Tutoring program helps fill educational gaps for children of military families

“Seeing the need that existed, we were able to create this program to capture families that were otherwise left out of currently available supports,” said Andrea Smith.

With a background as an educator and guidance counsellor at a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) school in the Netherlands, Andrea Smith, Senior Manager, CFMWS Guidance Counsellor Program, knew the kinds of educational gaps linked to CAF children’s frequent moves. She developed a program that would assist parents in paying for tutoring for their children, to help them catch up to their peers in each new posting.  

“Seeing the need that existed, we were able to create this program to capture families that were otherwise left out of currently available supports,” she said.  

In 2023, the first year of the Support Our Troops Tutoring Program, 45 out of the 50 available bursaries were filled. The program opened in September of 2023, offering $1000 to each eligible child from kindergarten to grade 12.  

One family, Andrea said, was spending $60,000 out of pocket per year to support the education of their child with special needs. The $1000 grant went toward relieving some of that burden.  

Here’s what another family said about the impact of the Tutoring Program:  

“As a military family, we had to move several times in the last few years (Quebec, N-B, Ontario, Africa, Alberta). These moves have created some unfortunate issues for our son’s education, specifically in Mathematics and English Language (our son’s 2nd language). We just arrived in Alberta last July (2023) from a two-year posting OUTCAN and with the previous school teacher’s support, we decided to have our son repeat the 5th grade, due to the lack of grade level skills and understanding. Our son is currently being followed by a Neuropsychologist for assessment and he has been diagnosed with learning disorders and ADHD. The funds allocated to our son for tutoring are of great help and assistance to him and will allow us to give him better tools that he needs to successfully complete his school year.” 

As the first year of the program comes to a close (families must submit expenses by March 2024), Andrea is hopeful that the Tutoring Program will continue to, “fill the gaps and serve military parents and children in need.” 

To find out more about the tutoring program, check the official webpage.