Family 1He (Sam, 3 years) didn't understand the difference between deployment and going to work, which created huge meltdowns when Caleb was home after deployment and then said he was going to "work." Family 2You are not really in or out after they die. I find it hard to connect with other defence families at Army unit days. Family 3He was also really upset by some of the parenting decisions I had made in his absence. It was hard having those very honest conversations where he was saying he thought those decisions were wrong.

Children negotiate their lives through the narratives to which they are exposed in digital, print and oral form. The Rose’s Story app project drew on a philosophy that positions children as social agents. We used the social and contextual elements underlying children’s experiences with technology to develop a digital app for young children from the Australian military community by leveraging family narratives to portray children’s agency. Data to develop the app was taken from a 2017 study involving 2 to 5 year-old children from 11 Australian Defence Force families. Findings from the Rose’s Story app project can be applied practically to impact the well-being of children from military families, their parents, educators, and the broader community by increasing understanding and empathy. This article outlines effective ways to utilize a productive medium for children’s voices to be heard, as well as identifies potential barriers.

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Parental deployment and frequent relocations exert significant stress on children from military families. This stress can be extremely disruptive to young children's social, cognitive and behavioural development. It can result in negative social, emotional, and physical responses. There are a broad range of programs, resources, and services available mainly in the US, but also internationally. The programs endeavour to mitigate the impacts of military life on young children by providing support to families. This paper explores the programs for families with young children and the need for culturally and age-appropriate resources. It also discusses how the Early Childhood Defence Programs (ECDP) project is responding to this need by developing three free, online Australian early childhood programs for parents, family workers and educators. This scoping review of currently available programs and resources will determine how the project, and others wanting to support children from military families, can best address this need.

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