arrow down
Navigating your child’s school can be difficult enough but adding something as overwhelming as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move. It can feel impossible...but it doesn’t have to be. The School Liaison (SL) Department is here to assist and guide you through the list of tasks to ensure you feel confident and at peace with providing your child a seamless transition between school districts. And it’s not just that, even if you aren’t PCSing, SLs can aid in your child’s most important scholastic experiences.
In conversation with NRNW’s Regional School Liaison, Kelly Scheese, she shares insights that all parents should know. “School Liaisons (SLs) can assist families with the school registration process, special education system navigation, senior year moves, credit and graduation requirements, post-secondary preparation, scholarship opportunities, homeschooling, deployment support and youth sponsorship.” An entire department dedicated to ensuring the success of your school-age child.
Concerning PCS-ing, Scheese offers the following advice. “Before you PCS, connect with the SL at your current location. The sending SL will make sure you have everything you need before you leave and can identify any potential issues. The SL will also provide a warm hand-off to the SL at the new location.” Adding that, “The Youth Sponsorship Program can connect your teen to a youth sponsor at your new location.” When moving to a new place and all boxes packed, Scheese recommends parents hand carry school records, vaccination records, birth certificates and any additional school related documentation such as IEPs or 504s.
Year round, the SL Department hosts a variety of in-person events and webinars and partners with local government and non-governmental programs to provide and deepen knowledge to ensure your child’s success while in school. As Fall quickly approaches, Scheese adds, “SLs support the Partnerships in Education (PIE) program. It kicks off at the beginning of each school year. Commands can partner with a local school and volunteer to support the school children. SLs work with the installation volunteers and command volunteer coordinators to encourage in-school volunteering. Interested Sailors or commands can contact their local SL to find out how they can be part of the PIE program.”
The SL Department is incredibly useful not only for the future but for the present. In an ever-evolving life with the Navy, it is imperative to know the information before needing it rather than needing the information and not knowing it. The SL can help with that.
You can find your local School Liasion on thier webpage at Navylifepnw.com, installation, under Child & Youth.
