By Scott Prater
Mountaineer staff
FORT CARSON, Colo. — The Department of Defense recently announced a change in its child care policy which could impact Fort Carson military and government-civilian Families.
In a letter sent July 27, 2020, the Department of the Army Installation Management Command informed Families of a change in priorities for child care — beginning Sept. 1, 2020, active-duty military Families will have top priority for child care at on-post facilities.
“The intent of the change is to provide more child-care access to active-duty military members, especially the single and dual-military Soldiers,” said Armanda Hunt, coordinator, Fort Carson Child and Youth Services (CYS). “Currently, DOD civilians can take advantage of child care on post and we have everyone from wounded warriors to direct-care staff personnel utilizing our services as well as active-duty service members and National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers (on active duty).
Col. Nate Springer, commander, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson, explained the new priority system during the Mountain Post leaders’ COVID-19 town hall update July 29, 2020.
“Military Families are the No. 1 priority for child care, including single Soldiers, dual active-duty Soldiers and spouses who work full time or part time (including Guard and Reserve Soldiers who are on active duty),” Springer said. “Priority No. 2 is DOD civilians, those who are single or dual-DOD employees or those who have a working spouse. Priority No. 3 is space available.”
Families at installations that currently carry waiting lists for care, like Fort Carson, stand to be impacted the most because the new priorities could supplant those who are currently receiving child care at CYS facilities.
“Right now, we have a waitlist for every age that we serve, with the exception of school-age children” said Hunt. “Our child development centers serve children 6 weeks to kindergarten age, and the length of the waitlists depend on the age of the child, with infants being the longest.”
According to the Department of the Army letter, Families may be supplanted from care by Families in higher priority categories whose wait times exceed 45 days beyond the date care is needed. In turn, Families of children who are supplanted will receive 45-day notices and may request new placements according to their priorities.
Families who are supplanted may also be eligible for Army fee assistance to help pay the cost of off-post child care.
“Army fee assistance is available through a program called Child Care Aware of America,” Hunt said. “But, in order to be considered eligible for the program, patrons must be active duty/deployed active duty, National Guard and Reserve activated under title 10 or title 32 federal orders, Army civilians and National Guard or Reserve technicians. What this means is that Child Care Aware of America will ensure that a Family that is supplanted will pay the same rate for child care that they would pay if they were utilizing child care services on post.”
For more information about child care priorities at Fort Carson and Army fee assistance, contact Parent Central Services at 526-1101.
| Date Taken: | 08.03.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2020 14:40 |
| Story ID: | 375427 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 126 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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