School Liaison

School Liaison: Miranda Chapman

When it's time to relocate, the School Liaison is here to help the transition go as smoothly as possible for your children. With Navy families moving every three years on average, a student can attend up to nine different schools by graduation. Our School Liaison (SL) helps families with children in Kindergarten through 12th grade and assists with everything from school registration and homeschool support, to meeting graduation requirements. Getting in contact with the School Liaison as soon as possible will eliminate much of the guesswork for you as a parent. 

What is a School Liaison?

School Liaisons are located at each installation and are the main contact for miltiary families, local school systems, and installation leadership for school-related matters K through 12th grade. School Liaisons are experienced professionals who support, advise, and build partnerships with the civilian and military community to help address common education challenges of military families. 

Who is eligible for School Liaison support?

School Liaison Program support is open to all DoW ID cardholders, educators who service military students and community partners involved with K-12 education. Support is available to all uniformed services, including National Guard and reserves, those in geographically separated units, the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and the uniformed members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

What types of support do School Liaisons offer? 

School Liaisons offer a wide variety of support to ensure the best possible education for military-connected students. 

Services include: 

• Transition support - including assistance with local school options, transfer of credits, youth sponsorship referrals, and more
• Nontraditional schooling options, including home-schooling
• Special education support and referrals
• Deployment support
• College, career, and military readiness
• Parent and educator workshops
• Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission, or MIC3, compliance

Educators: 

Contact your School Liaison for support with: 

• Military family resources
• Staff development on military culture
• Building partnerships in education
• Deployment support strategies
• Guidance and information on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children

There are many public and private schools in the local area that service the military families at Naval Submarine Base New London. If you choose to live on base, the majority of government housing is within the Groton School District. If you choose to live off base, the public school your child/children will attend is primarily determined by where you choose to reside within the community. In the local area, there are multiple cities and towns that are withing commuting distance of Naval Submarine Base New London. 

Public School Information

Connecticut: 

Rhode Island:   Westerly       Chariho

Magnet Schools

There are several districts that offer inter-district and intra-district magnet schools. For intra-district magnet schools, please visit you local school district website via the above link. 

LEARN, the local Regional Education Service Center, manages several schools across multiple disciplines. 
LEARN Magnet Schools: 

The Friendship School (PK-K)
Regional Multicultural Magnet School (1-6)
Marine Science Magnet High School (9-12) 

Other Magnet Schools: 

Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School (K-5)
Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School (K-5)
C.B. Jennings International Elementary Magnet
Bennie Dover Jackson Multi-Magnet Middle School Campus
New London High School Multi-Magnet Campus

Charter Schools

Integrated Day Charter School (PK-8)
The Interdistrict School for Arts and Communication (ISAAC) (4-8)

Career & Technology Centers

Connecticut: 
Ella T Grasso Southeatern Technical High School 
Norwich Technical High School 

Rhode Island:
Chariho Career and Technical Center

Enrollment/Registration

Each school district has its own process and forms for registration. Registration may occur at the individual school or at a centralized location for the district. Please contact the school district or the School Liaison for the location of registration. In order to register, all school districts will require: 

1. Birth Certificate
2. Proof of Residency (some districts require multiple proofs)
3. Current physical on state form
   1. K-12th Grade Physical 
   2. PK Physical Form
4. ​Current immunization record

Please find specific enrollment/registration information for your specific district at the links above. If you have difficulty identifying where the registration information is listed, please contact the district or the School Liaison for assistance. 

Private School Information

There are many private school options in the Southeastern Connecticut area. The following is a list of local private school options in New London County. Please note this may not be a comprehensive list of all your options. 

Sacred Heart School (PK-8)
Montessori Discovery School (PK-6)
St. Joseph New London (K-8)
Pine Point School (PK-9)
St. Michael School (K-8)
North Stonington Christian Academy (PK-12)
Wildwood Christian School (PK-8)
St. Patrick Cathedral School (PK-8)
The Williams School (7-12)
St. Bernard High School (6-12)
Academy of the Holy Family (9-12, female)
St. Thomas More School (8-12, co-ed)
Norwich Free Academy (9-12)
St. Joseph Baltic (PK-8)

To explore these or additional private educational opportunities, please visit: Private School Review or National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Home School Information

Many parents chose to provide their child's education outside of the public school system. Homeschooling regulation varies by state. Information on home schooling in Connecticut and Rhode Island can be found at: 

Connecticut: 
Homeschooling in Connecticut
Connecticut Home School Network

Rhode Island 
RIDE FAQs about homeschooling
Homeschooling in Rhode Island 

Home School Central 
www.homeschoolcentral.com

Home School Legal Defense Association
https://hslda.org

K-12 Special Needs 

SUBASE New London offers multiple support options for families with special needs students.  In addition to the School Liaison and the EFMP Liaison, SUBASE has its own Command-supported EFM Community Support Group.  The EFMCSG hosts events and provides support via their Facebook page. To join the Facebook group, please search “Subase New London EFM Community Support Group” and request to join.

Parents of special needs students can connect with the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC), 1-800-445-2722 and Connecticut Community Parent Resource Center (CPRC), 860-548-9959.

Special Ed Connection
A free web-based resource available to Navy families, provides resources and tools that enable families to better understand special education requirements and available services at www.SpecialEdConnection.com.  Please contact your local School Liaison for login access.

Military OneSource
Offers assistance to families with special needs family members at their website.
https://www.militaryonesource.mil/

Specialized Training of Military Parents (STOMP)
https://wapave.org

Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMPCL) Case Liaisons are located at Fleet and Family Support Centers and provide information and referral to help EFM families identify and access appropriate military, national and community resources. They assist in the navigation of EFMP related programs and systems and are responsible for:

• Provision of information, referral and systems navigation to special needs families 
• Linking families with available military, national, and local community resources
• Non-medical case management
• Development and maintenance of Individualized Service Plans (ISP)
• Partner with Military Treatment Facility (MTF) Coordinators to provide information, education, and marketing 

To contact the EFMPCL and SUBASE New London, please call 860-694-4378 or 860-694-2634.

Youth Sponsorship

The Youth Sponsorship program is designed to assist young people in making the transition from one installation to another successfully. It is our goal to help incoming youth adjust and get connected with a youth sponsor at the installation. Youth Sponsors will provide information about area schools, attractions and the surrounding community. This program is created by and for youth with youth involvement in every aspect of the program. If you would like to be connected with a Youth Sponsor, please complete the Youth Sponsor request form and return it to the Youth Center.

Installation Child and Youth Programs

For Information about: Child Development Center | Youth Sponsorship  | School Aged Care  | Youth Center

Please go to https://www.navylifema.com/child-youth for regional information. 

To request care and/or get on the waitlist for military childcare visit https://militarychildcare.com/.

If childcare is not available within CYP or in your area, please explore the Navy’s Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) Fee Assistance Program on https://militarychildcare.com/

Frequently Asked Questions 

• What is the kindergarten age cutoff date? 
  • Must be five by September 1 
     
• Do I have to live in the zone where the school is located to attend? 
  • Yes, but some exceptions exist for magnet and charter schools. 
     
• Do the local schools have talented and gifted programs? 
  • No 
     
• Is there school choice or other school options in the area? 
  • There are magnet and charter schools throughout the area.
     
• ​​What schedule does the local high school follow? 
  • School schedules vary depending on the district. Visit the school district website for their specific school schedule. 

PCS Support

Military School Liaisons (All branches)
https://www.dodea.edu/Partnership/schoolLiaisonofficers.cfm

MIC3 - Military Interstate Children Compact Commission
https://www.mic3.net/

Relocation
https://ffr.cnic.navy.mil/Family-Readiness/Fleet-And-Family-Support-Program/Work-and-Family-Life/Relocation-Assistance/

K-12 and Post-Secondary Academic Support

Tutor.com
No cost, online tutoring and homework help for U.S. Military and their families.
https://www.tutor.com/military 

Khan Academy
A personalized learning resource for all ages.
https://www.khanacademy.org/

Federal Student Aid - FAFSA
https://studentaid.gov/

ACCESS College Foundation
ACCESS Counselors support high school students with post-secondary planning.
https://accesscollege.org/high-school-advisors/

Join Services Scholarship Database
A comprehensive, fully searchable Join Services Scholarship Database for Military Dependents. 
https://www.partners-in-purpose.com/

Military Family Support

Blue Star Families
www.bluestarfam.org

SUBASE New London Fleet and Family Support Center
https://www.navylifenl.com/programs/8e61b96f-4914-44f2-a38d-7be795b8a5ae

Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC)
https://www.militarychild.org/

Military OneSource
https://www.militaryonesource.mil/

National Military Family Association (NMFA)
https://www.militaryfamily.org/

Navy Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS)
https://www.nmcrs.org/

Navy MWR
https://www.navymwr.org/