1. Honoring Our Babies & Toddlers Supporting the children and families of those serving in the Military

2. About me Two kids, ages 3 and 18 mos. Full-time graduate student Work full-time Husband serves in the National Guard

3. Background The National Guard is the oldest branch of the US Military “Citizen Soliders” serve both state and federal missions What is Deployment?

4. Key Ideas More than 500,000 children have at least one parent serving in the National Guard or Reserves Deployment brings many changes for a Natl Guard or Reserve family Deployment doesn’t end with the homecoming Communities and schools can create a “safe zone” for children

5. What can you do? Keep a picture of the parent in the classroom Have the classroom “adopt” the parent and send cards, drawings, etc Communicate with the parents or caregivers about changes in the child’s behavior

6. Resources Military One Source www.militaryonesource.com Zero to Three – Coming Together Around Military Families http://bit.ly/9gwg0W Sesame Street: Talk, Listen, Connect www.sesamestreetworkshop.org/tlc