UTSA Center for the Well-Being of Military Families provides community services

(Nov. 13, 2014) -- The UTSA Center for the Well-Being of Military Children and Families in the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD), which opened earlier this year, is moving forward on several initiatives that will provide support to military families in the San Antonio area, as well as the educators who teach children from these families.
Often faced with many transitions because of deployments or moves, children in military families have special needs when it comes to curriculum and instruction, says Mercedes Zamudio, director of the center. Because San Antonio has such a large military community, the center will play a key role in meeting needs within the area.
"The military has its own unique culture, and San Antonio is known as Military City, USA," Zamudio said. "The military contributes greatly to our San Antonio culture and our economy, so we really want to do what we can to help our military children and families thrive and assist them with all the transitions that they go through on a daily basis."
Some of the challenges children in military families face include differences in curriculum after moves, difficulty leaving friends, and facing separation from their parents during deployments. All of these things can affect children's performance in school. The center trains students in the UTSA COEHD to develop curriculum and best practices for this population of students.
The center has created partnerships between the COEHD, the San Antonio military community, local agencies, organizations and institutions. Additionally, it continues to work closely with local school districts.
The center, along with the COEHD Department of Counseling is placing student interns in school districts with large military populations. Student counselors develop support groups for students and offer individual counseling to students, as it is needed.
As UTSA advances toward Tier One recognition, the university continues to focus on several priorities, including community outreach. The center's services align with that vision by partnering with these organizations to establish a clearinghouse within the community to address different needs.
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For more information, visit the UTSA Center for Well-being of Military Families website.
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