Deployment not only affects our military service members individually, but also has a significant effect on their families, especially the children. From toddlers to teenagers, children may face difficult separations, strong emotions, and note parental changes once the deployed family member returns home. This led to the development of the Children of Military Service Members Resource Guide, an online resource to assist families and address the mental and emotional health needs of military children. This guide identifies age appropriate resources addressing such topics as: deployment, homecoming, loss of a parent, mental/emotional wellbeing and moving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has revised its child restraint guidelines to be categorized by age rather than by type of child seat in order to keep pace with the latest scientific and medical research and the development of new child restraint technologies.  Under the new guidelines, issued March 21, 2011, NHTSA is advising parents and caregivers to keep children in each restraint type, including rear-facing, forward-facing and booster seats based on the aging out principle or by reaching the maximum height/weight requirements, for as long as possible before moving them up to the next type of seat. 

PEERS is a program run by Onslow County for children younger than school age to receive FREE childcare one day per week (either Mon, Wed, or Fri each week). The hours of care are from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. The parent will need to fill out 1-2 pages of paperwork and bring in an up-to-date shot record. You may reserve spots in advance according to PEERS guidelines. Call PEERS at (910) 938-5447 for more information. 

The free Saturday night child care coupons given out at the MCX for the Tarawa Terrace Child Development Center (TTCDC) and Youth Pavilion (TTYP) will no longer be accepted as of December 2011. The MCX will stop issuing coupons as of June 30, 2011 and they will no longer be accepted as payment for Saturday night care as of December, 2011. The Saturday night care will still continue at the $3 per hour per child rate. Reservations for the Saturday night child care need to be made in advance--you may begin calling on the Monday prior to the Saturday you need the child care. For children ages 6 weeks to Kindergarten, call the TTCDC at 910-450-1646. For children ages Kindergarten to 12 years old, call the TTYP at 910-450-1422.

This childcare program is now available for you because the DoD has paid your membership fee. All you have to do is activate your account and you will be able to find CDH/FCC certified care providers (to include babysitters and nannies), elder care companions, dog walkers, housekeepers and tutors available in your neighborhood no matter where you are located. In under 2 minutes, you can activate your Sittercity membership by clicking on the link provided below:
https://www.sittercity.com/dod

ASYMCA with Vision Service Plan provides FREE eye exams and glasses for school-aged children (up to age 18) of military families. MUST HAVE requirements: copy of last year’s tax information; copy of current LES; Social Security Card or Military ID of child; must meet financial guidelines and by appointment ONLY. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 910-450-0497. 

Call or visit the Onslow County Health Department at 612 College Street, Jacksonville NC (910-347-2154) and be sure to bring your/your child’s shot record and any insurance information with you to the clinic. 

The Defense Department now offers a FREE online tutoring service called Tutor.com for active-duty service members and their families. National Guard and reserve personnel on active duty in a deployed status and Defense Department civilians in a deployed status and their dependents are also eligible to participate. This 24/7 service offers professional tutors who can assist with homework, studying, test preparation, resume writing and more.

Call the Harriet B. Smith Library on Camp Lejeune (910-451-5724) and ask for the Marine password.

http://tutor.com/military

This FREE website provides students and parents with resources to identify academic strengths/weaknesses in math and reading; instruction for students in math, reading and language arts through interactive tutorials; and involves parents by providing educational resources written specifically for parents.
http://www.soarathome.org

Developed by the Department of Defense’s Joint Advertising Market Research and Studies (JAMRS) program, this website was designed to help America’s youth explore opportunities for their future to include information about career, education and military options available for young people ages 16 to 24.
http://www.myfuture.com

Do you find it difficult to engage your teen in everyday conversations much less important conversations about alcohol and drugs? This site may help you—it has numerous FREE kits, sound advice and topic starters to ease into these touchy subjects.
http://timetotalk.org

Talk, Listen, Connect is a multimedia initiative offering free resources and support to military families with young children regarding a variety of subjects including deployments, homecomings and changes. Many materials are also bilingual.
http://SesameStreet.org/tlc

Resource information and materials relevant for children and parents with children aged 0 to 3 years of age.
http://www.zerotothree.org

Join the fun for a book reading and lunch. Open to children ages 2-6 of active duty and retirees. Offer includes 1 FREE book per family. $1.00 child lunch includes hot dog, corn dog or grilled cheese with tater tots and milk or juice. For additional information, visit:
http://uso-nc.com

Every Tuesday 10:30 am

TumbleBooks are animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they’ll love that reinforces learning concepts from books they’ll love to read. This is a FREE service.http://www.onslowcountync.gov/library -- then click on the TumbleBook Library icon

Onslow County Public Library partnered with Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune in order to provide for an ongoing and growing collection of books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks and story kits designed to address the unique challenges faced by children of military families.
Call (910) 455-7350 or visit http://www.onslowcountync.gov/library for more information.