April is the Month of the Military Child
April is designated the Month of the Military Child in recognition of the unique challenges and triumphs military children face. On average, military children experience school transitions six to nine times during their school years. The upheavals can lead to lower academic achievement, feelings of anxiety when family members are deployed, and difficulties in connecting to the larger community. That’s why it’s so important for society, and especially our schools, to provide them with understanding and support.
Purple Star Awards
Creating a collaborative and military-friendly environment in our schools is one of many actions that impact West Virginia’s efforts to encourage military families to live, work, and retire in the Mountain State. That’s why the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance has partnered with the West Virginia Department of Education to issue Purple Star Awards to schools that address the unique needs of military children.
School representatives who have sought out and implemented the Purple Star Award requirements have indicated that they felt empowered to improve the well-being of military-connected students in numerous ways, including academically, socially, emotionally, or physically.
Here in the Mountain State, 297 schools have earned a Purple Star Award recognizing their commitment to support military children and their families and 16 districts have qualified to receive the award.
Scheduled Events
Schools are encouraged to participate in the following events for 2025. These dates have been selected in collaboration with the Office of Family Programs at the West Virginia National Guard and Common Ground Partners:
- Military Signing Week/Spirit Week – April 7-11: Spirit Week events create a military-friendly climate for students. Occurring simultaneously, Military Signing Week recognizes students who make a special commitment to serve and defend the public as a member of the United States Armed Forces.
- Purple Up Day – April 11: Students are encouraged to wear purple to honor military children and families. Purple is used because it represents a combination of Army green, Marine Corps red, and blue from the Coast Guard, Air Force, and Navy.
Purple Star Requirements
Show your support for our military children and families by becoming a Purple Star School or District. Applicants must meet the following criteria:
Purple Star School:
- Identify a trained military family point of contact
- Provide a link to the Common Ground Partnership page on its website
- Provide a plan for how the school will support military children and their families
- Celebrate Purple Up Day during the month of April annually
- Host two qualifying military support activities in the current year, then two annually
Purple Star School District:
- Identify a trained military family point of contact at the county level
- Provide a link to the Common Ground Partnership page on its website
- Pass a resolution or take action to publicize district support of military-connected families
- Ensure all schools within the district qualify for the award recognition
Join the Purple Star Class of 2025
Click here to fill out an application to become a Purple Star School or District.
Once a school receives the Purple Star Award, the military family point of contact will begin receiving regular correspondence about opportunities to collaborate with military partners, participating in professional development in meeting the needs of military-connected children, and supportive resources available to military families.
The deadline for receiving school applications is April 25, 2025. The fifth class of Purple Star recipients will be announced in May 2025.