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Cannon hosts STOMP workshop

  • Published
  • By Desiree Ann Montenegro
  • 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The Air Force received funding to provide Specialized Training of Military Parents classes at different installations in the Exceptional Family Member Program arena. Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., was privileged to be one of the military installations to be awarded this training.

The STOMP workshop was held May 7 and 8 at Cannon and is the official national parent training and information resource for military families, they provide support and advice to military parents of children with a wide range of special needs.

Parents of children with special needs face many challenges including, feelings of isolation, anxiety, and difficulty navigating available services, and inadequate information. Being in the military can compound those challenges even further, because connections made often need to be rebuilt when a family moves. Considering these difficulties was a priority in the design of the workshop at Cannon.

Military spouses and parents of children with special needs provided their knowledge and experiences to inspire and motivate all those in attendance.

A unique aspect of Cannon's STOMP workshop is that it was designed for parents, educators and service members who work with children with varied special needs.

"Since budget constraints on professional development are happening at all levels, I thought this would be a great opportunity to open the workshop up to anyone who works with special needs," said Laura Serrano, 27th Special Operations Force Support Squadron school liaison officer.

Information training was a key element in the workshop. Parent-directed training helped to provide participants with knowledge of disability laws, regulations and resources. As a result, knowledge of basic disability law equipped parents, educators and service members with the informed capacity to act on a child's behalf, thus empowering them to advocate for them.

"Families need emotional support to learn how to make informed decisions; identify and prioritize issues; and interpret procedures, safeguards, laws, and regulations that relate to students with disabilities," said Serrano.

A parent can be a child's best advocate because they know their child better than anyone!

For more information about the STOMP workshop, contact the Airman & Family Readiness Center at 575-784-4228, email the base school liaison officer, or visit the official STOMP website.