Before school. After school. In the middle of the night when something goes wrong. Liz, Kasen, and Audrey have all learned to carry weight most of their peers never have to think about. They show up and care for a family member who needs them, again and again, in ways that rarely get noticed and even more rarely get thanked. They're not alone: an estimated 3.4-5.4 million youth provide essential caregiving in the U.S., and yet there's no national system in place at schools, hospitals, or doctor's offices to even recognize a child as a caregiver. In this episode, these three incredible young people open up about what that invisible work actually looks like day to day: the responsibility that arrives too early, the exhaustion that goes unspoken, and just how rare it was to feel truly understood — until they found other kids living the same reality. They talk about what changed when they found each other at MCEC, and what it means to finally feel seen and heard by people who simply get it. Julie Coffey, who helps lead the Caregiving Youth Student Leadership Program, joins the conversation to share how the program gives these young caregivers something they didn't know they were missing — a peer community built around the kind of service no one sees, but everyone needs.

Liz. Kasen. Audrey.

Julie Coffey: our beloved Student Well-Being Manager at MCEC. Julie manages the Caregiving Youth Student Leadership Program, as well as many of our other student initiatives, like Student-2-Student (s2s) and the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Program. As a former educator, counselor, and a military-connected Caregiving Youth herself, Julie dedicates herself to helping military-connected students recognize their place of belonging in this world.

https://militarychild.org

Information about the Caregiving Youth Student Leadership Program:

https://militarychild.org/programs-and-initiatives/caregiving-youth-student-leadership-program/

Citations:

Armstrong-Carter E, Siskowski C, Cornish NR, Olson E. Adolescents' caregiving for family: Associations with mental health and academic performance. J Res Adolesc. 2025 Sep;35(3):e70045. doi: 10.1111/jora.70045. PMID: 40586181; PMCID: PMC12221208.

Miller KEM, Hart JL, Useche Rosania M, Coe NB. Youth Caregivers of Adults in the United States: Prevalence and the Association Between Caregiving and Education. Demography. 2024 Jun 1;61(3):829-847. doi: 10.1215/00703370-11383976. PMID: 38785364; PMCID: PMC11539003.

Mixed and mastered by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas, USA.

This episode is made possible by generous funding from the USAA Foundation.

Related MCEC Podcast Episodes:

• Military Kids as Caregivers published 4.29.25
• S2S: Students Supporting Students published 5.25.25
• S2S: Helping Students Succeed published 8.20.24