Military ParentingEditor: SuellenSend your parenting questions/comments to Suellen at:
parenting@4militaryfamilies.com
Department of Defense Special Needs Parent Tool Kit The DoD Special Needs Parent Toolkit has comprehensive information and tools that are geared towards helping military families with special needs children navigate the maze of medical and special education services, community support and benefits and entitlements. The Toolkit is broken down into six colorful modules that can be easily downloaded and printed. We have included important facts, records, tools and sample letters. Sesame Street DVD is here!Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away… Sesame Street’s deployment DVD Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families During Military Deployment is available through Military OneSource. Due to high demand, there may be a delay in order shipments. Don't forget you can also download the video and parenting materials. A Thousand Thanks to Military Kids If you have a family member deployed - we would like to recognize your child. We are excited to have Warner Bros. Looney Tunes® characters helping our efforts by signing thank you letters to children of deployed military. This program was kicked off in April, the Month of the Military Child. Although the project was initially funded by AUSA, the Association of the United States Army, families from all the service branches can request a letter for their children. Click here for more information. DoD Boosts Military Childcare DoD officials have given the services $92 million to help buy prefabricated facilities and to expand current childcare facilities. The majority of new or added-on facilities will be ready within a year. The modular construction capability allows an entire center to be built off-site, according to military specifications, and trucked to the location on base. This program is part of an ongoing effort to address an estimated additional 27,000 military childcare space requirement at installation with high deployment rates, or with long childcare waiting lists, and at posts gaining troops through overseas redeployments. Posts affected by this action are: Fort Campbell, KY; Fort Carson, CO; Fort Bliss, TX; Fort Riley, KS; Fort Lewis, WA; Fort Hood, TX; and Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, GA. Make Healthy Choices Easy By Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers The best way to encourage your child to successfully make healthy food choices is to have plenty of them available and to avoid or limit the number of unhealthy food choices in your home. Here are some tips: 1. Serve and offer water all of the time. 2. Keep fruits and veggies on hand and ready to eat. Some ideas are carrot and celery sticks, snap peas, green beans, red pepper sticks, melon and pineapple chunks, bananas, apples, peaches. The list is endless. 3. Have an assortment of good snacks available, such as yogurt, applesauce, peanut butter and celery, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, rice cakes, whole-grain crackers and cheese. 4. Select lean meats and low-fat proteins, such eggs, nuts, tofu and beans. Avoid deep-fried foods. Healthier cooking methods include broiling, grilling, roasting and steaming. 5. Limit the amount of processed food you cook. As a general rule, buy products that have common ingredients found in your kitchen, not the chemistry lab. 6. Limit fast food and other low-nutrient snacks, such as chips and candy. You may decide to not ban them from your home. Instead, you can make
them "once-in-a-while" foods. 7. Don't keep soda or sugary drinks in your house, and limit the amount of 100% real fruit juice your kids drink. About the authors: Cheryl Tallman and Joan Ahlers, daughters of a Navy veteran, are sisters, the mothers of five children, and founders of Fresh Baby. Fresh Baby’s breastfeeding accessories and baby food making supplies provide parents with practical knowledge and innovative tools to support them in introducing their children to great tasting, all-natural foods – easily and conveniently. Visit them online at www.FreshBaby.com and subscribe to their Fresh Ideas newsletter to get monthly ideas, tips and activities for developing your family's healthy eating habits! The whole line of Fresh Baby products is available at www.AAFES.com.
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