now while the Corps is on a war footing.

Military spouses have rightly received their due lately for the number of sacrifices they’ve made to support our nation’s armed forces; yet we must also recognize that children who go without a parent during a deployment are also making a great sacrifice.

Depending on the age, often children don’t fully understand why a parent has to be away from the family for a year, or even more. And while the service member is deployed, the remaining parent often has more stress and responsibility, further adding to the nervousness of children.

Just as any country rightly recognizes the family as the basic block of society, so does the Marine Corps appreciate that families support the individual Marine. Research indicates that the legacy of broken families ultimately has consequences for society; in this same vein the Marine Corps appreciates that a disrupted, hurting Marine family will affect the fighting ability of an individual Marine.

    To help assist parents, the Marines have instigated a program designed to help children and teens on and off base. These programs are for children from six weeks all the way up to the age of 18. Some of the programs include:
  • Child Development Centers: Children are cared for the whole day, for part of they day or even for one hour; they are staffed by trained caregivers who must meet the accreditation standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
  • Family Child Care Homes: Child care is provided in housing owned or leased by the government and under control of the base commander. FCC providers are private contractors certified and monitored by the command.
  • Youth Activities: A variety of recreational activities are available for children, including centers with foosball, pool tables, video games, etc., for the benefit of Marine Corps children; there are also computer labs for student homework and skill development classes.
    The Marine Corp has also teamed up with the Boys and Girls Club of America to expand youth and teen programs. The partnership with the Club provides materials and services for health, social, education and character development programs.


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None of these programs are a substitute for the principal role played by a mother and father, but they can be a helpful augmentation to the family’s role – particularly during times of deployment when one parent may be away.

While the Marine Corps has a variety of services to help Marine families, many families may be new to the Corps or a particular installation and not familiar with the wide-range of services they can tap into. Marines should always communicate with new Marines and their families and make sure they’re informed about the services offered by the Corps.

And with the news that 30,000 troops will be sent to Afghanistan in 2009, it’s a sure bet that their will be Marine families who will need to lean a littler harder on the Marine community and services that make deployment a little bit easier.

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Marine NCO Gives Transitioning Advice; Speaks of Military Benefits

Friday, April 4, 2008

Marines at Camp Pendleton facing their military to civilian transition received some squared-away advice from a senior enlisted Marine who retired in February. Sgt. Major Frank E. Pulley penned an article in the Feb. 28 edition of The Camp Pendleton Scout entitled the "Transition Starts Now."

Sgt. Major Pulley noted that he'd always been prepared as a Marine, but when facing retirement he realized he'd done little to prepare for his military career transition. Pulley notes that Marines need to make use of the Transition Assistance Management Program (TAMP), which is available to Marines as well as dependents and spouses. Pulley noted that Marine spouses should make a point of attending TAMP workshops; Marine spouses can ask about scholarships for military spouses, student loans for military spouses and jobs for military spouses.

The overarching theme of the Pulley's article is that Marines must take the initiative to prepare for their transition from military. "No one is going to do anything 'to' or 'for' you, but there is a lot to be done 'by you,'" he said.

Pulley identified five key resources for transitioning Marines:

-Mandatory Pre-Separation Counseling: this is great time for Marines to learn about their military education benefits and entitlements.

-Individual Transition Plan (ITP): This helps Marines look realistically at their experiences, skills and education. This is also a good time to see if you need more education, particularly distance education military.

-Employment Assistance: This is where you can get help putting together a resume, a cover letter as well as learning how to search for civilian employment.

-Mandatory Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Workshop: Department of Labor instructors will help you plan a job search.

-Verification of Military Experience and Training (VMET) - DDD Form 2586: This document can be found online and will help understand how your Marine training, schooling and experience are transferable to the civilian world.
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