McCormick Institute for Early Childhood

BY Military Child Education Coalition (guest author) | April 28, 2015

This document may be printed, photocopied, and disseminated freely with attribution. All content is the property of the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership.

Editor’s Note: Sometimes aspects of early childhood education are neglected. This guest blog post, written by the Military Child Education Coalition, addresses tips and resources that providers and parents can use in caring for military and veteran connected children. A strong social and emotional foundation provides the basis for establishing and maintaining positive relationships. 


Transitions are a normal part of life for military and veteran-connected children. Some transitions are due to mobility, while others involve physical separation from a parent or family member for various lengths of time. With the return of the service member to the family, a time of readjustment and reconnecting occurs. Parents can support a young child’s ability to adapt to the reestablishment of routine, roles, and relationships by keeping a few tips in mind. 


  1. Know what to expect with developmental milestones of young children
    Children change rapidly and differ when accomplishing developmental milestones. They also arrive to this world with temperaments all their own. Some infants are sensitive to physical changes in their environment and respond with increased fussiness and crying. Some will show increased disinterest in eating and will display clinginess. Some children temporarily regress in developmental milestones during family adjustments. Educate yourself on typical developmental milestones so that your expectations are realistic. It is easy to become frustrated when a parent expects something that is not within a child’s ability. Also keep in mind that each child is different and may react differently to situations.
    More information: Foundation for Child Development
  2.  Routine and Predictability
    Experts in child development and child psychology tell us time and again that children thrive on routine and predictability. The more that families can reestablish and maintain daily routines, the more secure a child will feel.
    More information:     Coping with Change: Young Children in Military Families Find Comfort with the Familiar
  3.  Talk and Listen – with your eyes, your heart, and your ears
    Use simple language to answer questions. Remember that infants and toddlers don’t always have the language capabilities to express their range of emotions, but will often express how they are feeling in other ways.
    More information:     The Future of Children 
  4. Roles and responsibilities
    During the time that the service member is deployed, the roles and responsibilities of family members morph and adjust as needed. Some of the care of young children might be delegated to an older sibling or another caring adult, such as a babysitter. When the service member returns, the roles and responsibilities often shift back, which can leave young children feeling unsure and emotionally unbalanced. Clearly articulating roles and responsibilities of the returning parent in simple language will help a young child feel more confident in the reestablished family environment.
    More information:     Returning home: What we know about the reintegration of deployed service members into their families and communities 
  5. Strengthen parent/child relationship
    The relationship between the returning parent and a young child can be accomplished with increased positive coping strategies. Family fun times like going to the park, playing a game of the child’s choosing, or reading bedtime stories will support the reestablishment of parent/child bonds.
    More information:     Strong Families, Strong Forces: A Home-Based Intervention for Military Families with Young Children 
  6. Flexibility
    A family’s plan for reintegration may change dramatically as things and events may not turn out exactly as envisioned. The family will be miles ahead if plans can be abandoned when needed.
    More information:     Tips for Helping a Child after Deployment 
  7. Patience
    Full reintegration simply takes time. Children will bond with the returning parent in a time frame that is just right for that particular child.
    More information:     Building Resilience in Young Military Children 
  8. Stay connected during the time of separation
    Use all forms of media – Skype, FaceTime, email, text, videos, artwork, writing samples, and other forms of documentation to show concrete and meaningful changes in the young child.
    More information:     Provider-Parent Relationships: 7 Keys to Good Communication 
  9. Positive coping
    Young children respond to the emotional stresses of the adults in their world. Although short-term stresses can provide an opportunity for increased problem-solving, long-term stresses can have a detrimental effect on a young child’s cognitive and behavioral development. Parents will serve their young children well by taking care of themselves when engaging in positive coping strategies.
    More information:     Stress in Young Children from Military Families 

< Older Post

Newer Post >

The AI-Enabled Administrator: Reclaim Valuable Time

By Dr. Neal Green • February 8, 2026
Tools: Gemini Gems, NotebookLM, Perplexity Spaces Overview The evidence is clear that early childhood professionals' most significant challenge is a lack of time. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, when used strategically, can give administrators some of the time they desperately need, allowing them to focus more on their staff and the children and families in their care. This approach aligns with the foundational goal of strengthening leadership effectiveness and program impact (Abel, Talan, & Masterson, 2023). When I scan the AI landscape of available products and platforms, it becomes overwhelming. There are so many options that it is impossible to keep up with every new development. Focusing on a limited number of AI tools backed by organizations with strong infrastructure and fiscal stability is a wise place to start your AI journey. McCormick Institute for Early Childhood’s (MIEC’s) upcoming professional development sessions will focus on three AI tools. These include Gemini Gems, NotebookLM, and Perplexity Spaces. Think of Gemini Gems as your customized AI assistant that you "train" to follow your rules and meet your goals. Gemini Gems are the right tool to tackle Internal Operations . NotebookLM is perfect for creating Family Support resources that stick. NotebookLM is a powerful AI tool that uses only the documents or other resources you add to generate specific, focused output. Perplexity Spaces is a fantastic choice to address Marketing demands. Like many AI tools, you can toggle back and forth between open web searches and focused documents that are specific to your work. Gemini Gems: The “Specialist Teammate” Gemini Gems allow you to create templates you can use repeatedly for agendas, HR policies, and more. If you have used AI in the past, you know that writing an effective prompt takes time, and they can easily get "lost" if you use AI often. Gems removes that challenge and lets you save your most effective prompts without having to rewrite them every time you use Gemini. It is up to you to decide if you want to create several smaller Gems to tackle common challenges you face or create larger Gems that encompass large swaths of your work. For our purposes, we will focus our Gem work on Internal Operations, addressing Program Administration Scale (PAS) Item 9: Internal Communications (Talan & Bloom, 2011). Imagine using a Gem to turn messy staff meeting notes into professional minutes with clear action plans in minutes or less! NotebookLM: The "Walled Garden" NotebookLM is an excellent tool for Family Support for your center, addressing PAS Item 17: Family Support and Involvement (Talan & Bloom, 2011). After uploading documents and resources, such as your parent handbook or community referral lists, to your Notebook, you can create several resources that parents/guardians of your center students will love. Just a few of the impressive features available with NotebookLM include audio (podcast) summaries, video summaries, and reporting functions with templates or the option to create your own report with metrics that matter most to you. Perplexity Spaces: The "Research Librarian" Perplexity Spaces is a perfect AI partner for Marketing your early childhood education (ECE) program, addressing PAS Item 18: External Communications (Talan & Bloom, 2011). You can build your own centralized repository, with control over branding to ensure consistency and present a professional, current image. Adding specific instructions to your space eliminates the need to format documents constantly and saves valuable time. The consistency that a Perplexity Space offers in this regard allows you to upload messages that are the "voice” of your brand. Your marketing efforts are not only more aesthetically pleasing but also enable you to track trends at similar centers in your area, helping you assess the competition. Strategies for Success: Audit your Internal Communications: Identify one repetitive task, such as creating staff meeting agendas (PAS Item 9), and automate it with a Gemini Gem. Curate your Family Resources: Gather three to five existing documents to "feed" a NotebookLM project for more responsive family support (PAS Item 17). Standardize your Brand: Use a Perplexity Space to ensure all public relations tools project a consistent, professional image (PAS Item 18). Reflection Questions: Which administrative task takes the most time away from your interactions with staff and families? How might centralizing marketing materials (branding) impact the professional image to prospective families? Table 1: AI Tools for ECE Professionals
Show More