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Family Support

The Airman & Family Readiness Center and Exceptional Family Member Program-Family Support Coordinator are available to ensure each family receives comprehensive coordinated family support through the military and/or civilian community.

Relocation

A&FRCs provide incoming and outgoing relocation services to the Total Force, which includes civilian and contract employees who are relocating CONUS or OCONUS.

  • A&FRC provides relocation information that includes medical and educational information, along with related community agency referrals, housing, employment, financial management, moving-with-children skills, and a number of PCS-related topics.
  • One-on-one consultation is available to any Airman, Guardian, civilian, or military family member seeking information to support family members with special needs.

Support Groups

Families need information, as well as support and encouragement, so they can help their EFMs. Through educational meetings along with formal and informal discussions, families can share information, fears, hopes and plans with other families while learning from one another. If no local support group exists for a particular special need, the A&FRC may help facilitate and/or provide facilities and other resources to assist. Contact you EFMP-FS Coordinator for more information.

Military Child Education

Academic standards, promotion and/or graduation requirements, services for children with special needs, eligibility for sports and extracurricular activities, and procedures for transfer and acceptance of records vary greatly from state to state and district to district.

The School Liaison Officer serves as the primary point of contact for school-related matters, including special education preparation. Active duty personnel are encouraged to notify the A&FRC readiness Non-Commissioned Officer, School Liaison Officer, and school personnel of EFMs that may require additional support during deployment or extended TDY.

Recreation

Recreation activities offer many benefits to all individuals, regardless of age, gender, or special needs.

  • Through enjoyable recreation activities, individuals with special needs can gain new skills, learn what behaviors are accepted and learn how to fit in as a member of a group. Sports, crafts, music, dance, clubs, hobbies and many other types of youth programs are offered through installation, school, and community agencies. All services may not be available in all locations.
  • The A&FRC and Youth Programs provide assistance to ensure EFMs have access to installation recreation activities.

Respite Care Programs

The Air Force recognizes that parents with children with special needs need a break, and have partnered with Child Care Aware of America to create a respite child care program for military families. Respite Child Care is designed for active duty Airmen and Guardians who have children enrolled in EFMP and diagnosed with moderate or severe special needs. Respite child care is provided to eligible families at no cost to the family. Eligible families may receive up to 12 hours of respite care per month for each eligible child, up to 18 years old.

  • Active duty Airmen or Guardians enrolled in EFMP Q-coded are eligible.
  • Guard and/or Reserve Airmen or Guardians activated for at least 31 days are eligible.

Respite child care can be accessed through Child Care Aware.

Note: Families eligible to receive respite care at bases where EFMP Respite Care is available are not eligible for this program.

Community Enhancement Programs

Give Parents A Break. This program is intended to help reduce stresses due to the nature of military life: deployments, remote tours of duty, caring for family members with special needs, frequent moves, extended working hours, etc.

  • Families may be referred to this program by Commanders, First Sergeants, Chaplains, medical professionals and A&FRC staff.
  • Certificates are issued for a specified period of time and may be renewed.
  • Child care is provided at most base child development centers and youth centers during specified periods.

Child Care For PCS Program. This program is intended to help relieve some of the stress felt by Air Force families in the process of a PCS move. AFAS will pay for 20 hours of child care, per child, in Air Force-certified Family Child Care homes on base or in Air Force-affiliated homes off base.