Military Family Resources

PUSD Purple Star Schools

Several PUSD schools have earned the California Purple Star designation for their commitment to military families.

• Chaparral Elementary School
• Creekside Elementary School
• Midland Elementary School
• Sunset Hills Elementary School
• Bernardo Heights Middle School
• Black Mountain Middle School
• Twin Peaks Middle School
• Mt. Carmel High School

Expanded Cal Grant and MCS Eligibility

Effective January 27, 2026: SB 67 and AB 88 expanded eligibility for the Cal Grant and Middle Class Scholarship (MCS). Dependents of U.S. Armed Services members no longer need to be California residents at the time of high school graduation if the service member maintains California as their state of legal residence.

Resources for Military Families

PUSD Resources

• After & Before School Education & Safety (ASES) Program, Grades 6-8
• Alternative Education (Home-Hospital, Home Schooling, OCIS, Teen Parent)
• Annual Holiday Calendar
• Canvas (Learning Management System)
• Extended Student Services (ESS), Grades TK-5 - see ESS Enrollment Prioritization Criteria
• MyPlan (Parent Portal, view grades and applications)
• New Student Enrollment — Military families may use PCS Orders as Proof of Residency
• Password Reset
• Special Education
• Preschool
• School Busing and Transportation
• School Lunch Information
• Technology Assistance

Community Resources for Military Families

Child Care Resources

• Child Development Programs, San Diego Metro Fleet and Family Readiness
• MilitaryChildCare.com
• Neighborhood House Association
• San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) MCCYN-PLUS initiative
• YMCA Childcare Resource Service

Children With Special Needs

• Marine Corps Exceptional Family Member Program - San Diego
• Marine Corps Exceptional Family Member Program - Miramar

General Resources

• Suggested Checklist for School Moves
• BrightLife Kids
• Courage to Call, 24/7 Helpline (877) 698-7838
• Department of Defense Education Activity - Operates school worldwide for the children of Department of Defense military and civilian families.
• Deployment Supports
• Financial Management for Military Families - Financial planning assistance at no expense to Military families.
• Fleet and Family Support Center
• FOCUS (Families OverComing Under Stress) - Provides resiliency training for Marine and Sailors families facing the challenge of a family member’s deployment.
• Liason email: Navy and Marine Corps
• Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Legal Services and Navy-Region Legal Service Office-Southwest - Provides legal support to active duty, reserve, and retired military personnel and their families.
• Marine Corps Community Services Miramar - Links for newsworthy items like ALMARS and MARADMINS.
• MCB Camp Pendleton Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) - Assists Active Duty Service Members in managing the dual demands of a military career and having a family member with special needs, whether medical, emotional or educational.
• ALNAVS and NAVADMINS
• MCB Camp Pendleton EFMP Exceptional Family Member Program - (EFMP) assists Active Duty Service Members in managing the dual demands of a military career and having a family member with special needs, whether medical, emotional or educational.
• MCCS Camp Pendleton School Liaison Office
• Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) - 501(c)(3) non-profit, world-wide organization, whose work is focused on ensuring quality educational opportunities for all military children affected by mobility, family separation, and transition.
• Military Family Support Center
• Military Kids Connect
• Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission - (MIC3) ensures that the children of military families are afforded the same opportunities for educational success as other children and are not penalized or delayed in achieving their educational goals by inflexible administrative and bureaucratic practices.
• Military Impacted Schools Association (MISA) - National organization of school superintendents. Their mission is to serve school districts with a high concentration of military children.
• Military Installations - Search for program or service needed.
• MilitaryOneSource - Around‑the‑clock toll‑free and online support delivering information, referrals, and readiness and family programs, particularly benefiting families far from installation services.
• My Military Life - App that guides families through topics such as going back to school, planning for a deployment or transitioning out of the military, etc.
• Operation Bigs - (619) 218-3335
• Operation Homefront - Non-profit organization providing a hand up to military families in their time of need.
• San Diego Armed Services YMCA
• San Diego County Office of Education - Military Students and Family Support
• San Diego Military Family Collaborative - Great resources, information and free events available to military families. Visit their calendar here to view upcoming events.
• SAY San Diego (Social Advocates for Youth)
• Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
• Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families - Provides help from professional tutors anytime you need it, for FREE. Tutors are online 24/7 and eligible military families in the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force can take advantage of this military family program to get help with more than 16 subjects.
• United Through Reading Military Program - Great opportunity for families separated by deployment.
• U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps - Provides legal assistance on a variety of topics, including pre-deployment services.
• Virtual Clinical Counseling - Clinical counseling services are free of charge to active-duty personnel and family members. No referral needed.

Contact Information