Military families may experience unique challenges and transitions that deeply influence their day-to-day lives, and these experiences often shape how military-connected youth engage with their communities (Belin, 2025). For Extension professionals and other providers working in youth development, having an understanding of military culture is important for designing and implementing programs that are responsive and impactful.
While building financial skills can be daunting for anyone (at any age), neurodivergence can create unique considerations when learning and acquiring these financial literacy skills. Teaching new skills – whether financial or otherwise – should incorporate individual strengths.
Early Intervention (EI) programs serve families of young children (birth through 36 months) who have delays and disabilities. These services are mandated by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (2004) and are required to include families in service planning and delivery. Recent movements in early intervention have emphasized caregiver coaching as an avenue for promoting family involvement and child outcomes.
Family caregivers remain an essential piece of the U.S. healthcare system, providing unpaid support to loved ones while juggling personal, financial, and professional responsibilities. According to Caregiving in the U.S., 2025, nearly 63 million Americans, about one in four adults, now serve as caregivers, marking a 45% increase since 2015 (AARP & NAC, 2025).
Data from the 2024 Active-Duty Spouse Survey reveal a complex picture of progress and persistent barriers for military families. While more spouses are joining the labor force, high unemployment and underemployment remain, worsened by frequent PCS moves and limited access to affordable childcare. These challenges underscore a critical truth: supporting military spouses isn’t just a family issue—it’s a force readiness imperative.
Obesity is a chronic, relapsing, and multifactorial condition that significantly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, and certain types of cancer (Blüher, 2019; Bray, Kim, Wilding, & World Obesity Federation, 2017).
This blog post focuses on the family unit as a social support system for military-connected youth.
Service providers around the country are uniquely positioned to connect with and support our nation’s military spouses where they live, work, and raise their children. Understanding how domicile is established is essential for helping military spouses navigate residency and tax issues.
Families play a key role in how kids first learn to interact with others (Maccoby, 2007) and develop eating habits that can last a lifetime (Scaglioni et al., 2018).
Each year, approximately 200,000 U.S. military service members and veterans transition to civilian life, and as many as 62% experience challenges during this reintegration period (Romaniuk et al., 2020; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2023).
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy, U.S. Department of Defense under Award Number 2023-48770-41333.
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