Military Family Support Organizations That Help Military Children & Families

Julie Provost

4 years ago

organizations help military kids families

Non-Profit Organizations Supporting Military Families & Children

Table of Contents

April is the Month of the Military Child. Our military children are resilient, understanding, and patient, as they have to be. They too go through deployments as well as PCS moves and anything else military life might bring them. It isn’t always easy but the good news is that there are many programs and organizations out there to help.

Here are 15 of them:

Military Children Education Coalition

At the Military Children Education Coalition, they work to ensure inclusive, quality educational opportunities for all military-connected children affected by mobility, transition, deployments, and family separations. They offer programs, services, and professional development to meet the needs of military-connected students, parents, and professionals.

Our Military Kids

Our Military Kids’ mission is to empower military kids with sports, arts, and other activities while their parents are deployed or recovering from severe injuries sustained during combat. They support children ages 5-12th grade of deployed national guard and reserves service members as well as children of wounded veterans from all service branches. They offer grants that provide up to $300 for a chosen activity.

FOCUS

FOCUS stands for Families OverComing Under Stress and they provide resilience training to military children, families, and couples. They teach practice skills to help families and couples overcome common challenges related to military life. They help build on current strengths and teach new strategies to enhance communication and problem-solving, goal-setting and help create a shared family story. They work on emotional regulation, communication, goal setting, and managing trauma and stress.

Military Families United

Military Families United is a not-for-profit 501 ( c ) 3 charitable organization whose mission is to honor the fallen and support those who fight by serving their families. They are a coalition of Blue Star, Gold Star, next of kin, veterans, and patriotic American families who share a deep appreciation for the men and women in uniform.

Military One Source

Military One Source is a place to find a connection to information, answers, and support when military life happens. They can help you and your children overcome challenges, reach your goals, and thrive. They offer counseling, child care options, help for your PCS, and more.

Hope for the Warriors

At Hope for the Warriors, they provide comprehensive support programs for the service member, veterans, and military families. They are focused on transition, health and wellness, peer engagement, and connections to community resources.

Salute the Kids

Salute the Kids is a 501 ( c ) (3) non-profit organization that provides free weekend camping adventures for children of US military service members. They offer family camps for military kids and their families, twice a year, the next one is in Flint, TX from May 1-3.

Operation Homefront

Operation Homefront’s mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive in the communities they have worked hard to protect. They have a wide range of programs and many help military children. They offer programs such as the Military Child of the Year, the Back-to-School Brigade, Holiday Meals, a Holiday Toy Drive, and Star-Spangled Baby Showers.

Sesame Street for Military Families

Sesame Street has an amazing program for military families and children. They offer tools and videos to help children during military life, from going through deployments, family health, grief, relocation, military homecomings, and more. The videos are child-based and include Sesame Street characters to help children better understand what is going on in their lives.

Military Kids Connect

With Military Kids Connect, you can find an online community for military children ages 6-17. They provide access to age-appropriate resources to support children dealing with the unique psychological challenges of military life. Through their website, they offer informative activities, helpful videos, and an online community that can build and reinforce understanding, resilience, and coping skills in military children and their peers.

National Military Family Association

The National Military Family Association’s mission is to stand behind the entire military family. They offer Operation Purple which is a free summer camp for kids. They also offer family retreats, Healing Adventures, which is a family togetherness 3-day experience, and Buddy Camps which is a one-on-one bonding and resiliency-strengthing camp for children and their adult “buddy.”

Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families was founded by military spouses to empower military families. They help connect them with their neighbors, individuals, and organizations to create vibrant communities of mutual support. They have a variety of events and programs such as Blue Star Museums, Blue Star Parks, Blue Star Theaters, Blue Star Books, and different volunteer opportunities.

United Through Reading

United Through Reading’s mission is to connect military families who are separated because of deployments or other military assignments and provide the bonding experience of shared storytime. The UTR program eases the stress of separation for the service member, spouse, and child, helps build family bonds, and resiliency as well as cultivate a love of reading for the military child.

Armed Services YMCA

The Armed Services YMCA provides programs and services to the young men and women of all 5 Armed Services. They support military families in youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. They offer programs such as Operation Little Learners, an interactive educational program for parents and children, Operation Hero, a no-cost after school program designed to help military kids get back on track in school and at home, Children’s Waiting Room, which is childcare for children when their parents have medical appointments, Operation Camp, as well as childcare and preschool.

Camp Corral

Camp Corral’s mission is to transform the lives of children of wounded, injured, ill, and fallen military heroes by providing a unique summer camp experience. They have their camps all over the country.

There are many ways out there to find help and resources for your military children. Take some time to look through this list and figure out what will work for your own military child.