A military child can move six to nine times before high school graduation, and every move can quietly erase a piece of learning. Lindsay and Bruce wanted to understand what happens after the boxes are unpacked and the new school year starts, when the curriculum doesn’t match, the gaps pile up, and families are expected to “just adjust.”

We’re joined by Dr. Gretchen McIntosh, CEO of Children of Valor, and Jamie Bando, Director of Valor Tutoring, to talk through a simple, powerful idea: in-person tutoring that moves with the student. Children of Valor is a national nonprofit headquartered in Dublin and they support military-connected students across the country with individualized, one-on-one help. We dig into how military moves create missed building blocks and why having an expert in your corner can change the whole tone of a school partnership.

Jamie also breaks down what makes Valor Tutoring different: starting with a formative assessment, targeting specific standards, and embedding executive functioning skills and financial literacy into every session.

It is a new school year after all, so we had to ask some questions, for any family, about the best and most practical ways to start a new year in the right direction.

If you care about military families, this one will stick with you. Subscribe, share this conversation with a parent or educator, and leave a review so more listeners can find it.