YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – The 374th Airlift Wing hosted a team of professionals from the Military Interstate Child Compact Commission (MIC3) on May 10, 2023, at Yokota Air Base, Japan, to amplify the educational resources available to service members and their families.

The Compact aims to assist military kids in transitioning from one school district to another due to military moves. During their time at Yokota, they tackled the most common challenges related to eligibility, enrollment, placement, and graduation.

“Really the purpose of the compact is to keep children on track to graduate and ultimately we want to ease the stressors, so families can focus on the mission, and acclimating to where they live pretty quickly.” said MIC3 Executive Director Cherise Imai.

This resource has been adopted by all 50 States and the DoDEA, impacting kids moving back to the U.S. or locations with DoDEA schools.

“We hear from parents that say things like, ‘why didn’t we know about this sooner’ or ‘this could have helped us three years ago’ so we are trying to do a better job at the commission level to get the information out. We can only do this by working together. Whether it’s with the services or school liaisons, we can’t do it alone,” said MIC3 training and operations associate Lindsey Dablow.

Children of active-duty members of the uniformed services, National Guard and Reserve on active-duty orders, commissioned officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), and members or veterans who are medically discharged or retired for one year are eligible for assistance under the Compact. The Compact also covers students of members who perish on active duty following their death.

Parents can contact the Yokota School Liaison Program Manager to inquire about transition assistance for children in the above categories at 225-6980.