Resources for Children

Information to help prepare children and families for deployment is available through the following resources.

• MilitaryKidsConnect (MKC) is an online community of military children (ages 6-17) providing access to age-appropriate resources to support children from pre-deployment, through a parent's or caregiver's return. MKC offers activities, games, videos and user surveys that can guide and reinforce understanding, resilience, and coping skills in military children and their peers.

• Military Youth on the Move provides information on a wide range of topics including fitting in at a new school, opening a savings account and dealing with a parent’s deployment.

• FOCUS World helps military families become stronger in the face of challenges by providing both parents and kids a fun place to learn and practice important skills, such as listening and responding to each other’s concerns, including those related to deployment and reintegration.

• National Military Family Association - Operation Purple program runs camps for teens and family retreats at national parks. This program addresses the needs of children and families of wounded service members, as well as providing resources for child care and respite care when a service member is deployed.

• The MISSION: Youth Outreach partnership supports military youth, ages 6–18, coping with a deployed parent or parents by creating a positive, supportive network. Visit the website or call 1-800-854-CLUB.

• Operation: Military Kids - Creating community connections and touching lives . . . before, during and after deployment.

• Military Child Education Coalition provides professional development opportunities on working with military populations for school personnel and community members making them aware of the stressors that can be associated with a military deployment.

• Military Families Near and Far is a free, bilingual website designed to help elementary school-aged children and families stay connected and communicate during times of tremendous change and uncertainty. Resources are available for grown-ups too. 

• Sesame Workshop Talk, Listen, Connect addresses issues related to multiple deployments, family changes that occur when a parent is physically or psychologically injured, and the loss of a parent. 

• Courage to Care Courage to Talk - The injuries of war — combat or non combat-related, visible or invisible — are life-changing events for the injured, their families and children. Family and friends play a vital role in the recovery process, especially that of talking and listening. Courage to Talk provides resources to assist in having these challenging conversations.

• A Backpack Journalist provides curriculum, workshops and events for Military Youth age groups 6-11 and 12-18 to assist them through the deployment cycle into reintegration.

• United through Reading® - Military program helps ease the stress of separation for military families by having deployed parents read children’s books aloud via DVD for their child to watch at home.

• Let’s Move! works to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity through engaging every sector impacting a child’s health and providing simple tools to help kids be more active, eat better and get healthy.

• Operation Give a Hug strives to provide comfort to children with a deployed parent while helping families get connected to resources and support.

• StopBullying.gov is devoted to bullying prevention and education and provides information on how kids, teens, young adults, parents, educators and others in the community can prevent or stop bullying.