MilitarySpot.com

Serving the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard

Camp Lejeune Claims
| VA Loans
Follow MilitarySpot:
 
  • Home
  • Enlist
    • Join The Army
    • Join The Navy
    • Join The Air Force
    • Join The Marines
    • Join The Coast Guard
    • Join The National Guard
    • ASVAB
    • Army Physical Fitness Test
    • Military Draft
    • Prior Service Army Enlistment
  • Career
    • Join the Military
    • Jobs for Military and Civilians
    • Career Center
    • Prior Service Army Enlistment
    • Criminal Justice
  • Education
    • Online Schools
    • Spouse Education Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • Military Schools
    • Criminal Justice
  • Benefits
    • Army Benefits
    • Navy Benefits
    • Air Force Benefits
    • Marine Corps Benefits
    • National Guard Benefits
    • Coast Guard Benefits
    • Veteran Benefits
    • Basic Pay Rates
    • Allowances
    • Special & Incentive Pay
    • Military Spouse Education Benefits
    • VA Education Benefits
    • GI Bill
  • News
    • Headline News
  • Finance
    • Debt Relief
    • Military Pay Rates
    • Military Personal Loans
    • VA Loans
    • Military Star Card
    • Military MyPay
  • Spouses
    • School Finder
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • PCS, DITY, & Moving
    • Pay Rates
    • MyCAA
    • Education Benefits
  • Community
    • Military Games
    • Military Reunions
    • Classifieds
    • Photo Gallery
    • Buddy Finder
    • MilitarySpot Pinups
    • Military Bases
  • Resources
    • Military Alphabet
    • Military Reunions
    • Military Acronyms
    • Currency Converter
    • Military Tools
    • Ranks
    • Military Time
    • Military Tactics
    • Military Discounts
    • Military Games
    • Military Videos
    • Photo Gallery
    • Infographics
    • How To
  • Travel

DOD Salutes Children During Military Child Month

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2014 – The Defense Department believes military children serve their country alongside their service member parents, DOD’s director of the office of family policy/children and youth said.

When military children serve, they do so by making sacrifices when parents are deployed, through frequent moves, starting new schools and making new friends on a continuing basis, Barbara Thompson said in a recent interview with The Pentagon Channel for the Month of the Military Child that’s being celebrated in April.

“We feel it’s important for the nation to know that military children also serve their country,” Thompson said.

To honor military children for their sacrifices and service, DOD and the services have planned activities this month that range from installation-based fairs, parades, and literacy and art events, she said.

Military Kids Day, April 15, marks the third-annual “Purple Up!” day when adults wear purple to show support of children from all the services, Thompson said.

DOD has numerous year-round programs and awareness efforts to honor military children, and Thompson elaborated on some of those initiatives.

To help children build their resilience, DOD has coordinated programs with Sesame Street to help with ongoing change in military children’s lives, Thompson noted.

“Sesame [Street] has been an outstanding contributor to the well-being of military children,” she said, naming a series of DVDs that cover such topics for military children as divorce, grief, separation and deployment, resilience skills, and visible or invisible injuries.

Sesame Street also recently launched two new smartphone applications.

“One [app] covers relocation, and another is to help children learn self-regulation skills so they become more resilient,” Thompson said. “And everything is free.”

Thompson emphasized that April also is Child Abuse Prevention Month and said awareness in this arena is important to DOD.

“Child Abuse Prevention Month is particularly important because it’s a social responsibility for all of us to make sure children are safe and their well-being is protected,” she said. “Everybody has a responsibility.”

Giving parents the tools to make them strong supporters of their children and to keep them safe from predators and from violence within the family is crucial, she added.

“Parenting is tough, regardless of the situation and the age of the child. They each bring their nuances to the table, whether it’s children at [age] 2 who say ‘no,’ or a teenager who’s sometimes a little defiant,” she said.

DOD offers parenting skill resources, Thompson noted, such as the newly launched Parenting Course. The course, she explained, examines parenting from the context of the military lifestyle, which revolves around deployments and parental separations from their children at different stages of their development.

And an installation-based initiative, the new Parent Support Program, involves home visitation for new parents of children up to age 3, “to help parents reach their full potential working with and being responsible for their children,” Thompson said. The Marine Corps’ program supports parents with children up to age 5, she added.

“The New Parent Support Program is a part of the Family Advocacy Program, which has a prevention piece that offers courses and opportunities for support groups. We want to make sure we address the stressors in families’ lives before they escalate,” Thompson said.

“Sometimes [certain] things really push our buttons,” she added. “So we need to have the tools, to know how to cope with those kinds of stressors and how we react to them.”

Comments

Filed Under: News

  • News
  • Enlist
  • Education
  • Career
  • Finance

Northern Strike Continues Support for National Defense

AUGUST 11, 2022 – Northern Strike 22-2, the country’s largest National Guard Bureau-sponsored military exercise, is scheduled to occur across Northern Michigan’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC), including Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Aug. 6-20. Approximately 7,400 participants from 19 states and several coalition countries, including Canada, Latvia, and the U.K., will participate in one […]

Army Develops Future Soldier Preparatory Course

JULY 27, 2022 – In response to the most challenging recruiting environment since the start of the all-volunteer force in 1973, the Army is implementing an innovative new program to prepare recruits who are en-route to initial military training to meet or exceed our rigorous standards. The Future Soldier Preparatory Course pilot program, which is […]

Top 5 University Scholarships for Military in the UK

JUNE 20, 2022 – The cost of a college education can be daunting and unaffordable for many university students in the UK. For the students who have set their hearts on joining the military, there are several scholarships available for them.  These scholarships help military students overcome the financial challenges of attending college. A University […]

Federal Hiring Summit for Transitioning Service Members

AUGUST 10, 2022 – Commander Navy Installation Command Headquarters, Fleet and Family Support Center is hosting a federal hiring summit Aug. 15-18. Although the summit is hosted by the Navy, all military personnel and their spouses can attend this virtual event. Those who are preparing for their end of service or actively transitioning out of […]

Military Consumer Month Focuses on Financial Literacy

JULY 29, 2022 – With inflation soaring in the U.S. and elsewhere, many among the military community, including reservists and veterans, are struggling to make financial ends meet and are in need of a good battle plan to beat their budget foes. Anyone in such a predicament would do well to employ the Department of […]

Recent Posts

  • Northern Strike Continues Support for National Defense
  • Marine Aircraft Wing Sharpens Wing-Level Warfighting
  • Osan Activates Fighter Generation Squadrons
  • ‘Communication and Information’ Career Field Changes Name
  • Midshipmen Test the Waters on Summer Cruise
MAINMENU




SITESEARCH
Can't find something? Try using our site search to dig through our entire site.



Still having trouble? Try the Advanced Search to refine your searches.
NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIBE
Sign Up To Receive Information, Updates and Special Officers from MilitarySpot.com.



Don't miss an issue! Jump in the Newsletter Archives to catch up on previous issues.
FOLLOWMILITARY SPOT

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & StumbleUpon and more. Keep up with MilitarySpot.com news & updates. We also have an RSS Feed.

Advertise | About | Contact | Feedback | Unsubscribe | DMCA | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
 
Copyright 2004-2022 Sun Key Publishing. All Rights Reserved.



 
This is not the official recruiting website of the U.S. Military. The site you are on is run by Sun Key Publishing, a private company, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with the U.S. Military.