Coming Together Around Military Families: Meeting the Needs of the Youngest Family Members Impacted by Military Service

The deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have been affecting military families for nearly a decade. As of June 2009, almost 900,000 of combat deployed military personnel were parents. As of July, 2010, over 71,000 U.S. service members had been wounded during the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan and almost 7000 had been killed. In addition to physical injuries, service members have sustained less visible injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and/or traumatic brain injury. According to a 2009 DoD report, 42% of the children of active duty members are between the ages of 0 to 5. Babies and toddlers may be particularly vulnerable to the contextual family stressors associated with deployment, which can impact their parents' and caregivers' emotional health and responsiveness. Young children rely heavily on positive interactions with their caregivers to promote optimal social-emotional development. Parental stress or trauma can compromise these early interactions and potentially influence an infant or toddler's developmental trajectory. This presentation will provide an overview of the work of Military Family Projects (MFP) at ZERO TO THREE, including components of Coming Together Around Military Families® that provides trainings, consultation, and materials to interdisciplinary professionals across Service Branches and communities. Output data from the MFP projects, as well as new and emerging MFP initiatives that further advance the unique needs of military families and their very young children in the context of military-specific stress and trauma will be shared.