Kids’ online school supplies can get expensive. These military resources can help.
Melody Marino, 16, a student at Spangdahlem Air Base High School virtually attends a math class from her home in Arenrath, Germany, April 20. (Senior Airman Valerie Seelye/Air Force)
When U.S. schools made the switch to remote learning in the spring, parents everywhere had to scramble to manage their own time and resources to help their kids learn.
For some military families, that meant buying new computers or tablets, or even paying for better internet speed to support online school work, Military.com reports.
It all adds up.
The good news is some service branches are poised to help.
Earlier this summer, Army Emergency Relief began a financial assistance program that provided up to $500 to help with the cost of supplies for K-12 students. In late July, AER removed the $500 cap, bumping it to $1,500 with special consideration for requests more than that amount. Assistance is available as a grant, zero-interest loan a combination of both, according to the AER website.
The program is retroactive to March, when most schools shifted from in-person to online classes, and also covers families who home-school their children (in the traditional sense). Examples of items that qualify under this program are pens, paper, computers, tablets and software.
All of the organization’s new coronavirus-related programs will exist at least until the end of 2020, AER’s director, retired Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Mason, told Military Families Magazine.
“We know that many Army families have been financially impacted by COVID-19, whether through a spouse’s job loss, the soldier’s inability to train or travel, and more,” Mason has said. “We also know that many are having to pursue alternative learning arrangements for their children, who may have been affected by the closure of schools nationwide. We enacted these new remote learning benefits in response to that need.”
The Coast Guard is also helping its families with the cost of items purchased for K-12 online learning between Aug. 1 and Nov. 1 though items such as computers, tablets, and Chromebooks that have been purchased since February may also qualify for reimbursement, according to the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance website.
To date, CGMA has provided more than $899,000 in COVID-19 related assistance to 1,365 clients. The school-related grants are $500 each.
While the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society does not have a particular loan or grant program for educational resources, it is offering financial assistance for COVID-related needs.
The Air Force Aid Society is considering creating a similar program, its CEO, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John Hopper Jr., told Military.com.
“Although to date we have not received any requests for this specific type of support, we have completed an informal survey at several of our bases and shaped the broad outlines of what a specific program will look like,” he said.
The AFAS did not respond to The Spouse Angle’s request for an update to this plan by this article’s publication.