Efforts by Air Force Reserve to Enhance Child Care Availability in Response to Persistent Shortage
The Child Care Crunch Hits Air Force Reservists
Weekend drills can be a hassle for Air Force Reservists - finding child care is a constant struggle due to a nationwide shortage. It's even more challenging than during weekdays.
According to Chief Master Sgt. Israel Nuñez, the senior enlisted leader for Air Force Reserve Command, he's seen reservists bring their kids to work, which isn't ideal. The Air Force runs a Home Community Care (HCC) program, but providers are scarce and often far away.
"If we wanted to drop our son off [with an HCC provider], we would have had to wake up at about 3:30, 4:00 in the morning to be able to leave the house on time, drop him off, and then get to work," said 1st Lt. Marjorie Schurr, a reservist. That's just not possible, she added.
A survey found that 33.9 percent of Air Force Reservists rely on a spouse or partner for child care, 27.6 percent on parents or relatives, and 10 percent on private child care centers. One respondent said private care cost around $500 for two 12-hour days - that's their entire drill pay!
The high cost, long distances, and uncertainty of finding trustworthy providers every weekend-formally known as Unit Training Assembly (UTA) weekends-is becoming a retention issue in the Reserve, Nuñez said.
"We want them to stay in for the long term, but if they're having to pay to serve, they're going to question their decision in the future if they want to reenlist or not," he added.
New pilot programs at Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station and Dobbins Air Reserve Base may offer a solution. Pittsburgh Reservists partnered with a civilian provider near the base that stayed open on weekends. Roughly 20 families have signed up since it opened in July, with Schurr among them.
"The center we're working with has been absolutely phenomenal," she said. "They've been so caring and so patient, and they make it a point to send me pictures of my son throughout the day to show how he's doing."
At Dobbins, a former HCC provider opened her own center, catering to Reservists. Feedback has been great, said Angela Pedersen, military and family readiness director for Dobbins' 94th Airlift Wing.
The successes at Pittsburgh and Dobbins could serve as templates for other Air Force Reserves and potentially military Reserve components across the board. Congress could aid the effort by earmarking funds for Reservist child care contracts with local providers, similar to the Reserve Health Readiness Program, which contracts local health care providers for mandatory vaccines.
The Department of Defense (DoD) should also consider pooling resources and forming an interservice reserve component working group to tackle this issue together, Nuñez suggested. "We don't go to war without a Reserve component," he said, "so let's take care of our Reservists as well."
The DoD is partnering with nonprofits to expand child care facilities in high-demand areas, and the Air Force Aid Society offers more flexible financial aid for eligible families, including reservists, through programs like Child Care for PCS and Give Parents a Break.
So, while finding child care for weekends continues to be a challenge for Air Force Reservists, new solutions and partnerships are emerging to ease the burden. And Congressional support could further help make child care accessible for reservists, during drill weekends and beyond.
- The lack of child care options is a significant challenge for Air Force Reservists during Unit Training Assembly (UTA) weekends, leading to a retention issue within the Reserve.
- New pilot programs at Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station and Dobbins Air Reserve Base, which partner with civilian providers offering weekend care, could provide a solution for some Air Force Reservists struggling with child care.
- The success of these programs may serve as a template for other Air Force Reserves and potentially military Reserve components, aiming to address the child care shortage across multiple services.
- To further support reservists, congressional funding could be earmarked for Reservist child care contracts with local providers, similar to the Reserve Health Readiness Program, and the Department of Defense could consider pooling resources and forming an interservice reserve component working group to tackle this issue together.
