The child of a
military serviceman or woman spends months or years apart from a parent who’s
serving the country. In order to lessen the burden that military families bear,
there are military
dependent scholarships available to children of service members — and
educational assistance isn’t limited to college-age students either. If your
child has a parent in the military, take advantage of the resources available
to get your child the best education.
G.I. Bill
If you or your spouse has served at least 10 years in the
military, you can transfer some or all of your G.I. Bill benefits to your
dependent children. Remember that children are still considered dependent until
the age of 26 if they remain unwed and are enrolled full-time in higher
education.
Students must be at least 18 and have completed high school
or earned a GED before they can take advantage of their parent’s G.I. Bill
benefits. The serviceman or woman is essentially sharing the benefits; they can
either use some of the benefits for themselves or for a spouse and some for the
child, or they can give all of the benefits to the child. The parent does not
have to be on active duty for the child to be eligible.
Army Emergency Relief
The Army Emergency Relief Dependent Children Scholarship is
a need-based program; however, the parent need not be on active duty for the
child to qualify. The child must be at least 18, unwed, and enrolled in an undergraduate
program, an associate program or an accreditation program. If the child gets
married after receiving the benefits but before the school year for which the
benefits were awarded ends, he/she may lose the benefits.
The Army Emergency Relief program is also open to children
of deceased members of the military, whether or not they died while on active
duty. The child must maintain a 2.0 GPA or better while receiving the benefits.
Private Scholarships
Individual institutions and private organizations alike
provide financial assistance for children of active servicemen and women, as
well as children of veterans and deceased servicemen and women. Contact the
office of student financial planning at the school of your choice to discuss
your options.
Financial counselors at your school may also be able to
direct you to nationally based scholarships, such as the Folds of Honor
Foundation and the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. These organizations
specialize in providing scholarships to children of servicemen and women
wounded or killed while on active duty. Active-duty military parents may also
qualify students for scholarships provided by organizations such as the
ThanksUSA program.
Tutoring
If your child is still in elementary, middle or high school,
you might not yet be concerned with college scholarships, especially if your
child is struggling. Tutoring can help. Many schools provide free tutoring, but
professional tutoring centers that can give your child the kind of intense,
one-on-one education they may need to succeed often provide free or discounted
tutoring to military families. This tutoring can take place either at the
tutoring center or even online, via video chats and interactive online lessons.
You may already be overwhelmed with your service or your
spouse’s service, so if your child is struggling in school, don’t be afraid to
take advantage of professionals who are willing to help you at no charge or at
little cost. Foundations such as the DoD MWR Library Program, the Navy General
Library Program, the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program and the Army General
Library Program work together to sponsor children of military families via
these tutoring centers.
Remember, both the military and private organizations are
willing to help dependents of military servicemen and women, so be sure to take
advantage of this assistance for your child. The assistance isn’t limited to
higher education scholarships, so even if your children are years away from
college there are resources available, all you have to do is apply.
About the Author:
Aubrey Fooks is a contributing writer and former military brat. She currently
works in the office of student financial planning at a state university.
