Can The Military Childcare Crisis Be Fixed?

In this episode of the Military Wallet podcast, host Ryan Guina and guest Kayla Corbitt tackle the massive, complex challenge of finding safe, affordable, and reliable childcare for military families.

Kayla, founder of Operation Childcare Project, shares her expertise on navigating Department of Defense programs like CDC and FCC, as well as civilian assistance programs.

Discover the crucial differences between installation-based care and off-base options, how priority systems work, and the reality of fee assistance wait times. Learn why a 'menu' approach to childcare is essential, leveraging everything from family and friends to non-traditional care.

Kayla provides actionable advice on vetting providers, safety planning for deployments and shift work, and utilizing resources like the Dependent Care Flex Spending Account.

This conversation highlights childcare not just as a family issue, but a critical readiness and retention factor for the entire military community. Check out occproject.org for free case management and helpful calculators.

For more information, check out ⁠TheMilitaryWallet.com

Connect with Kayla Corbitt

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylacorbitt/

Website: https://www.occproject.org/

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0:00 Intro

0:10 The Mission

1:12 Operation Child Care Project overview

3:04 Kayla's origin story & motivation

7:38 Overview of military childcare programs

8:46 DoD vs. civilian-operated programs

10:14 Fee assistance program (MMYN)

13:40 Child care in your home program (CCH)

16:36 Pros and cons of different care options

23:54 Vetting providers and safety

28:26 Handling unpredictable schedules

31:53 Handling deployments and TDY

38:22 Affordability, subsidies & tax benefits

44:12 Services offered by Operation Child Care Project

48:07 Gaps and hopes for the future

52:45 Connecting with Operation Child Care Project

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