Celebrating Military Children in April

Celebrating Military Children Month of the Military Child 2024

Monday, April 15, 2024 is Purple Up! Day for HQ, Europe & Pacific, and the Americas. Select military installations or communities may decide to designate different days throughout the month.

April is designated as Month of the Military Child – a time to honor the sacrifices made by military families worldwide, with an emphasis on the experience of the dependent children of military members serving at home and overseas. Month of the Military Child is sponsored by the Department of Defense Military Community and Family Policy and supported by many other organizations such as the DoDEA.

The Defense Department celebrates military children during the month of April. There are more than 1.6 million military children who face many challenges and unique experiences as a result of their parents' service.

While military members serve around the world, we often forget the challenges faced by their children. Military families move on average every two to three years, impacting military children through changing schools and support networks.

Each year, the DOD joins national, state and local government, schools, military serving organizations, companies and private citizens in celebrating military children and the sacrifices they make.

Each year, April is set aside as a military child appreciation month, officially known as the Month of the Military Child. With its creation in the mid-1980s, the Pentagon and other military support organizations and agencies use the month to recognize military kids for their sacrifice and bravery on the homefront.

Purple Up! For Military Kids Day

Because purple is a color used to represent all military services, the theme "Purple Up" is used over the course of the month.

Military.com joins with the Army, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard in recognition of our military kids.

“Purple Up! For Military Kids” is a day for DoDEA Communities to wear purple to show support and thank military children for their strength and sacrifices. Purple indicates that all branches of the military are supported.

Air Force blue, Army green, Navy blue, Marine red, and Coast Guard blue all are thought to combine as a single color, purple.

Many Exchanges will often celebrate Purple Up! Day by offering free treats to any child who wears purple to participating Exchange restaurants worldwide.

Military Children by the Numbers

• According to a report by the Department of Defense there are 700 military child development program facilities around the world, running approximately 155,000 child-care spaces, with another 3,000 Family Child Care homes.
• It’s estimated that military child development centers welcome around 200,000 children daily. There are 300 youth and teen centers worldwide serving more than 645,000 youth through a variety of educational and recreational programs.
• Approximately 2 million military children have experienced a parental deployment since 9/11.
• There are currently 1.2 million military children of active duty members worldwide.
• Nearly 80% of military children attend public schools throughout the United States.
• The average military family moves three times more often than their civilian counterpart.

• There are nearly two million “total-force dependent children” including more than 900,000 Army dependents, 400,000 Air Force dependents, nearly 300,000 Navy and approximately 118,000 Marine dependents.

What’s a “Military Brat”?

The children of a parent or parents serving full-time in the United States Armed Forces are sometimes referred to as Military Brats. Many Military Brats wear the name like a badge of honor, often because of the moves, stressors and cultural experiences make them more resilient than their civilian counterparts. Outside the military it can often be construed as derogatory. Military brats move an average of 10 times while growing up, and some have moved as many as 36 times. These frequent moves, exposure to different cultures and languages and immersion in military customs are all common, life-defining experiences in the military brat subculture.

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