Mentoring for Military Kids and Families

Mentoring for military kids works best when the mentor does not change every time the family does. Because sessions are by video and scheduled in your local time zone, a military-connected teen or young adult can keep one dedicated mentor through a move, a deployment and a new school, with weekly goals, text and phone contact between sessions, and regular updates for parents.

Why moves are hard on school-age kids

Military-connected students often change schools several times before graduation. Each move resets more than an address:

A new schedule and new rules. Course sequences, graduation requirements and grading policies differ from state to state and school to school.
Records that lag behind. Transcripts, test scores and support plans do not always arrive when the student does.
Lost roles. Team spots, club leadership and friendships built over a year or two can disappear in a week.
A changed household. One parent may be deployed or away for training while the other runs the move alone.

For the paperwork side of a move, see our guide to military kids changing schools.

How video mentoring keeps one mentor through a move

Mentoring is offered by video anywhere in the United States, so new orders inside the US do not end the relationship. Here is how sessions usually follow the move:

Before the move. The mentor helps the student list records to collect, goodbyes to make and questions for the new school.
Packing and travel. Sessions get shorter, with quick texts to keep the routine alive from a hotel or a relative’s house.
The first weeks at the new school. The focus shifts to the new schedule, emailing each teacher, checking the grade portal and finding one activity to join.
Settling in. The student returns to longer goals: grades, a job, college planning or independence.
The next set of orders. The mentor already knows the student, so the next transition does not start from zero.

School transitions military-connected teens face

Arriving mid-semester and joining classes that are weeks ahead or behind. Our guide to switching schools mid-year covers the basics.
Credits that do not line up, such as a state history course the old school never offered.
Placement questions for honors, AP, IB or gifted programs.
Missing sports tryouts or club elections that happened before arrival.
A move during junior or senior year, when graduation and college applications are on the line.
Transferring an IEP or 504 plan. See our IEP and 504 plan guide.

The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which all 50 states and DC have joined, addresses many of these issues in public schools. Someone still has to follow up.

Working alongside school liaisons and counselors

Many installations have a school liaison who helps families understand local schools and the compact. The school counselor at the new school handles the schedule, credits and graduation plan. A mentor does not replace either one, and does not make placement decisions or speak for the family in special education meetings.

What a mentor can do, with the family’s permission:

Help the student write down questions before meeting the counselor or liaison, then follow up on the answers each week.
Share progress updates with parents and, when the family wants it, with the counselor or other professionals already involved.
Track open items, like a missing transcript, while the family unpacks.
Coach the student to speak for themselves. Our guide to teen self-advocacy explains why that matters.

Deployments and the home front

A deployment changes routines at home even when no one moves. A teen may worry quietly or let schoolwork slide. A mentor is a steady weekly contact who keeps goals moving and gives the parent at home one less thing to manage.

If a teen shows signs of persistent low mood, anxiety, withdrawal or substance use, a licensed professional is the right step, and families can ask their installation or health plan about counseling options. In a crisis, call or text 988. Service members, veterans and their families can press 1 to reach the military and veterans line.

Where a mentor helps

What usually slips in a move is the weekly follow-through for the student: the planner, the teacher emails, the college steps and the habits that disappear in a move. Through video mentoring, one mentor carries those through every change. Mentoring fits high school students, with a parent or guardian always involved, as well as college students and young adults whose family is stationed far away. In Los Angeles, sessions can also be in person. More guides live in our education guides.

How a family gets started

Take a short assessment. Tell us about the student or yourself and the goals. It takes about five minutes.
Have a free intro call. Our team reviews it personally and sets up a short call.
Meet the mentor. We match each person with a mentor whose experience and style fit.
Start the plan. 30 or 60 minute video sessions on a weekly or monthly plan, scheduled in your local time.

Common questions

Can my teen keep the same mentor if we move?

Yes, as long as you are moving within the United States. Sessions are by video and scheduled in your new local time zone, so the mentor stays the same.

Will the mentor talk with the school or the school liaison?

Only with your permission. Most coordination runs through the student and parents, and the mentor helps the student prepare for and follow up on those conversations.

What if one parent is deployed?

Parent updates can go to whichever parent or guardian is managing day to day, and to a deployed parent too when the family wants that.

Is this tutoring?

No. Mentors do not teach subjects. They help with planning, follow-through and habits. See mentor vs tutor.

Get started

Want one steady mentor who stays through the next move? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.

Mentoring for Military Families: Continuity Through Every Move