Month of the Military Child

The National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan (NPEIV) is an overarching group of individuals, organizations, agencies, coalitions, and groups that embrace a national, multi-disciplinary and multicultural commitment to violence prevention across the lifespan.

April is the Month of the Military Child, a time to honor the more than 1.7 million children of military members serving in the United States and overseas. April was designated as the Month of the Military Child beginning in 1986 with the Pentagon and support organizations and agencies recognizing military children for their sacrifices, bravery on the home front, and the resilience they exhibit in overcoming challenges inherent in families serving our country.

The military is a microcosm of the larger society and as such experiences the same interpersonal violence issues as the civilian population with an overlay of additional issues unique to military families. Military children bear a difficult burden. They don’t always fully understand what’s going on when the parents deploy or get re-assigned, but they are expected to support the mission by understanding the needs of the parents to deploy, relocate, and put the family’s needs second to the call of duty.

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Since the debut of the original Month of the Military Child, there are a growing number of activities both on military bases and in local communities to include awareness campaigns aimed at recognizing the needs of military children in all areas, from coping with the deployment of parents to war zones to education of military children. Nearly 80% of military children attend public schools throughout the United States. The average military family moves three times more than their civilian counterpart.

A new brief from the National Home Visiting Resource Center highlights four efforts connecting military children and their parents to home visiting services:

  • New Parent Support Program

  • Strong Families Strong Forces

  • Families Overcoming Under Stress for Early Childhood

  • Pilot program authorized by the Military Family PROTECT Act

Please feel free to share the brief in full, or to point colleagues toward other home visiting resources.

NPEIV encourages communities throughout the country to explore ways to honor military children during the month of April. Go to the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) website for ideas for celebrating the Month of the Military Child.

NPEIV is committed to reducing interpersonal violence and its consequences through scientific research and application of empirical findings. It is our mission to make the prevention of interpersonal violence a national and international priority and to encourage healthy relationships by linking science, practice, policy and advocacy.

Through our many partnerships and collaborations, it is our vision to end all types of interpersonal violence, for all people, in all communities, at all stages of life. For more information, please visit www.npeiv.org.

Nanette Burton