Promoting Positive Behavioral Health and Social-Emotional Growth in Military-Connected Students 

Sponsored by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Overview:

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) are school-based, integrated service delivery models that align with recommendations to actively address the academic, emotional, and social development of the child, rather than focus on collecting information solely based on the child’s risk for behavioral health issues. The integrated nature of MTSS allows school-based teams to address academic and behavioral health issues concurrently, as well as support the military child during parental separation, recent transitions, and family and peer-based needs. MTSS is also a trauma-informed model that supports children through difficult and potentially complex issues, including loss and traumatic stress. Paramount is the use of survey data tied to a continuum of tiered instructional support in addition to student and parent involvement.

School and community-based program staff from both military and non-military school systems describe successful development and delivery of MTSS models for military students, including examples from school and after-school experiences. Speakers focus on elements of MTSS that can be adopted broadly by administrators, principals, and student support services staff. This session provides examples of the use of universal screening for academic and behavioral health, adopted for settings with military students, to assist in decision-making to determine the appropriate level of care for each student. Emphasis is placed on preventing and intervening in behavioral health concerns, traumatic stress, and problematic behaviors including physical and sexual aggression by children and youth. Finally, examples of evidence-based interventions developed for military youth are provided with the goal to make these interventions more widely available to address behavioral health issues and promote positive social-emotional growth and development. Feedback from the audience helps identify critical military lifestyle demands and circumstances to consider when implementing MTSS in a school environment for military-connected students.  

Supporting the Well-Being of Military-Connected Youth: Identify, Prevent, and Intervene to Address Behavioral Health Risk 

Sponsored by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Overview:

Military families play a critical role in the strength of our nation’s military. Promoting the mental health and resilience of family members, including children, is essential for the military to remain mission ready as family members remain prepared to respond to the many expected and unexpected challenges that accompany military life. To meet these demands, DoD Military Community and Family Policy has promoted greater coordination with community organizations and promoted use of evidence-based assessment and intervention. Hear from DoD leaders, academic experts, and military family representatives to learn about coordinated frameworks for supporting child and youth well-being. This session is developed to respond to problematic behaviors resulting from trauma, peer aggression, and problematic sexual behaviors. Findings from recent surveys and research studies on the well-being of military children provide an empirical basis for interactive discussions on innovative approaches to support military children to thrive and continue developing great social-emotional skills and mastery.

This professional development session delves into models and interventions of behavioral health offered via Defense Health Agency School Based Child and Youth Behavioral Health, DoD School Liaison Program, Child Youth Advocacy, Child and Youth Programs and DoDEA. Learners have an opportunity to provide feedback to program staff related to improving parent and child engagement and advocating for child and youth well-being. Access to educational and family-based resources will be provided.

Purple Star School Program Professional Learning Community 

Overview: 

MCEC has partnered with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Department and Project ECHO® to host Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as a NEW way for educators to collaborate with and utilize a network of peers and partners to support military-connected students. Participants at the MCEC Global Training Summit will have the unique opportunity to identify potential solutions to common challenges related to Purple Star School Programs with Subject Matter Experts and peers from across the country in our first-ever in-person ECHO.  

What to expect:  

Participants engage with a community of peers and subject matter experts to explore topics such as: 

• Benefits of Purple Star School programming — build your team and create buy-in 
• Strategies to identify military-connected students and inform stakeholders  
• Effective peer-led student transition teams 
• Utilizing national, regional, and community partner resources to coordinate welcome and farewell information for students and families 

The expectation for our ECHO is that all teach and all learn through collaboration and interaction, so come prepared to network, share, ask questions, and engage! Participants learn from each other as knowledge is tested and refined through a local lens.