Every April, Military Community and Family Policy collaborates to support and celebrate military children and their parents during Month of the Military Child. Together, we’re featuring resources from across programs to help families discover the wealth of information and support they can turn to throughout the year. This year’s theme, Taking Care of Our Military Children, focuses on and promotes the variety of programs and support available to help military children, youth and teens and their parents thrive.

Let’s celebrate and support military children together

Wear purple. Promote Purple Up Day on April 3 and show your appreciation for our extraordinary MilKids.

Check out the wealth of resources available to military children and parents. Invite your network to explore and share the podcasts, webinars and other resources available to military-connected children, youth and teens — and their parents.

Spread the word about the MilKid appreciation items. Throughout the month of April, items will be offered to families free of charge including Pop Its, lunch boxes, back pack pins and sticker sheets.

Download the social media toolkit. Use our sample social media posts to share content on your social channels to help us amplify efforts and resources to support military youth, and attach our signature block with this year’s emblem to your emails to show your support.

Suggested resources:

Military OneSource connects military families to resources and support that impact a range of quality-of-life issues that affect children, youth and teens, including relocation, child care, resources for families with special needs, relationship tools, youth programs and resources related to school and education.

Military Parent Resource Center — Military parents can find support, tips and information in this resource center that facilitates positive parenting for all military families.

Installation youth centers — Available on almost every installation where families PCS, youth centers offer continuity of programming to help make the transition to a new installation smoother for military youth and teens. Learn more about military youth and teen programs.

School Liaison Program — Education and transition support is available anytime it’s needed to ensure a smooth transition for military children to new schools and new communities.

Sesame Street for Military Families — Find education and activities for preschool-aged children to help them cope with the challenges of military life.

4-H Military Partnership — Explore opportunities for youth to join 4-H clubs in their communities and participate in summer camps.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Military Youth Programs — Children of active-duty, National Guard and reserve families may be eligible for free membership to their local Boys & Girls Club.

Expanded hourly child care for military families — Through Military OneSource, military families can access a nationally recognized caregiver database to search for hourly, flexible and on-demand child care.

EFMP & Me — Available through Military OneSource, the EFMP & Me online tool provides 24/7 access to resources for families with special needs and the providers and leaders who support them.

Social media toolkit:

Landing page to share with military families:

Fact sheet:

Virtual conference background:

Month of the Military Child giveaways:

Campaign emblem:

Signature block:

Additional resources: