The FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) marks a pivotal step in enhancing the quality of life for military families by prioritizing housing, childcare, and career support for spouses. With key investments aimed at stability and opportunity, the NDAA recognizes that resilient military families are essential to a ready and effective force. In this blog, we’ll break down what these changes mean for service members, spouses, and the professionals who support them.
Implementing effective financial risk management strategies can serve as a buffer to maintain financial security across military family transitions.
Promoting military fathers’ positive involvement in caring for and raising children is a protective factor and promotes positive family functioning. Children exhibit fewer risk behaviors and engage in healthier, positive social skills when their parents are actively involved (El Nokali et al., 2010).
Social-emotional learning, or SEL, is a process in which children and adults learn to foster children’s emotional and social competence (Ng & Bull, 2018). According to Saarni (1999), emotional competence is “demonstrating one’s self-efficacy in emotion-eliciting transactions” (p. 2).
Youth mental health concerns are complex. Frequently, concerns are attributed to hormones, stress at school, or just having a “teenage attitude.” With military youth, it is important to remember that mental health concerns can sometimes be exacerbated by parental deployment or repeated relocations. It can be hard for military children to find stable sources of support when their support systems are constantly changing.
Have you heard the buzz about SOFAs lately? And no, not the kind you sit on. The Defense Department recently clarified key points about Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs), which impact military spouses working overseas. As a provider, you play a vital role in helping them understand these updates and make informed employment choices while stationed OCONUS.
Moving can be a stressful time for military families. There are so many things that must be managed. They may have to sell (and buy) a new house, switch their children’s school or daycare, or even learn a new language. Sometimes their hard-earned money does not move with them. It is left behind in a forgotten account or hiding place.
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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