Army National Guard expands Weekend Drill Child Care Program
“I felt like I was constantly pressuring my family for help, not receiving it, and feeling like I'd rather just not be in the military because it was such a consistent burden that I simply had no fix for,” Peck said. She added that the recurring challenge eventually made her question whether she could continue her military career.
For Soldiers facing similar challenges, the Army National Guard's Weekend Drill Child Care program provides eligible Soldiers with reliable, no-cost child care during scheduled drill weekends. The program is expanding from a 20-state pilot to all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia by Dec. 31, according to U.S. Army Col. Danielle MacDonnell, chief of the human resources directorate at the National Guard Bureau, which supports approximately 330,000 Soldiers.
She said the child care program gives Soldiers and families more flexibility by letting them seek care near their home or drill location.
“Free child care for our traditional drilling Guardsmen relieved a large amount of stress for families when planning to attend drill and managing family responsibilities,” MacDonnell said. “By relieving the burden of child care, Soldiers are more able to focus during drill weekends and perform at higher levels.”
Feedback from the pilot program indicated that access to child care can reduce family stress, remove a potential barrier to drill attendance and support readiness and retention efforts, MacDonnell said.
For Peck, coordinating traditional child care arrangements for weekend drills was often difficult. Family members had their own weekend commitments, and most child care facilities operated during the workweek. At one point, Peck turned to an online babysitting service but remained uneasy about leaving her daughter with someone she had only recently met.
When Wisconsin participated in the pilot program, Peck said the program offered something more important than financial savings: consistency and peace of mind.
“It was the consistent, close, reliable care that made a huge difference,” Peck said. “Having someone who I knew would have their door open for my daughter one weekend every month was huge.”
The provider was located within a few miles of Peck's armory, making child care more convenient during lengthy drill days.
“My daughter received care from the program for about 8 months and it ended up being a home she didn't want to leave at the end of the day,” Peck said. “That made me feel so grateful and at ease.”
In Texas, Army National Guard leaders received information about the expansion Sept. 28 through a personnel update, according to Shandra Sponsler, personnel services branch chief for the Texas Army National Guard.
Sponsler said the Texas Army National Guard plans to share information about the program through unit chains of command, digital flyers, email and text alerts, social media, child and youth services personnel, and family-readiness networks.
“This program has the capability to assist in alleviating the stress of finding child care when a spouse or domestic partner must work and the social-support network is lacking or nonexistent,” Sponsler said.
Sponsler said the program may be especially important for dual-military couples, who can face competing drill schedules and child care requirements.
“Reliable child care during drill weekends enables Soldiers to focus on mission-critical tasks with peace of mind that their children are well cared for,” Sponsler said.
For MacDonnell, the program also has a personal connection.
“At one point, I was a single parent myself,” MacDonnell said. “Being able to provide this benefit to Soldiers removes one less stress in their lives and enables them to focus on what they need to do for themselves, as well as for the organization.”
For Peck, dependable child care removed a burden that once threatened her willingness to keep serving.
“Having that reliable child care completely put my mind at ease for drill weekends and 100% allowed me to focus on what I needed to for the military,” Peck said.
Asked how she would describe the program's value to Army National Guard leadership, Peck offered a one-word answer.
“Invaluable.”
Peck’s experience reflects how reliable child care can help remove a practical barrier to service for Guard families.
“We recruit Soldiers, but we retain families, because behind every Soldier is a family serving alongside them,” said Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the chief of the National Guard Bureau. “By ensuring no Soldier has to choose between their job and childcare on drill weekends, this initiative helps soften a barrier to service and strengthens readiness across the force.”
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
