Welcome to the 360 Military Family Center

The 360 Military Family Center was developed due to the high military presence within the state of Washington. The 360 Military Family Center will serve military families with developmental disabilities who are assigned or connected with Fort Lewis Army Installation and McChord AFB.This was an ideal location for a 360 program because Washington ranks 7TH in the level of states impacted by the military. Fort Lewis and McChord have a high representation of EFMP (exceptional family member program). Fort Lewis actually has the highest EFMP enrollment per capita of the Army. Currently, there are 4,442 EFMP family members and over of these are between the ages of birth and 25. The 360 Military Family Center will target two groups of parents; those who have been in the military two years or less and those who are junior enlisted (E-1-E-4). The Center (for short) will concentrate on three major areas; 1) health care and mental care, 2) early intervention and 3) special education. The purpose of the Center is to work along side the families and programs on the Installation and off the Installation to provide families with the tools and resources needed for their child to get the services they need. Along with the health care, mental health, early intervention, and special education, the Center will provide up to 15 hours a month respite care. That will be on a limited basis and done after a family needs assessment.

The overall goal of the Center is to provide an overarching approach to meeting the needs of the identified families. To achieve the goal there are activities, which will be done in a timely manner. It is a 5-year grant that will enable this generation to have the tools and resources already in place for future generations to use. The Center is based upon peer to peer support and training. The parents of the child will be in the driver’s seat in the decision making process. They will be making the decisions and determining which programs are needed and direction they wish to take. As a parent; they know what is best for their child; they understand the wants, needs, strengths, and weaknesses of their child better than anyone. The Center will assist the parents to ensure their child receives the best services possible. The Center is not to replace any existing programs but to augment activities these programs provide. This will better equip families with the necessary tools and resources so they can make the right choice for them and their children.

The 360 Military Family Center will have three people on staff: The Center Coordinator and two Navigators. They are responsible for meeting potential families and completing the family needs assessment to determine what resources will address family concerns. This will include development of an IFP for the 20 identified families as well as referral of those other families to community resources. The Navigators will meet with the families who have an IFP quarterly to evaluate the success of that and determine if changes need to be made.

The Center Coordinator will be responsible for the community survey, meeting with the collaborating programs and developing MOU’s. The Coordinator will be responsible for developing outreach and awareness materials for distribution through collaborating programs and other entities. The Coordinator will oversee the Navigators in their assessment of family needs and the development of the IFP. The three staff will work closely together with collaborating programs to ensure the success of the 360 Center program.

We have two areas of resources for you: