Support for Children
Honor and Protect Our Little Warriors
April is Month of the Military Child and we want to honor our little warriors and their families for being resilient and cooperative with their state’s stay-at-home orders to help stop the spread of COVID-19. We are celebrating and spreading good vibes among our veteran and military family communities with the Cohen Veterans Network. The dandelion is the official flower of the military child because they can put down roots anywhere and are almost impossible to destroy.
We know these orders can be extremely stressful for families, especially those with children. We also understand that there may even be children who are experiencing more stress than others due to not seeing their friends or visiting other family members.
We want to remind you that feeling extra stress and anxiety under these unusual circumstances is expected and normal. However, with open communication, it can be manageable.
In this newsletter, we want to provide you with some resources that can help you talk to your children about the coronavirus and hopefully help them understand why it’s important to continue to wash their hands and practice social distancing for a while.
Military Child Care Assistance
Each branch offers programs to assist military families in accessing and paying for child care services. More information is available through these resources:
- National Association of Resource and Referral Agencies website or by phone at 800-424-2246
- MilitaryOneSource – Military Child Care Programs
- Beyond the Yellow Ribbon – Child Care Subsidies – links to various child care subsidy programs
- In addition, a number of large child care chains provide reduced rates for military families.
The Military Child: Research, Education and Consultation
The Child and Family Program (CFP) of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) has conducted research on the needs of children and families affected by trauma, especially military children and families.
Communicating with Children
Tips for Communicating with Children