This April, the U.S. will celebrate the 36th Anniversary of Month of the Military Child. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger designated April as the Month of the Military Child in 1986 to celebrate the young Americans who support our service members across the country. There are more than 1.6 million military children who have been impacted by their parents' military service, such as changing schools and communities every couple of years, dealing with deployments, and experience time away from extended family and friends. Universities and colleges can support these students in many ways throughout the entire school year, but especially during Month of the Military Child.

Growing up connected to the military provides a unique perspective on life that very few individuals are able to have. They may be lucky enough to experience many different communities and cultures around the country and the world, as well as learning ways to make new friends in new places. Needing to move every year, or couple of years, instills resilience and strength in these individuals that many students don't have to experience by the time they are 18 years old. The average military family moves 10 times more often than civilian families, and more than 2 million American military dependents have had a parent deployed at least once since 2001. Moving to college after living in a military-connected community for so long can be isolating for some, but for others it can be a new experience that allows them to experience life outside of the military.

There are many ways to acknowledge the sacrifices that military dependents have made, and continue to make, throughout April. Although they are not the usual individuals that military and veteran services aim to support, it can be beneficial to recognize them and provide them a community on campus.

1) Host a meal to bring together the military dependents on campus. Inviting the entire military-affiliated community to support dependents is a great opportunity to bring everyone together, especially towards the end of the semester, to celebrate the military-affiliated children in your school's community. This could also be a great opportunity to encourage military dependents to become more involved in your military-affiliated community and attend more events in general!

2) Designate a PurpleUp! Day for your school's community. Usually, this is April 15, and community members are asked to wear purple to support military dependent students. A small gesture like this can make a difference when seen by military dependents.

3) Organize a group outing to volunteer at a local military installation and help with their Month of the Military Child events, such as at the youth center or school. This could prove to be difficult if there are no military installations near your university or college, however, it could be a good opportunity for dependents, veterans, and other military-affiliated community members to get involved with the larger military community.

4) Arrange an event on-campus for your military-affiliated community to write cards to younger military children, acknowledging their sacrifice to the country due to their parents' service. It is especially important for younger children to understand that there is a reason they have to change schools every two to three years and make new friends each time they leave their old home. It can also be more difficult to understand why their parent has left on deployment for such a long time, while it may be more easily understood by an older child.

Additionally, Military OneSource hosts a plethora of virtual events for Month of the Military Child, which universities and colleges may be able to draw from for inspiration. This includes partnerships with the 4-H program, events on teen mental health, and parenting tips for those who take care of military children. It also provides free resources for military children. However, many of these focus on younger children, which may be useful for student veterans who also have children.

As a military child myself, I can attest to the special, automatic connection that I can make with other military dependents. Similar childhoods let military dependents easily relate, and it can be fun to figure out if you and another lived at the same place at the same time. Sometimes, you may even have mutual friends that you would have never guessed before. The world is definitely a small place for military children. It could be of great help to provide these students, especially younger first- or second- year students, with the opportunity to make friends that have similar experiences.

The idea of "home" is not a specific place for many military kids, but rather the community that they cultivate. In many cases, this means that they have multiple homes, and with the help of higher education professionals and on-campus groups, students can find yet another home at their university or college.

What are some ways your campus honors Month of the Military Child?

Article Topics

Military Focused Events Military Friendly Institutions Serving Military in HigherEd Veterans Academic Success Workplace Inclusion

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