The Kentucky Senate will host Military Kids Day 2026 at the Kentucky State Capitol campus on Thursday, February 19.
This continues an annual tradition that brings together military families from across the Commonwealth for a day of educational activities, recognition and engagement with state leaders.
The event honors the children and grandchildren of those who serve and have served in the Armed Forces of the United States, offering them a unique opportunity to explore Kentucky’s Capitol, connect with legislators and learn about military and civic service.
As a result of the construction, participating children will not serve as legislative pages this year, and capacity was capped at 150 participants, with exceptions made for any additional registrants who applied before Monday.
This year’s event also marks a notable milestone: it is Sen. Jimmy Higdon’s final session in the Kentucky Senate and, therefore, his final Military Kids Day.
Higdon, of Lebanon, founded the event, which has grown into a proud tradition of honoring military families in Kentucky. Higdon was approached by one of his constituents, Molly Mattingly of Bardstown — the wife of Col. Steve Mattingly of the Kentucky National Guard — with the idea of honoring military kids for the sacrifices they make.
The annual event has experienced record participation over the past couple of years and has now become a national model that other state legislatures have taken an interest in.
Senate Clerk Donna Holiday, who has helped coordinate the event since its inception as a daily page program — alongside the Kentucky National Guard and Senator Higdon’s legislative assistant, Melissa Satterley — said Military Kids Day is now attracting national attention from other state legislatures.
Discussions about Kentucky’s Military Kids Day program were held during the recent Meeting of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries’ Civics Education Committee. Holiday was invited to present at the 2025 ASLCS Professional Development Seminar in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Military Kids Day program is a strong example of how clerks’ offices and legislatures nationwide are engaging the public in the legislative process, a growing priority as legislatures emphasize civics education.