(Missourinet) – Finding access to childcare is a struggle in Missouri and the military is no different. To improve the lives of soldiers and the nation’s military readiness, the U.S. Army Reserve is testing out a program to help soldiers in the Kansas City area get access to childcare during drill weekends and annual training.
Under the program, reservists will be able to find help through a company called WeeCare, which has more than 100,000 providers nationwide. There’s no cost to the soldiers and their families who use the program.
Col. Ellen Coddington, the Reserve’s Family Program Director, said the military is reinforcing its focus on its people every day.
“You know, we want to support our soldiers and their families during all phases of the soldiers’ life cycle. So, that goes from recruitment to retirement and even into remembrance as the soldiers leave us. We still want to stay connected with their family,” Coddington told Missourinet.
She said Clay County was chosen for the test program because of an adequate number of soldiers and childcare options to support the program.
“It’s a huge financial stressor, especially for our junior soldiers who sometimes would pay more in childcare than they would bring home on a reserve check,” said Coddington. “So, the program itself is designed to alleviate those financial stressors so the soldier can focus on training and not to care for their children.”
West Liberty, in far eastern Iowa, is also part of the test program.
“Their quality of life and their well-being is actually first and foremost for us,” she said. “The Army Reserve wanted reliable safe childcare for our soldiers so that our soldiers can have peace of mind while they’re fulfilling their military obligations.”
To find out more, soldiers are encouraged to reach out to the Public Affairs Office within the U.S. Army Reserve.
(Photo by Getty Images in collaboration with Unsplash)
