The Daily Signal - One Mission: Serve Navy SEALs' Kids With Learning Disabilities

Episode Date: January 24, 2024

Navy SEAL deployments are often long and grueling, and leaving school-age children behind only adds to the challenge, especially if the children are struggling in school.  If a father is “getting ready to go on mission, and there's Timmy failing in second grade, that's all he's going to think about,” says Gretchen McIntosh, the executive director of SEALKIDS.  And for the mothers at home with a husband deployed and a child struggling academically, McIntosh says, Mom is often “stressed out” by the task of meeting the needs of a “child at home that has a learning disability.”  Out of seeing an immense need for additional educational support for many Navy SEAL families, the organization SEALKIDS was born.  “SEALKIDS steps in so that Dad can concentrate on his mission ahead, because we're handling the mission at home,” McIntosh explains.  SEALKIDS not only connects families to tutors and other education resources in their area, but also raises funds to help the families pay for those additional resources.  SEALKIDS is active in 17 states and is serving 390 kids this year, with a focus on helping children with learning disabilities.  McIntosh joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” during National School Choice Week to share the stories of the families the organization has helped and to explain how it hopes to expand its work to serve even more SEAL families.  Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Wednesday, January 24th. I'm Virginia Allen. Navy SEAL deployments are often long and intensive. And when those fathers leave their school-age children behind, that can only add to the challenge, especially if those children are struggling in school. That's where the organization, SEAL Kids, come in. Seal Kids was founded with the mission of serving Navy SEAL families and their children, specifically. specifically children who have learning disabilities. Seal Kids provides those families with tutors and with various education resources so that that child can thrive and so that dad can focus on the mission in the field and mom can feel support at home. The executive director of SEAL Kids, Gretchen McIntosh, joins us on the show today to explain their work and how more Americans can get involved in supporting our Navy SEALs.

Stay tuned for our conversation after this. As conservatives, sometimes it feels like we're constantly on defense against bad ideas. Bad philosophy, revisionist history, junk science, and divisive politics. But here's something I've come to understand. When faced with bad ideas, it's not enough to just defend. If we want to save this country, then it's time to go on offense. Conservative principles are ideas that work. Individual responsibility, strong local communities,

and belief in the American dream. As a former college professor and current president of the Heritage Foundation, my life's mission is to learn, educate, and take action. My podcast, The Kevin Roberts Show, is my opportunity to share that journey with you. I'll be diving into the critical issues that plague our nation,

having deep conversations with high-profile guests, some of whom may surprise you. And I want to ensure freedom for the next generation. Find the Kevin Roberts Show, wherever you get your podcast. It is my pleasure to have with us in studio today, Dr. Gretchen McIntosh, the executive director of SEAL Kids. Thank you so much for being here with us. Oh, my goodness, Virginia.

Thank you for having me. What a joy to be here with you to talk about SEAL Kids today. Yeah, well, two very important things, supporting the children of those that are serving America and supporting them on such a critical issue, the issue of education and really empowering families. So to start, I would love to hear the history of SEALKIA. Seal Kids. How did you all first begin? Oh my gosh. It's so amazing because Seal Kids was actually started by children. So Hunter and Alexandra Vogel were nine and seven when the tragedy of extortion 17 happened. They were living within the Navy SEAL community. Their father was

attached to group two and their mother was an ombudsman. And a lot of their friends lost their dads. Wow. And they wanted to do something to help their friends. A lot of benevolence are focused on the warrior or the operator and sometimes support the spouse. There isn't a lot in the space that supports the children directly. So Hunter and Alexander, they made these little stickers and they sold them outside of the grocery store and they raised $200. And together with their mom, Suzanne. They started at that time. It was called NSW Kids. And that first year, they supported 12 children by helping to pay for tutoring to help overcome that significant moment of challenge in their life. And Seal Kids just started to grow. We recognized a lot of people, a lot of children

needed help outside of school to attend to all different kinds of challenges, right? whether it was the stress and anxiety from dad being deployed to perhaps there was a learning challenge or a learning disability that was really impeding their academic success. And SEAL kids evolved to become national. We're actually active in 17 states. We work with service providers throughout the nation. over about 150 different providers that help us get services directly to the child wherever they live. Our main focus right now is helping children with learning disabilities succeed on their academic path. And so we raise money to pay for families to be able to choose who is helping their child be successful.

So it started in 2011 with 12 children. Last year we served 390. We've served over 1,200 individual children, and we've awarded more than $5 million throughout the years. We do have some significant support from the Navy SEAL benevolent community, mainly Navy SEAL Foundation and SEAL Family Foundation. but the rest of our support comes just from donations, from donations, from great people who are willing to help us serve those that serve. Yeah, it's beautiful.

Thanks. You all have, you have four kind of central programs, is that right? Or sort of pillars? Correct. They're all wrapped up in, it's all academic, but we have traditional academic support, which is our basic grant for tutoring. Specialized needs are those. for children who have a diagnosed learning disability, who need something above and beyond just general tutoring.

So dyslexia therapy, vision therapy. We do testing and evaluation. Sometimes the school can't get the testing resource to the family, to the child in time. You know, Timmy is failing second grade, and nobody knows why. Yeah. And he'll be put on a wait list often for observation

and not be tested in the moment. And so we will pay for that testing so that Timmy can then hopefully get an IEP in school and then we'll pay for the extra resources outside to make sure that he's not going to fail second grade. And then we do quite a bit of advocacy. Children that have a learning disability will have an IEP or individualized education plan within the school system. Sometimes those goals aren't being met in a diligent manner. And we will pay for an education advocate to work with the family. to sit in those IEP meetings and just make sure that everyone's doing what they say they're going to do. Sure.

Right. And it's always helpful, as you know, for a family to have somebody to stand with them when they're navigating the education system. Very much so. Well, as you know, here at the Daily Signal and at the Heritage Foundation, we talk a lot about just the importance of families having a voice within education and getting to look at education options. and say, okay, my child's not thriving here, but there's a school over here where they might thrive and how practical it is to allow, you know, tax dollars to follow a child and for there to be resources that truly serve the child and serve the family. So, you know, if there was a Navy SEAL family who had a situation like that where their child was really, really struggling in school A, but they

felt like they would do much better in school B. Would that be a situation where SEAL kids would step in and say, hey, we're going to help get your child into a school where they can thrive. We don't have that kind of funding capability. That would be amazing. That would be amazing. That's why we're talking here, right? Those listening can get involved. Oh, my goodness.

What we focus on in the term right now is we pay for extra tutoring and interventions outside of the school day kind of as a stopgap. Yeah. Right. For what families are encountering in the school that they're in. Yeah. We have seen amazing things happen when we're able to push some dollars towards families so that they can make choices about their children's education, right?

A real similar alignment. We too are trying to empower families, right, to do what's best for their child regarding education. When a family comes to us, they sign up through the website. And then one of our program specialists will reach out to them. And we normally have several vetted service providers within a area. And they meet with those service providers to determine who's going to be the best fit for their child. And then they put forward a grant request and we review it and we give them as much money as we can to help support those tutoring hours or to pay for the psychoeducational evaluation or to pay for dyslexia therapy. on average, kiddos need about six grand a year in support.

We are not able to meet that full efficacy point, but we try really hard. And it's so difficult because we have so many families who need so much help and who recognize that the current school situation just doesn't have their resources to serve their child appropriately, right? and that they need this additional intervention outside of school in order for their child to not only succeed academically, but as you know, that's the whole like world for the child, right? A lot of times their self-esteem and their confidence comes from how well they do in school. You know, there was a, I think it was 2019 CDC study that children that receive C's and below are at an enormously higher. risk for self-harm. Oh, wow. So a child doing really well in school has all of these implications.

Yeah. And giving parents the opportunity to do what's best for their child. I think it's life-changing, right? For families. And we get the stories back all the time about how important this intervention has been and how magnificent that they can rely on seal kids. right, to bring this additional support. Yeah.

Could you share some of those stories with us? Yeah. I brought one, which, so we have two grant cycles a year. So we receive applications for fall and spring. And normally the parent kind of pours out their heart, right? This is what's going on. We have such amazing tutors and service providers that work with our families, that care for the families that are, excited to see how that they can help, that actually what I'm going to share actually came from

one of the tutors, who knows the child. Wow. And just to clarify, like, all the tutors that we work with, you know, we really spend a lot of time managing that relationship. So we do pre and post assessment for those families. And we do a lot of check-ins to make sure that those are an appropriate fit. So just in case the parent decides mid-cycle, this isn't the right tutor. for my child or this isn't the right therapist, we're able to help them find a better fit.

And you all are working all over the country, right? All over the country. We operate pretty significantly in about 17 states right now. Okay. Wow. Yeah. Well, we'd love to hear this story. Okay, so this came from a tutor.

It was an email to me. And she wrote, Jay is a very bright child who loves to play volleyball and hopes to pursue a career in sports medicine. He's in dire need of additional academic support and intervention for his successful completion of high school and his mental well-being. He's diagnosed with ADHD and narcolepsy, and he struggled with executive functioning and attention and organization. He rapidly falls behind on his work and becomes overwhelmed with makeup tasks and trying to catch up while also absorbing new material. His intellectual abilities are superior. with an IQ of 138 that should qualify him for gifted education services.

However, due to his medical disabilities, he has trouble keeping up with assignments and achieving his potential. He's been in summer school retaking classes for which he performed poorly. He is keenly aware of both of his intellectual potential and the disabling nature of his medical conditions, causing him tremendous despair. His mother reported an attempt to at self-harm last year. She indicates that he begins every school year hoping that this will be a positive experience only to quickly become overwhelmed and hopeless. Wow.

And dad's active duty. Yeah. So dad's not home. Mom's trying to help her child and a lot of challenges. And so they get connected with a tutor. Yes, who helps significantly. This is from last year. So I can report that he has graduated.

and will be going to college. Wow. Yes. Huge. Huge, right, to go from absolute despair to where a child would consider self-harm, right? And the parent not knowing what to do to being connected to someone who knows exactly what to do. Wow. To get that child set on the path to success.

I mean, that has to be so rewarding for you guys and this is what it's all about. I mean, it's literally the best job in the world. Right. My goodness, being able to help little ones and old, right? We always, I like to say children, but they're students, right? We do help K through 12 with whatever is going on to get them just set on the right path. Explain if you would, just some of the challenges that people who don't serve in our armed forces, maybe don't realize that when you have a member of the family,

specifically a dad or a mom who's deployed, what is the strain put on that household? Absolutely. And the Navy SEAL community is kind of different in a lot of ways just because of the tempo at which they operate. Okay. Right? So a seal can be deployed and gone from home nine months out of the year. Wow.

And then when he's home, he travels to train. We have so many families that we serve. If dads are in 20, 30 years, you know, they've gone on more than a dozen deployments, right? That's them in harm's way. The child is keenly aware that dad is in harm's way. Of course, mom is stressed out. And if there's a child at home that has a learning disability, we know if there's one child with an LD in a family, normally there's more than one. Military families also have more children than civilian families, and they have them younger.

often mom's not able to work. So we're talking about single family income, right? So it has all of those markers of like, quote unquote, at-risk home, right? Father not home, single income, right? Yeah. But what is amazing is that these families thrive through all of this, right? But I always try and talk about they shouldn't have to. Yeah.

They shouldn't have to do it alone. Right. Yeah. They are serving on our behalf. My dad is a Marine. He served in Vietnam, but I didn't grow up in an active duty household, but enormous respect for those who do serve. Less than 1% of the population serves.

Wow. Very small. Yes. lifestyle a military family leads, right? Because there's so much uncertainty. And like we were talking earlier, you know, when there's challenge upon challenge upon challenge, it's not ending in the short term. You have to live in this space of challenge continuously and still get the kids to school and still go to the grocery store and make dinner and still live normal life with all of this, what I call an overflowing cup of challenge, right?

And so at SEAL kids, we try to stand with these families in whatever way we can. Often, our program specialists, Alma is on the West Coast and Leslie's on the East Coast. They spend a lot of time just listening to moms and what they need. Yeah, that's huge. Do you all ever hear from the SEALs themselves about what it means for them to know that their kids are receiving the support while they're away? Oh, my goodness. Absolutely. And one of the most impactful statements that we've received over the years is that they couldn't have continued an active duty service without Seal Kids. Wow.

That because if you think about, you know, Dad's getting ready to go on mission and there's Timmy, failing second grade, that's all he's going to think about, right? And so Seal Kids steps in so that Dad can concentrate on his mission ahead because we're handling the mission. at home. How can people get involved and support what you guys are doing on both sides. If there's folks listening who are part of Navy SEALs, who have a family member or a friend who is and who think, oh gosh, I need support. How can they get involved? And if folks are listening thinking, hey, I would love to support the work that you all are doing. How do they do that? Thank you. Yes. If your family is attached to Naval Special Warfare and active duty, please reach out through the website.

And if you're willing to help us serve those who serve, sealkids.org, we gladly take support. We have a donation site and anyone can contact me directly. My email address is on the website G. Macintosh at sealkids.org. I think what's really unique about our organization is we're super lean. There's only five of us that run this. And so pretty much as soon as dollars come in, they go right back out the door. It's constant flow. It's constant flow because we want to make sure that the families get as much support in the short term, right?

Because early intervention is best. And so if we can empower those families to help make those education choices in the short term, in the moment, that's what makes the difference. Are you all ever having to turn families away because you just don't have their resources? Yes. It's really hard, especially because everyone's unique challenge, right, to them is a crisis. Yeah. Right. And so to have to kind of pick and choose, it's devastating.

Absolutely devastating. Because just helping one child, you know, has impact enough to change the world. Yeah, it sure does. Well, I really want to encourage everyone to visit sealkids.org. Find out how you can get involved, learn more about the amazing work that you all are doing. But thank you so much. We really appreciate you being here, Dr. McIntosh, just to share the work that you guys are doing. And thank you for being a support for being practical support for our seals.

That is critical. We really appreciate the work you all are doing. Thank you so much for inviting me. And with that, that's going to do it for today's episode. Thanks so much for joining us here on the Daily Signal podcast and especially during School Choice Week, as we are recognizing organizations that do great work in supporting families and providing unique alternative education resources and platforms. If you have not gotten the chance, make sure that you check out our evening show right here in the same podcast feed where we bring you the top news of the day. Also take a minute to subscribe to the Daily Signal podcast. We're across all podcast platforms, and we greatly appreciate you take in a minute to leave a five-star rating in review. Thanks again for listening.

Have a great rest of your Wednesday. We'll see you right back here around 5 p.m. for our top news edition. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Louis and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheras. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more, please visit DailySignal.com.