SPECIAL PROGRAMS MAKE HEADING BACK TO SCHOOL EASIER

Military families gather school supplies in the Bay Ridge Community Center for a back-to-school event sponsored by Operation Homefront on Aug. 1 on Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. More than 4,000 items and 300 backpacks were donated to 120 military families. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Summer is officially over, and kids are back in school — much to the delight of many parents.

Starting the school year can be a stressful time for some children, especially military kids. Not only do many deal with a parent being deployed during important life events, but military children move three times more than their civilian counterparts, requiring them to change schools more often. And while most easily adjust to new classrooms and friends, there’s something about the first day of school that always brings a little excitement and uncertainty in addition to the everyday challenges of military life.

Luckily, there are programs and communities everywhere helping military kids put their best foot forward on the first day of class. From Operation Homefront’s Back to School Brigade to Military OneSource to the Military Child Education Coalition and more, programs across the nation are helping these special youngsters.

• Nonprofits that support active-duty military, National Guard and Coast Guard families in Massachusetts filled 4,754 back-to-school backpacks with supplies for children of those who serve in Massachusetts. Cape Cod Today  
• Hundreds of children from Fort Hood military families attended a back-to-school backpack supplies event that also included a laptop giveaway. Killeen Daily Herald
• Children are re-energized on the first day of school at Royce-Williams Elementary, where about 70 percent of students come from families stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Baltimore Sun
• A back-to-school service project for local children helps the U.S. armed forces build community relationships in Amman, Jordan. DVIDS
• Operation Homefront and the San Antonio Library literacy van distributed free school supplies and books to more than 700 children in military families in the area. KSAT
• Just in time for the back-to-school season, Sesame Street and the USO hit the road for a two-month European tour. Markets Insider

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