The School Liaison Program is a Department of the Army Program designed to improve the educational environments and academics of K-12 school-aged family members whose parents are assigned to Army installations and activities. Our program also reaches out to other branches of the military and also our civilians who work for the DOD.
The purpose of the program is to provide a link between military families and on and off post schools to assist them with those unique problems facing military children (PCS moves, deployments, differences in curriculum between stateside and overseas schools, and Department of Defense Schools and civilian Schools).
The program’s focus is to assist family members in being advocates for their children’s education and to deal with school issues such as:
Varying school-to-school academic curriculum and schedules.
Varying graduation and records transfer requirements.
And other major issues such as: Installation-School-Community Partnerships, Parenting Skills Development, Violence in and Around Schools, and Home Schooling.
Vision
“Level the playing field’’ for transitioning military children and youth (all branches and DOD civilian children).
School Liaison Officer Responsibilities
· Serve as primary advisor to Commander/command staff on matters relating to schools and School Liaison Services (SLS)
· Function as installation subject matter expert for youth education/school issues.
· Inform and assist parents on youth education and school issues.
· Develop solutions in partnership with local schools that ease barriers to successful education transitions for military connected youth
· Collaborate with local schools, installation organizations, and community organizations to facilitate the education experience of military connected children and youth.
Mission
· Mobilize and utilize community resources to reduce the impact of mobile military lifestyle on children/youth.
· Implement predictable support services that assist children/youth with relocations, life transitions and achieve academic success.
· Provide access for parents, children, youth, school, commanders, and communities to a wide range of resources to facilitate school transitions.
Goals
· Provide practical assistance to navigate resources and help parents become effective advocates for their child’s education.
· Identify barriers to the academic success and smooth transition of military children and develop solutions to barriers.
· Develop and coordinate Partnerships in Education (PIE) initiatives.
· Educate local schools and communities about the needs of military children/youth and the military lifestyle.
School Liaison Home MWR Home Child & Youth Service Army Community Service Fort Leonard Wood
Find Out About Your
Children's New Schools
Those of you who have school age children will be very interested in the schools and educational opportunities available at your new location. The academic success of our military children is a key interest of the Army and Fort Leonard Wood.
Children's lives revolve around their school, their community, and your military lifestyle. We want to enable their placement and the transition to their new school to be as smooth as possible.
Fort Leonard Wood has a School Liaison Officer who serves as a conduit of school information. She is the primary point of contact for public and private school matters, should you have specific questions or concerns. Our goal is to assure that "no military child is left behind".
What Parents Should Know: There have been many recent changes as a result of the President's 2001 "No Child Left Behind" Education Legislation. A number of these affect military families when transitioning to a new location and their children must change schools. Army families should know that the new federal education law requires each school system to develop annual report cards with data showing how well the schools are doing academically. School research is key, when choosing a new school and school system for the military student.
While the new required report cards must state whether the schools are identified as low performing, whether they have qualified teachers, and how the school compares to other schools, there are other factors military parents should consider. These include how well the local school districts work and partner with the Army installation, whether they have agreed to work with the specific needs and concerns of the military student that is mobile or has special education requirements, and if they have signed the Army SETS MOA.
The Fort Leonard Wood School Liaison Officer is available to discuss the education related factors that should be considered, since much of what is really important in school selection and education planning does not lend itself readily to countable numbers. These include issues related to personal motivation and learning environments, extracurricular scholastic and athletic opportunities, discipline incidents, attendance and tardiness, class size, strength of parent involvement, experience of educators, grading practices, student aspirations and school support, and of course, local, state and national test results.
A packet of current literature about the local public and private schools, school systems, or specific needs and concerns, is available for interested military personnel.
To contact the Ft Leonard Wood School Liaison Officer in advance of your arrival, you are welcome to send an e-mail HERE.
School Liaison Home MWR Home Child & Youth Service Army Community Service Fort Leonard Wood
Area Public Schools
- Crocker R-2 School District
- Dixon R-1 School District
- Laquey R-V School District
- Lebanon R-3 School District
- Licking R-VIII School District
- Newburg R-II School District
- Plato R-V School District
- Richland R-IV School District
- Rolla School District
- Salem R-80 School District
- University of Missouri Extension
- Waynesville R-VI School District
Continuing Education
- Central Texas College
- Columbia College
- Drury University
- Lincoln University
- Park University
- University of Missouri - Rolla
- Webster University
Home Schooling
Home Schooling
School Liaison Home MWR Home Child & Youth Service Army Community Service Fort Leonard Wood
- Nationally Accredited, state of the art Child Development Center
- Professional, caring staff that are trained and certified
- Income based fees for full day child care
Family Child Care (In-Home Child Care)
- Professional, caring staff that are trained and certified
- Flexible care: up to 24 hours/day 7 days/week
- Youth Services provides educational and recreational programs
- Youth sports programs build self-esteem and teach team work
- Before and after school care for children from kindergarten through 6th grade
- Variety of developmental, recreational and educational activities
- Dances, Recreational Activities
- Refreshments
- Homework Help
Child & Youth Services Registration
CYS Central Registration is located on the first floor of Building 470, Room 1111.
Appointments can be made by calling (573) 596-0238.
Hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
When entering child(ren) in a CYS Program or a new school remember to bring...
· Sponsors Orders
· Birth Certificate
· Immunization Records
· Passport, ID Card and Social Security Card
· Transcript/School Records/Last Year’s Report Card
· Sports physical evaluation record, signed by a physician (valid for one year. Sports physical examination may be coordinated with the medical clinic.
· Money for school/sports fees.
· Copy of school records
· Course descriptions
· All documents of achievements and awards
Youth Sports
The Youth Sports Program offers seasonal games for children ages 3-15 yrs.
Sports include soccer, basketball, flag football, baseball, t-ball, softball, tennis, kickball and cheerleading. Gymnastics and Dance programs are held through the school year.
All participants must be registered and pay the annual registration fee of $18 per child per year, or $40 per family per year at Child and Youth Services, Central Registration, building 470, room 1111.
Youth Sponsorship Overview
Youth Sponsorship plays a very important role in the moving process. Many questions and concerns are expressed when families move. For youth, the fear of the unknown is a scary and very real concern. Here are some examples:
Who will be my friends?
What will my new school be like?
What activities/sports are available?
Will I fit in?
What are the other kids wearing?
A Youth Sponsor will help provide the answer to these questions and many more. Their job is to help eliminate the unknowns. The most important part of being a Youth Sponsor is to be a friend and make the new kid feel welcome at Rock Island Arsenal. A Youth Sponsor will be able to introduce the newcomer at school, and to friends or at the Youth Center.
Local Youth Sponsorship
Child and Youth Services offer Youth Sponsorship to incoming military affiliated children who are new to this area.
If you are living in this area now and your child would like to serve as a youth sponsor to incoming military affiliated children please call the numbers above for more information.
Special Needs
Any child with special needs that has a parent that is either in the Active Army, a U.S. Army Reserve soldier in the USAR-Active Guard Reserve program and other USAR soldiers on active duty exceeding 30 days and any Army National Guard personnel serving under authority of title 10, U.S. Code. must be enrolled in the Fort Leonard wood Army Community Service Exceptional Family Member Program.
The EFMP Program Manager and the School Liaison Officer are here to help with the transitions of your child with special needs into the school that your child(ren) will be attending.
Helpful Special Needs links.....
Local Links
- ACS Exceptional Family Member Program/573-596-0212
- Health Promotions/573-596-0491
- Housing/573-596-0965
- EFMP @GLWACH/ 573-596-0049
- FLW Tri Care Office: 573-329-8600
- Tri-west/1-888-874-9378
- Rolla Regional Center/573-368-2200
- Child Care & Family Services/573-596-0238/0421
Other Links
Volunteer Opportunities
“I ask America, young and old alike, to dedicate at least two years of your life, 4,000 hours over your lifetime, to service to your fellow man, to service to your nation, by serving somebody else.”
- President Bush
There are many Fort Leonard Wood military, family members and Army civilians already dedicating numerous hours to area schools. We are very grateful, and the schools appreciate it. Please keep doing it. Volunteer community service from Fort Leonard Wood connected personnel play a great part in the continuation of the excellent rapport and cooperation we enjoy with our schools.
But some of you are asking: “What can I do to help?” Each of us are responsible for the decisions we make in life. If we have children, of course we are responsible for loving the child. If you're in a community (such as the Fort Leonard Wood community), you have a responsibility of loving your fellow man, just like you'd like to be loved yourself.
Among the ways you can help are to become a student’s mentor, provide much needed assistance to the teacher in the classroom, or help the schools with providing youth knowledge your education, occupation and hobbies have enabled you to attain. Tutors at all grades and subjects are always welcome. Unfortunately, many of our area schools suffer from a lack of parental involvement, and a number of students come from homes with very low education and economic levels. The positive educational and moral reinforcement Fort Leonard Wood personnel can provide is extremely valuable to students and the schools, and significantly personally rewarding are gratifying as well.
Anyone interested in volunteering in the schools is welcome to contact the Fort Leonard Wood School Liaison Officer to discuss specific interests.