University of Kentucky resources for supporting military families

The University of Kentucky is committed to helping military families through the Family and Consumer Sciences Extension’s Military Families Program. Started in 2008, the program exists to develop research-backed programming to improve the lives of military families. 

The goals of the Extension Military Families program are to assist Active Duty, Guard, Reserve and Veteran families by: 

1. Connecting military families to needed resources and support; 
2. Helping service members more effectively reconnect with their children before, during and after deployments; 
3. Improving healthy parent/child relationships and family communication skills by providing programs that involve the entire family; 
4. Improving the sense of connectedness for geographically dispersed military families by providing opportunities for interaction, community resources, activities involving multiple local/regional/state organizations, and introducing military families to Extension programs. 

Within the program, there are different options for families with different needs.  

The Military Camping Program at UK provides various camps for military families to spend quality time outdoors while learning team building and bonding skills. These camps rotate locations around the Commonwealth to best serve Kentucky military families. 

In 2025, UK Cooperative Extension launched the Kentucky Extension Military Collaborative, a multidisciplinary effort to strengthen statewide partnerships that support military-connected families and professionals. OneOp, a featured program in the Collaborative, is an online learning hub that prepares community-based professionals to better serve military families and the specific challenges they face. From deployment and mental health to financial well-being and community support, OneOp’s mission is to promote comprehensive Military Family Readiness. 

More information about how UK Cooperative Extension serves UK’s military families can be found on the Family and Consumer Sciences Extension webpage. 

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