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A Black military family enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) can face unique challenges. The EFMP supports military families with members who have special medical or educational needs. However, it’s important to recognize that Black military families may face additional hurdles due to systemic inequalities and cultural factors. Some common challenges that Black military families may face include: 1. Limited Access to Culturally Competent Healthcare Many Bl

We understand the complexity and loneliness of navigating special education. Our new Special Education Military Family Parent Mentorship Program brings guidance, support, and a sense of belonging. It is designed to assist military families with children in special education.

Embark on a poignant educational journey with a military family in Colorado, navigating challenges from ADHD diagnoses to IEP meetings. Facing relocations and school transitions, they share struggles, delays in evaluations, and the quest for support. Discover their decision to move for better resources, shedding light on the importance of advocating for special education students.

Winter break is over, and the kids are headed back to school. While this can be a sigh of relief, if your kids eat twice as much as they do on a school day when they're on break, like my children do, it can also be stressful if your child is in Special Education. Four to five months of school left, and it's time to get back on top of their education. Here are some recommendations for preparing for the second half of the school year! Tips for the Second Half of the School Year

Dear Friends and Supporters, It’s hard to believe we are close to ending another incredible year of growth and impact with Partners in PROMISE. Where did the time go? Many of you have been with us from the very beginning when we were only a team of four military and veteran spouses, passionate about supporting our military families with special needs. The early hard work has paid off. Our team has grown to 10 members with a reach of over 3,200 followers while offering a robu

Military families require grit. It’s especially not an option when special needs kids are in the mix. I homeschooled four children; all four have major hurdles that we have worked to overcome initially through homeschooling. My oldest faces significant health challenges, but academically, there is no impact. Should he attend a traditional school, he would require a 504 plan for accommodations. My other three have required speech therapy, occupational therapy, dyslexia interve

The holiday season may present various sensory challenges for our neurodivergent children. As their advocates, our goal is to ensure they have an enjoyable holiday experience and feel supported in meeting their needs. To aid in achieving this, we've crafted a helpful checklist. 1. Create a Visual Holiday Schedule In school, our children do well with visual schedules, understanding where they’re going and what tasks to tackle. Imagine extending that helpful tool beyond the sch

The holiday season is upon us, and you're probably busy decorating your home in all its festive glory. As you prepare for the holidays, consider adding new traditions and holiday decor that cater to your family, especially for your children with special needs. Tailor Holiday Traditions for Your Family Let us help you incorporate ways to customize your family's holiday traditions, fostering an atmosphere of inclusivity that specifically accommodates and celebrates the unique

A Transformative Tale of Advocacy and Special Needs Embarking on a personal journey as a parent can be transformative, especially when unforeseen challenges arise. In this narrative, I share a pivotal wake-up call as a mom of a child with autism and ADHD. The incident launched advocacy for my son, revealing the importance of active engagement in education and therapy. This article emphasizes open communication, involvement, and kindness for special needs children, especially

When introduced to the whirlwind of raising children with additional needs, parents often have to learn a different language to keep up. This language has an array of letters to help identify their neurodivergence – ASD, ADHD, ODD, OHI, CP, etc. Before having children, military life and our spouses formally introduce us to military jargon and an ever-expanding dictionary of acronyms. We encounter these languages within the vacuums of our lives – languages that our civilian fr

Updated May 2026 Empower Your Child's Success Navigating the world of education for a military child with special needs can be both challenging and rewarding. A helpful first step is using a letter template to request an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting. Preparing for that meeting is just as important, and you play a pivotal role in shaping your child’s educational experience. To help you make the most of this opportunity, we’ve prepared a checklist to guide you

As the new school year starts, parents brim with hope for academic and social success. Parents and teachers alike are assessing their student’s educational progress and whether the appropriate services and supports are in place. For parents of children with special needs, this early time period is critical. Is the Individualized Education Program (IEP) being implemented as written? If the military family is new to the school, are comparable services being offered as mandated

Partners in PROMISE (PiP) created its own "Bill of Rights" for military families. It includes reminders of your rights for IEP meetings, consent requirements, dispute and resolution procedures, and Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). In the military community, it’s easy to miss important information due to our highly mobile lifestyle. PiP recognizes those challenges. Our survey data show a relationship between informed parents and positive outcomes in their child’s spec

Partners in PROMISE created a comprehensive guide of special education resources for military families. We briefly describe each resource and encourage you to research further. It is our hope that these resources can continue to provide you with support as you navigate through your own unique journey. Please check out our blog for additional support and resources that our fearless leaders have compiled.

Explore the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's Section 1414 (d)(2) requirements for students with disabilities during school transfers. Understand your child's rights under this federal law. Discover recent guidance from the United States Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, ensuring high-quality education for highly mobile students, including military children with disabilities. Unravel empowering tips for navigating the

Exploring the Lack of Data and Support for Adults in Military EFMP For the past three years, Partners in PROMISE conducted our annual special education surveys and heard from many adults enrolled in the military's Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). Additionally, many of them are also parents of children enrolled in EFMP; highlighted was a lack of data collected on this population through their qualitative responses. Therefore, in 2022, we opened our annual survey to in

The Department of Defense released the new Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) Instruction, DoDI 1315.19 on June 23, 2023. This instruction is the EFMP standardization plan we have been waiting for! Hear what Partners in PROMISE has to say about this update.

Partners in PROMISE released its findings on March 15, 2023, alongside panelists from Joining Forces, the Department of Defense’s Office of Special Needs, the Department of Education and civilian researchers from The Ohio State University and leaders from the disability community, like the Learning Disability Association of America. Watch the recording and see the Q&A.

Are Existing Supports and Standard Outcome Measurements Effective for Military Children? Our 2020 and 2021 surveys established several baseline measures and show how the highly mobile military lifestyle impacts the ability to receive a FAPE guaranteed by the IDEA. We learned that despite having a cause to file due process complaints, many military families did not feel they could access recourse due to barriers presented by the highly mobile military lifestyle. We also learne

Hello, Partners in PROMISE community! My name is Destiny Huff and I am an Army spouse of almost 10 years, a mother of two amazing boys, a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Special Education Parent Advocate! I began my journey as a Mental Health Professional over a decade ago and am excited to share some social-emotional books for military kids with you!