April is when “Purple Up” is easy: a purple shirt, a quick photo, a simple show of support. But the Month of the Military Child—observed each April by the U.S. Department of Defense since 1986—isn’t meant to be just a moment. DoD frames the month as a time to recognize military-connected children and spotlight resources and services that support their well-being.

In a 2023 DoD release, put a precise number on the community: “This April, we honor the 1,602,261 military children, youth and teens serving alongside our nation’s service members.”  DoD also describes the population as “more than 1.6 million military children.”

That word, serving, matters. Military kids “serve” through constant transition that most civilian families never experience. DoD reports military families move every two to three years on average, and military children change schools an average of six to nine times from kindergarten through high school graduation.  Those moves have downstream effects: learning disruption, loss of peer networks, and—especially for children with specialized needs gaps in services and supports.

Then there’s deployment. A DoD-funded research summary from the University of Minnesota REACH Center—based on medical-record analysis published in Pediatrics found that for children ages 3–8, outpatient mental and behavioral health visits increased 11% during a parent’s deployment. Reported behavioral disorders increased 19%, and stress disorders increased 18%.  The takeaway is not that every child will struggle; it’s that the likelihood of needing support rises in predictable ways during deployment and families deserve proactive support, not crisis-only help.

Financial stress can amplify every one of these pressures. Blue Star Families’ 2024 Military Family Lifestyle Survey release reports housing costs remain the top contributing factor to financial stress for active-duty family respondents.  It also reports that 1 in 6 active-duty family respondents experienced food insecurity—rising to 1 in 4 among enlisted family respondents.  For a family already managing a move or a deployment, the margin for error can be thin.

So what does a defense credit union have to do with the Month of the Military Child? Quite a lot because family stability is readiness, and financial readiness is one of the strongest predictors of stability.

Defense credit unions are member-owned institutions that often serve on or near installations. They understand PCS orders, deployments, and transition timelines because their members live them. As Anthony Hernandez said: “Military families don’t turn to Wall Street for financial advice.”  They turn to trusted institutions—often on base—that can provide continuity, fair pricing, and community support.

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DCUC and our member credit unions translate that trust into practical tools. The Armed Forces Financial Guide helps families “map the military lifecycle,” from accessing benefits and making household decisions to transitioning out of uniform and enrolling in essential veteran programs.  And through the Veterans Benefits Banking Program—supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs—participating institutions commit to offer a free checking account with no minimum balance to a veteran who brings a monthly VA monetary benefit deposit, and to assist veterans who don’t currently qualify to open an account through financial products, education, or counseling.

DCUC has also documented what effective readiness looks like in practice. In a 2025 letter to the U.S. Department of the Treasury supporting the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, DCUC described credit unions “embedded within military installations” delivering education and stability amid relocations and deployments, including deployment-readiness workshops on bill management and scam avoidance.  The letter highlights youth-facing models such as Redstone Federal Credit Union’s student-run branches and more than $50,000 in annual scholarships; it also points to PenFed Credit Union’s digital tools and webinars that reach military families where they are.

DCUC has also urged Treasury to include credit unions in the rollout of newborn “Trump Accounts” a one-time $1,000 government-funded custodial account for eligible newborns from 2025 through 2028 warning that excluding credit unions would create avoidable access barriers for young military families, especially where the on-base credit union is the most accessible financial institution.

If April is going to be more than symbolic, credit unions can use the month as a disciplined push for practical support:

• Partner with installation school liaisons and nearby districts to host “PCS Ready” nights that pair school-transition guidance with a short financial checklist for moving.
• Hold deployment-readiness workshops (caregivers and age-appropriate teen sessions) on fraud prevention, bill continuity, and an emergency plan that reduces panic spending.
• Provide PCS relief where it counts, fee waivers for documented moves and fair-priced small-dollar “PCS bridge” loans paired with coaching when reimbursements lag.
• Launch an April “emergency-savings jumpstart” with automatic transfers and small matching dollars, plus matched youth savings tied to a short financial literacy module.

Purple represents the whole force. This April, let’s match the color with substances so military kids feel support not only in our words, but in the stability of their daily lives.

Jason Stverak is Chief Advocacy Officer for the Defense Credit Union Council, a role he assumed in April 2024. He previously served as Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Federal Government Affairs at America’s Credit Unions and was interim chief advocacy officer in 2022 and 2023. Earlier in his career, he was deputy chief of staff to Senator Kevin Cramer and held senior legislative roles in Congress and advocacy organizations. A prominent voice on Capitol Hill, Stverak is a frequent media contributor and has been recognized as a top lobbyist by The Hill and the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics.