Thomas R. Lamont, assistant secretary of the Army, manpower and reserve affairs, set the context for the second AUSA Military Family Forum that focused on the children of military families at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition. "It is our responsibility to take good care of military families," he said Oct. 26, and added the $8.8 billion budget for family support will increase by 3 percent in the upcoming year.Nine years of continuous war have not been easy, Lamont said, and those years have produced the signature issues of suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. There are 524,000 soldiers deployed who have children, and 45 percent of these parents have been deployed at least twice. Over 142,000 children are dealing with the absence of a deployed parent. The Army is examining:  How are the children of military families fairing?  Is their resiliency growing or eroding?This forum convened a panel of experts on children and adolescents to discuss these questions, as well as the military’s programs aimed at helping children cope with the effects of deployment.Richard M. Lerner, director of the Tufts University Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, cited the results of a large scale, longitudinal study of 4-H participants.  The study shows that adolescents participating in 4-H programs are more engaged in their schoolwork and communities and less likely to smoke, drink alcohol or take drugs than their peers who are not part of the program. Since approximately 85,000 military children are 4-H members, Lerner said that study indicates the potential for positive youth development that is fostered in supportive environments.Children whose parents have been deployed 19 months or more cumulatively since 2001 have modestly lower, yet statistically significant, achievement scores, reported Amy Richardson, a policy researcher for Rand Corporation. She found that teachers, advisors and counselors want more information about deployments and about how to help children and families who are struggling with their effects.Richardson recommended the Army improve the flow of information to schools, continue to build its psychological and behavioral health capacity, provide greater access to lower-cost mental health care and work to integrate behavioral and primary care. For more on her research, email amy_richardson@rand.org.Angela Huebner, associate professor of human development at Virginia Tech, discussed her findings on how teenagers adjust to their parents’ deployment, gathered from adolescent focus groups.  Unsurprisingly, deployment is stressful for both young people and their parents. Huebner advised parents to make time for family discussions about the difficult issues surrounding deployments and reintegration, to maintain consistent expectations and rituals, to access support systems and to learn and model appropriate strategies for self care and coping.  She recommended Scream Free Parenting and the book, "Parenting from the Inside Out" by Dr. Dan Siegel as resources.The most common response that humans exhibit in response to challenge is resilience, Shelley M. MacDermid Wadsworth, professor of child development and family studies at Purdue University, reminded the forum audience. But, she said that there is mounting evidence that a substantial minority of military children show elevated anxiety and lower school achievement. Wadsworth suggested that parents refer to Sesame Workshop’s Talk, Listen, Connect as a model to help deal with the negative emotions evoked by deployments.  She also alerted the audience members to a new program for military families with very young children that will be available soon at 65 installations – Zero to Three:  Coming Together Around Military Families. Shirley A. Young, program manager for Child, Youth and School Services described the Army Reserves’ Backpack Journalist program that she said helps address the issues raised by the panel’s researchers. Youths who take part in the program learn about photojournalism, songwriting, poetry, cartooning and filmmaking.  They gain useful skills and stay connected during their parents’ deployment.Kathleen Y. Marin, director of installation services in the office of the assistant chief of staff for installation management, summarized the Army’s efforts to combat the ill effects of deployments on children. She reported that the 2010 Blue Star Survey of Military Family Life found that 66 percent of families confirmed that schools are responding to their children’s needs, 33 percent are seeking counseling and 71 percent want more help during deployments.Marin briefly listed some of the assistance that is currently available to military families: Parents can turn to respite care that is available before, during and after deployments.  Hours have also been extended at military childcare centers. Army Strong Beginnings Pre-K is operational at over 80 garrisons.  Families can receive up to $100 reduced sports fees for their children during deployments.  Tutor.com offers free 24/7 tutoring for military families.  Operation:  Military Kids and Operation: Military Child Care provide support to geographically dispersed families.  And Operation Give a Hug continues to send comforting dolls to children who have a deployed parent.