By Judy Christie

Retired Rear Adm. Scott Moore recalls the moment he realized that Navy SEALs needed extra family support. He was in Afghanistan in a little shed with two bunk beds and a common area, preparing for a briefing on a mission that night.

Moore could not help overhearing one of his men in a tense discussion with his wife about a child’s school problem.

“I don’t have time to deal with this right now,” the SEAL, headed into a gun battle, said into the telephone.

“I started watching family issues,” said Moore, pictured, whose own home experiences led him and his wife, Molly, to become volunteer leaders for SEALKIDS, a non-profit organization that works to help children improve academic performance.

SEALKIDS provides support for the children of Naval Special Warfare, assisting with confidential academic testing, tutoring, therapy, advocacy and enrichment. The group’s goal is to enable the child’s success and well-being while helping to reduce family stresses and keep Navy SEALs ready for the fight.  

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SEALKIDS provides one-on-one education services for family members of active-duty and retired SEALs and the support staff attached to Naval Special Warfare Command.

Scott Moore, now retired, serves as chairman of the board, and Molly Moore is a board member.

The stress that military families experience was not new to the Navy officer. He and Molly have long been advocates for families.

“I’m a Gold Star kid,” said Moore, who is a member of MOAA.

His father, an Air Force pilot, was killed in the Vietnam War when Moore was 7 years old.

Moore spent more than 30 years in Naval Special Warfare and led at every level, from SEAL platoon commander to counterterrorism roles at the White House and Pentagon.

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The challenges of SEAL families hit the home front with Moore deployed much of the time, leaving Molly to navigate challenges with their children.

“We’re very resilient,” she said of SEAL families. “We give 150 percent in everything we do. Families have a high expectation that they have to perform at a high level and not put extra stress on Dad.”

That, the couple agrees, is a catalyst for their volunteer work.

“The real reason for SEALKIDS is so that the guy can go into situations and to keep them from stress,” Scott Moore said. “We keep our guys in the fight, and we keep our guys alive.”

Dr. Gretchen McIntosh, executive director of SEALKIDS Inc., said stress and anxiety can cause educational issues for children of Navy SEALs, and necessary resources are not always covered by TRICARE.

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SEALKIDS currently works with 300 children and always has a waiting list.

Its goal, based on the national percentage of all children with learning disabilities, is to increase its capacity to 800 children.

The cost to provide professional one-on-one support, whether testing for autism, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, counseling or tutoring, is approximately $5,600 per child per year.

“The need is bigger than what we can serve,” McIntosh said.

“We want to improve the lives of families who are doing so much for the U.S.,” she said. “We operate from this place of gratitude.”

How to Help 

Funded by donations and grants, SEALKIDS has a waiting list of students to serve. To donate, including gifts to honor loved ones or for birthday celebrations and other special occasions, see www.sealkids.org.

Judy Christie is a freelance writer living in Colorado.