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Month of the Military Child

Military members and military-connected families make many sacrifices for the security and safety of our nation, specifically military-connected children during their K-12 careers. April is designated as the Month of the Military Child or Purple Up! For Military Kids. Across the nation, states and school districts will celebrate the important role military children play while their service member parents serve our country through special events and wearing the color purple.

Please join the MIC3 and the New York State Education Department in celebrating military children throughout the month of April.

Special Programs

During the month of April, military children and their parents can partake in the following programs provided by top attractions across New York State and the New York State Department of Veterans' Services (NYS DVS). Advance registration is required for participation. Interested individuals can register by emailing benjamin.pomerance@veterans.ny.gov with the subject line "Month of the Military Child Registration."

  • April 6: Explore Howe Caverns with an exclusive tour underground, generously co-sponsored by the Military Family Foundation.
  • April 7: Get behind the scenes at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, with a special tour including access to the visitor's clubhouse batting cage.
  • April 13: Visit the All Things Oz Museum in the hometown of L. Frank Baum, author of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, for a unique experience.
  • April 14: Embark on a journey through the history of Broadway at the Museum of Broadway in New York City.
  • April 20: Experience a wildlife adventure at Bailiwick Animal Park, where exotic and domestic animals await.
  • April 21: Enjoy a special tour of Lyndhurst mansion during their remarkable Flower Show near the Hudson River.
  • April 27: Attend a special laser show set to Taylor Swift tunes at the Rochester Museum & Science Center’s Planetarium.
  • April 28: Discover the wonders of Niagara Falls with visits to the Aquarium of Niagara, Maid of the Mist boat ride, and Cave of the Winds.

Additionally, throughout April, the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services will celebrate its partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project. Military families collaborated with professional artists at Carnegie Hall to create original lullabies for their children, with recordings of these lullabies being shared on NYS DVS’s social media profiles for public enjoyment.

Purple Up! Celebration Ideas

The following list provides suggestions to celebrate the Month of the Military Child and Purple Up! Day. 

  • Purple Up Day
    • Observe Purple Up Day. Challenge students, faculty, and staff to wear purple. The class with the most purple wins a prize. Share photos on social media! 
  • Social Media
    • ​Utilize the Social Media Hashtag: #MIC3Compact and #purpleup4militarykids when posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Web Site Feature. Promote the Month of the Military Child on the school web site. List activities that will take place on different days during the month.
  • Special Announcements
    • ​Have a military child do the announcements and share an interesting fact about their life as a military child.
  • Daily Factoids
    • Have a daily or weekly announcement with military-connected student facts. Start with the national facts and move into school facts.
  • Light it Up!
    • Get a local landmark, district office or school building lit up purple.
  • Dress Up Theme Day
    • Have a dress-up theme for each week in April. Ideas include favorite service logo day, patriotic day, etc.
  • Military Memorabilia
    • Decorate display cases and bulletin boards throughout April with military focused memorabilia, or items brought by military children reflecting their experiences (where they have lived or traveled, family members’ service memorabilia, parts of a uniform, patches, coins, etc.)
  • Where in the World?
    • Create a world map and pinpoint where students and staff have lived because of their military lifestyle.
  • Adopt a Service Member
    • Adopt a deployed service member or unit. Send cards, letters, and care packages to deployed troops. Adopt a Family. Adopt a family whose military member is deployed. Find out what the family needs help with - yard work, in-home technology, childcare, tutoring, homework help, etc. – and have a class or club step in to help out.
  • Guest Speaker
    • Ask a military member (a parent or sibling of someone in the class) to be a guest speaker and share their perspective on life in the military as well as their profession.
  • Wall of Heroes
    • Create a Hero Wall to honor members. They could be family members of students or historical figures. Time Zone Wall. In a main hallway set up a series of clocks showing the time in different countries where military children’s family members are deployed.
  • Poster Contest
    • Decorate the school or virtual learning environment. Have a group of kids design posters thanking military children and their parents for their service. Have military children make posters reflecting their experiences. Have a contest for students to choose their favorite poster.
  • Chalk Art
    • Ask families and students to decorate the sidewalk at school, at home, or at a park and share through social media.
  • Share Stories
    • Invite a deployed service family member in the classroom or at an assembly. Or through a virtual meeting, podcast, webinar.
  • Ribbons
    • ​Tie purple ribbons, one per military child in the school, on a tree outside the school or attach on the walls of the lunchroom or main hallway. 

Reference Month of the Military Child: Let's Celebrate! for additional ideas to celebrate the Month of the Military Child and Purple Up! Day.

Share Your Stories

The New York State Education Department wishes to highlight local Month of the Military Child and Purple Up! Day celebrations.  Please observe the following parameters to share a local celebration of New York's military children.  

  1. Typed stories should no more than one page in length and submitted as an attached document to an email sent to P12StandardsInstruction@nysed.gov.  Please use the subject line "Month of the Military Child". Documents must be submitted in an editable word processor file format (Word, Pages). 
  2. It is the responsibility of the entity submitting the story to ensure that there is compliance with all relevant copyright and privacy laws.  Responsibility for obtaining any third-party permission(s) if necessary, rests with the entity submitting the story.
  3. By submitting a story to NYSED, you understand and acknowledge:
    • That you have the right to submit the story (you are the author or you have the author’s permission and/or any other necessary third-party permissions);
    • That you have permission from school/district/BOCES administration to submit a story to NYSED for publication; and
    • That you permit NYSED to publish the story in various formats.  
  4. NYSED retains the right to edit submitted stories for grammar, mechanics, and spelling. If significant editing of content is required, NYSED may correspond to submitter with a request for edits.
  5. NYSED encourages the inclusion of pictures. Links to videos may be embedded in the story or submitted as the story. The school or district is responsible for obtaining and maintaining the appropriate release forms. 
    • Release forms must be signed and retained by the school or district for all visual and audio content that features people, both children and adults. The release form for children must be signed by a parent or guardian.
    • Release forms must also be signed by the owners of the visual and audio content (photographers, videographers, etc.) verifying that the content may be posted on the website.
  6. If you would like to share files related to your story, please provide a link to your website or a person to contact for more information in the body of the submission email. NYSED cannot post files on its website.
  7. Publication is not guaranteed. If your story is published, you will receive notification via email.
Additional Resources

Questions pertaining to the Month of the Military Child or the Interstate Compact can be directed to P12StandardsInstruction@nysed.gov.