School liaison officer helps military families with transition

Erica Lewis, Redstone’s school liaison officer, is all too familiar with what military families face during a permanent change of station, and her job gives her an opportunity to help them with the transition.

“I know what it’s like to get ready to PCS,” said Lewis, a military spouse for 21 years and the mother of two daughters. “I know all of the anxiety and stress that comes with the move. I have children who have experienced that.

“So, I really take joy in being able to help ease some of that burden and anxiety and stress that comes with a PCS because I know what that feels like.”

Lewis was hired for the position at Child and Youth Services in February 2020, after her family moved here from Michigan. She informs families about public, private and home-based school options in the area, resources available to them, depending on the needs of their school-age children, and after-school programs provided through Child and Youth Services.

For a military family, the two most important considerations when preparing for a transition are housing and schools, according to Lewis.

“Schools play a vital role in being able to meet the needs of our military families,” she said. “I don’t take my job lightly because our military kids move so often.”

With the PCS season approaching, families typically reach out to her by email or a phone call when they’re preparing for a transition to Redstone Arsenal. She also connects with families as Soldiers are in-processing and shares information with them if they have school-age children.

If Soldiers are out-processing, she helps them connect with the school liaison officer at their next installation.

“I’m also in the role to be an advocate for our military children, our military families that are transitioning in with our local education systems,” she said. “I also act as the liaison between the installation and our local school districts. Part of my job is to be the subject matter expert as far as what’s going on within the school systems so that I can inform my leadership and command about what’s happening outside the installation.”

Jordan Carruth praised Lewis for her assistance after the family moved to Madison early last month from Wichita Falls, Texas, and faced unsuccessful attempts to enroll their two daughters in school. Carruth said the girls were up to date on their vaccinations, but didn’t have an Alabama certificate of immunization, called a “blue card.”

Carruth’s husband, who’s taking part in the DOD’s SkillBridge program until he retires from the Air Force in August, suggested that Carruth contact Lewis for help. Carruth first called Lewis on April 11.

“She responded right away, she always answered my calls,” Carruth said.

Alabama law allows 30 days from the date of enrollment for active-duty military students to obtain any required immunizations.

One daughter was enrolled in elementary school on April 17 and the middle-school daughter was enrolled on April 30, and the Carruths received both “blue cards” on April 30.

“My kids would have felt the brunt of this without Erica’s help.” Carruth said.

Families also reach out to Lewis for post-secondary resources.

“I’m always looking for information on scholarships so I can provide that information to our military families and kids who are getting ready to graduate or who are looking for post-secondary options,” Lewis said.

Though her primary responsibility is to military families, Lewis also assists civilian and Department of Defense families who have questions.

“I mainly work with the three school districts here in Madison County but if there are military families in other districts who have questions, they can always contact me.”

She oversees a youth sponsorship program on post, a free, youth-led program for middle and high school students that introduces them to the CYS program and its activities and provides them with information about their new community.

Lewis received a bachelor’s in elementary education from Mississippi Valley State University, then was a teacher for several years before earning a master’s in counseling psychology from Texas A&M University-Central Texas. She worked in school counseling for about eight years and in outpatient mental health counseling.

She received a master’s in social work from Louisiana State University and is a licensed clinical social worker.

Before the Lewis family moved here, she worked at the CYS Child Development Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan.

Lewis and her husband, Lt. Col. Eric Lewis, have two daughters – Karadyn, a sophomore at Tuskegee University, and Alyna, who is finishing the seventh grade.

“Our kids have moved five or six times in my husband’s career,” Lewis said.

“They know all too well about what it’s like to move, what it’s like to start over, what it’s like to leave friends and make new friends, what it’s like to leave an activity that you love and have to start over in a new location.

“They are very resilient, and they’ve experienced a lot with the different places that we’ve lived and the different people that we’ve met so it is a blessing.” Still, military life does have its challenges, she said, “so I do have a profound respect for our service members and what they do.

“If I can make their mission a little less hectic by taking care of the education piece for them so that they don’t have to worry about that and they can focus on the mission, I want to be able to do that for our families and our service members.”

Lewis can be contacted at erica.s.lewis.naf@army.mil or by calling 256-842-9642.