Resources

Family Resources

• After deployment Wellness resources for the military community.  Our mission is to help you and your loved ones manage the challenges that are often faced following a deployment.
  
• American Council on Exercise® (ACE®) The American Council on Exercise® (ACE®) is honored to support Joining Forces, a national initiative that gives back to our service members and their families. We are committing to provide 1 million fitness services hours to activated reservists and National Guard members and their immediate families. Whether you’re an activated National Guard or Reservist, or an immediate family member of someone who is, we want to show our sincere gratitude by offering fitness training services (such as personal training sessions or fitness classes) at no cost to you and your family.
• American Gold Star Mothers A nonprofit organization of mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country.  Perpetuating the Noble Principles for which They Fought and Died. 
• Armed Forces Crossroads Supporting the Military Community.
  
• Armed Services YMCA The ASYMCA continues to enrich the quality of life and resiliency of our service members and their families by providing educational, recreational, social and religious support services across the nation.
• Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command (FMWRC) The US Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command is a comprehensive network of quality support and leisure services that enhances the lives of Soldiers, Civilians, Families, military retirees and other eligible participants. Family and MWR programs, services and activities offer Soldiers and Families opportunities to enrich their lives culturally and creatively.  Our programs relieve stress, build strength and resilience, and help the Army Family stay physically, mentally, and financially fit.
• Army Family Child Care The U.S. Army Family Child Care (FCC) Program is one child care option provided to military family members, Department of Defense civilians and Department of Defense contractors through the Army Child, Youth & School Services (CYS). The FCC Program is provided by military family members or civilians working as independent contractors in individual housing units located on a military installation, in government-controlled housing off the installation or civilian housing off the installation.
• ARMY FRG (Family Readiness Group) The Army Family Readiness Group (Army FRG) website provides a secure environment in which information, resources, and support are available to Soldiers and their Family Members 24 hours a day, regardless of their geographic location. 
• Army One Source The Army OneSource online portal provides easy access to many services for families living far outside garrison borders.  The AOS portal features articles, videos and resources in categories such as:  programs and services, health care, housing, education, careers, and travel. 
• Army Reserve Family Programs The Army Reserve Family Program is committed to offering education, training, awareness, outreach, information, referral, and follow-up.  Through these components, missions are accomplished both at home and during periods of military separation.
• Army Strong Community Center ASCC The Army Strong Community Center (ASCC) is dedicated to supporting Service Members, Retirees, Veterans, and their Family Members from all branches of the military—Active and Reserve. ASCC facilities are designed to assist geographically-dispersed Service Members and their Families who may not have ready access to the services typically available on a military installation.
  
• Army Wife Network “Interactive Empowerment for Army Wives”
• Blue Star Families Blue Star Families is a non-partisan, non-profit organization, created by real military families.  We are committed to supporting one another through the unique challenges of military service and asking the larger civilian population to help as well, connecting military families regardless of rank, branch of service or physical location, and empowering military family members to create the best personal and family life possible for themselves.
• Blue Star Mothers of America The Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. is a non-partisan, non-political organization. We do not support any political candidate, nor do we endorse any religious organization. The military represents all aspects of America as does our organization.  We are mothers who now have, or have had, children honorably serving in the military. We are a non-profit (501[c]3) service organization supporting each other and our children while promoting patriotism.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America Youth centers provide educational recreational, cultural, and social activities for military youth.  A safe place to learn and grow.  Ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals. Life-enhancing programs and character evelopment experiences. Hope and opportunity.
• Camp C.O.P.E Our mission is to help the children of service members cope with the transitions and/or trauma they are facing in response to the deployment or injuries sustained by their Soldiers, provide children age-appropriate therapeutic interventions in small groups of their peers, who have had similar experiences, provide fun, therapeutic interventions for the children as well as information for parents about how to help their children at home, allow the child to tell their story and help put a voice to their feelings and concerns, while providing new ways to handle their experiences.
• CinCHouse.com CinCHouse.com is the Internet's largest community of military wives and women in uniform.  Pronounced 'sink- house', we represent the "Commanders in Chief of the House', including girlfriends, fiancees, mom, sisters and all other women who live the military lifestyle.  CinCHouse's mission is to provide information, resources, and a community of friends to help you survive the toughest times and enjoy the adventures of military life.  You CAN do all this while progressing in your career, continuing your education, raising your children and pursuing your dreams.
• Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) The DEERS database system supports benefit delivery including medical, dental, educational, and life insurance.  DEERS is also responsible for producing DoD ID Cards (RAPIDS and Common Access Cards).  Additionally, an ID card registered with DEERS is required to buy groceries at the commissaries or clothes at the exchange.
• Deployment Health & Family Readiness Library This library provides Service members, families, leaders, Health Care providers, and veterans an easy way to find deployment health and family readiness information. Within this library you'll find access to fact sheets, guides, and other products on a wide variety of topics published by the services and organizations that serve you. You'll also find additional web links to other organizations and resources devoted to the health and well-being of the Service member and their family.
  
• eCare Connect Are you an expecting mom or new parent? eCareConnect is a free service that sends weekly e-mails customized to the stage of the beneficiary's pregnancy or parenthood. This e-mail-based communication service is currently available at 30 military hospitals. For more information about TRICARE's maternity, visit the TRICARE website and click on the "Having a Baby or Adopting" tab.
• Family Matters Blog Brought to you by the American Forces Press Service Blog, this resource provides tips from experts, useful resources and the best, most accurate answers they can dig up to any questions you may have.
• Family of Heroes (NY/NJ) Online resiliency training for families of veterans.  Learn what to expect from your veteran’s return and how to manage common challenges in adjusting to post-deployment life.
• Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors The 2010 Edition of VA's Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors booklet is available online. The booklet provides the rates for certain federal payments and outlines many programs and services provided by VA and other federal agencies. It also includes toll-free phone numbers, Internet addresses and a directory of VA facilities throughout the country.
• Fit Family FitFamily is a family fitness website that provides resources, ideas and goal setting tools to help families be active, make healthy nutrition choices and have fun in an effort to promote overall wellness.  The goal-incentive program is open to all active duty, Reserve and Guard members, Department of Defense and civilian families, retired military members, honorably discharged veterans with 100 percent service-connected disability, and former or surviving military spouses and their family members.
  
• Fleet and Family Support Program Fleet and Family Support Programs (FFSP) support individual and family readiness and adaptation to life in the Navy.  Navy FFSP is organized into three sub-functional areas:  Deployment Readiness, Career Support and Retention, and Crisis Response.  Across all three sub-functions, services include information and referral, individual clinical and non-clinical consultation and educational classes and workshops.
• Give Army Parents a Break Respite Child Care The United States Army Child, Youth & School Services (CYSS) is making Respite Child Care services available for you. Give Army Parents a Break Respite Child Care will provide your family with up to 16 hours of free child care each month for each of your eligible children. You can use this time to run errands, attend appointments, or just take some well-deserved time out for yourself. NACCRRA will reimburse your provider for eligible care at the Army approved hourly rate. Click here for eligibility requirements.
• Google Tools For Military Families Free Google products to make the lives of veterans and their spouses easier - connectivity, mapping, resume creation tools, and much more.
• Guide for Helping Children and Youth Cope with Separation (DOD) This guide was created for parents, relatives, teachers, service members, and community members to help children and youth cope with separation from a parent due to military deployment. 
• Joint Services Support (JSS) Home of the National Guard Bureau Support Programs.  Resources and Information on reintegration, career, family, finances, mental health, sexual assault prevention, and transistion support.  Provide your geographical information and receive information relevant to where you live.
  
• Marine Corps Community Services MCCS MCCS combines Family Services; Off-Duty Voluntary Education; Children, Youth and Teen Programs; Morale, Welfare and Recreation; and Marine Corps Exhanges under a single organizational construct.
• Military Community Network of Bucks County The MCN-BC is a directory of websites that will help you easily connect with the services, information and resources you need.  Whether you are currently wearing the uniform, are a veteran, a family member or a survivor, this is the place for you to find information about all things military.
• Military Families Near and Far Sesame Street music and games for military preschool and school age kids plus resources from military moms and dads to provide tips for handling deployments, illness or injury, etc.
  
• Military Families United Military Families United supports America's Gold and Blue Star families through social gatherings, educational programs, charitable support, and patriotic activities. Through Military Families United, families receive support, resources, and opportunities that they need to cope with the absence of a loved one. We provide a voice for these families to support our troops, veterans, and all who have served to protect our values and freedoms.
  
• Military Kids Connect MilitaryKidsConnect (MKC) is an online community of military children (ages 6-17 yr old) that provides access to age-appropriate resources to support children from pre-deployment, through a parent's or caregiver's return
• Military OneSource (800) 342-9647
  
  Military OneSource is provided by the Department of Defense at no cost to active duty, Guard and Reserve (regardless of activation status) and their families. It is a virtual extension of installation services.
• Military Spouse Network at Military.com
• MilitaryHOMEFRONT MilitaryHOMEFRONT is the Department of Defense website for official Military Community and Family Policy (MC&FP) program information, policy and guidance designed to help troops and their families, leaders, and service providers. Whether you live the military lifestyle or support those who do, you'll find what you need!
• MilSPOUSE.com An online community for military spouses and the official website of Military Spouse magazine.
• My Air Force Life Designed to help you stay connected, informed and engaged in the many programs offered you and your family by your Force Support Squadron.
• NACCRRA (National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies) NACCRRA is working with the U.S. Military Services to help those who serve in the military find and afford child care that suits their unique needs. Through several innovative civilian/military efforts between the Services, NACCRRA and Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) are building the quality and capacity of child care throughout the country
  
• National Archives The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Those valuable records are preserved and are available to you, whether you want to see if they contain clues about your family’s history, need to prove a veteran’s military service, obtain your own military record, or if you are researching a historical topic that interests you.
  
• Navy Fleet and Family Support Center The Fleet and Family Support Program (FFSP) provides unified, customer-focused, consistent, and efficient FFSP programs and services to support sustained mission and Navy readiness. We provide the right services at the right time, to strengthen personal and family competencies to meet the unique challenges of the military lifestyle.
• Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) The Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation Division administers a varied program of recreation, social and community support activities on U.S. Navy facilities worldwide. Our programs provide active-duty, reserve and retired Navy personnel and their families with sports and physical fitness activities, child development and youth programs, and a variety of food and beverage services. Our mission is to provide quality support and recreational services that contribute to the retention, readiness, mental, physical, and emotional well-being of our Sailors.
• Navy Seal Foundation The Navy SEAL Foundation supports all families and their parent commands by easing financial burdens, establishing support networks, and funding command sponsored activities. Within our mission guidelines we will ensure that essential resources are always available to help our families whether or not it is a small need or one of great significance. Examples of support include immediate assistance for families of NSW active-duty members that are wounded or killed in combat or training, memorial services, assistance related to active duty or dependent terminal illness, and assistance in times of natural disaster. If the Navy SEAL Foundation cannot directly accommodate the need of a family or individual, it will make every effort to coordinate assistance within the full capability of the staff and our partner organizations.
• Operation Purple Camps Operation Purple camps offer a free week of summer fun for military kids with parents who have been, are currently, or will be deployed. The goal of the Operation Purple camp program is to give military children tools to help deal with the stresses that result from a parent’s deployment, through a memorable camp experience in a “purple” environment.
  
• Operation: Military Kids (OMK) Operation: Military Kids is the U.S. Army's collaborative effort with America's communities to support children and youth impacted by deployment. Regardless of whether Families are experiencing deployment for the first time, the second time or another in a series of multiple deployments, OMK’s goal is to connect military children and youth with local resources in order to achieve a sense of community support and enhance their well-being.
  
• Our Military Kids Our Military Kids provides tangible support to children of deployed National Guard and Reserve personnel as well as to children of severely injured service members through grants for enrichment activities and tutoring. Such activities help these children cope with the stress of having a parent in a war zone or recovering from injury at home. Our Military Kids grants are made to honor the sacrifices that military families make and to ensure that their children have access to sports, fine arts, or academic tutoring programs.
• Real Warriors Handbook for Family & Friends of Service Members Real Warriors offer a free handbook for Family & Friends of Service Members which explore the stressors and feelings individuals may encounter throughout the different phases of deployment. The handbook aims to provide solutions for Service members and identifies outside tools and resources that may be useful to friends and family members before, during and after deployment.
• Services on Military Installations Your official DoD source for installation and state resources available to active duty, guard and reserve service and family members.
  
• Sesame Street Family Connections The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) in collaboration with Sesame Street Workshop recently unveiled the "Sesame Street Family Connections" website. This interactive website -- similar to the social networking site Facebook -- allows Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and their families to stay connected in a safe and nurturing environment surrounded by their favorite Sesame Street friends.
• Sesame Workshop - Talk, Listen, Connect A multiphase, bilingual, multimedia initiative that guides families through multiple challenges, such as deployments, homecomings, and changes that occur when a parent comes home.
  
• Sittercity Sittercity is America's largest and most trusted online source for in-home caregivers with over 1 million nationwide caregiver profiles.  The Sittercity program is funded by the DoD and is available to you at no cost. Register on Sittercity and find local sitters and military subsidized care providers.  You make all arrangements including hiring decision and payment of caregivers.
  
• SpouseBUZZ SpouseBUZZ is a virtual Spouse Support Group, a place where you can instantly connect with thousands of other milspouses. Here, we celebrate and embrace the tie that binds us all - military service.
• The First Tee To impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.
  
• TumbleBooks A library of 3-books for kids ages 4-12.  These books help youth learn to read and build their vocabulary through picture books, classic fairy tales and best sellers.  The website also has games, puzzles and offers books in Spanish and French. 
  
  *To access - register at Military One Source and select "TumbleBook Library" under "Online Libraries".
• TumbleReadables This is an online collection of read-along titles for elementary, middle and high school students.  These books are chapter books and novels for the older readers.  TumbleReadables features adjustable online text and complete audio narration.  The sentences are highlighted as they are narrated.
  
  *To access - register at Military One Source and select "TumbleReadables" under "Online Libraries".
  
• United Through Reading The United Through Reading® Military Program helps ease the stress of separation for military families by having deployed parents read children’s books aloud via DVD for their child to watch at home. This powerful program is available to all deploying military units and at select USO locations. It provides parents a chance to make powerful and lasting connections with their children and parent from afar.
• Veteran's Hope Veterans’ Hope is a vital liaison between service men and women and the organizations created to meet their needs.  We will function as the facilitator of community events and summits, working with state and federal organizations, connecting the military with the American people while increasing awareness and support for veterans' needs.  Veterans’ Hope will also provide carefully designed innovative and effective programs for addressing a few of the most challenging issues of our veterans: PTSD and Unemployment.
  
• VFW Foundation Return the Favor Aids troops and their families with a one-time grant to pay for rent, mortgage, utilities, vehicle repair, medical expenses and food/basic assistance.  Morale boosting “welcome home” or “sendoff” events for military units including VIP treatment at sporting and entertainment venues. Direct pro bono assistance by the VFW’s National Veterans Service (NVS) officers to help veterans with VA claims.
  
• Wish For Our Heroes The mission of our Foundation is very simple – reward our brave men and women who make so many sacrifices for our great nation each and every day.  Financial strains, marital strains, missing out on family events - the Foundation strives to relieve some of the burdens associated with service.
  
• Zero to Three Dedicated to increasing the awareness of parents and professionals about the impact of trauma, grief and loss on very young children, and building the knowledge and capacity of professionals in mental health, child care, family support and health care to support families so they can promote positive development and emotional health in their very young children during the course of these stressful experiences. Our work is also designed to increase awareness and collaboration throughout the military community to more effectively serve young children and their families impacted by deployment-related issues.

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