Military Community, Spouse and Family Resources - Military Times

Mission Family: Respite child care program expands to every state

Families who need support services such as child care aren’t always close to a military installation. That’s been a complaint for years, especially from the Guard and reserve communities.

Some good news: A program that provides respite child care to some of those military families has expanded into all 50 states as of Oct. 1.

Working with YMCAs across the country through a contract with the Armed Services YMCA, the Defense Department is paying for up to 16 hours of respite child care per month, giving parents and caregivers time to rest or run errands.

The following are eligible:

• Family members of deployed Guard and reserve members called up on Title 10 orders for a minimum of six months.

• Active-duty members on independent duty and their families, as approved by the service members’ military service headquarters. Deployment is not a requirement for these families.

• Spouses of deployed active-duty members who have relocated away from an installation — for example, to move back with relatives. If the spouse stays at the installation, the family does not qualify for the program.

Defense Department guidelines allow the respite child care for children up to age 12.

But it’s up to the local YMCA to decide whether to take part in the program, and if it does, which of its child care programs will be included, said Jennie Mixon, joint family resource representative for the Armed Services YMCA headquarters. For example, some may choose to participate in the program for 2-year-olds but not the infant program.

To learn which YMCAs are participating, confirm eligibility and download eligibility forms, visit www.militaryonesource.com or www.asymca.org, or call Military OneSource at 800-342-9647. Mixon advises checking back often; more YMCAs are signing up every month.

The respite child care program is part of the YMCA Military Outreach Initiative — a two-year, $32 million Defense Department contract that includes YMCA memberships for those not near a military fitness facility in six-month increments for up to 12 to 18 months. The same group members listed above are eligible; to remain eligible, families must visit their YMCA at least eight times a month.

YMCA membership is not required for families to use the respite child care program.

Questions? Comments? E-mail staff writer Karen Jowers at kjowers@militarytimes.com.