Military Child Care vs. Civilian Child Care

"We are moving to Germany,” my husband told me as he got his first official orders for the U.S. Army. I was so excited to be moving overseas I didn’t even think ahead to the fact that I may not be able to work. I was pregnant at the time with my first son and had just finished my master’s degree in public health. I was excited to get into the field, but now, with an overseas move, I had to think about if there were actually any jobs for me there. For the rest of my pregnancy, I kept an eye out for positions that popped up and tried to see if it fit with our new life in Germany. “Does this help my career while I am stationed here? Where would the baby go for child care? How long before I am able to put him in child care? Do I trust the care provider? How much would it even cost to put the baby in child care?”

Raising a child with disabilities can be rewarding in unexpected ways. There’s the pride of seeing your child master a new skill, often after a struggle that typically developing children never know. Naturally, there are challenges involved in caring for a child with special needs, especially if the child’s physical or developmental disability is severe. Parents often say they long for a break from the 24/7 demands of caretaking.

As the end of the year nears, CCAoA’s Emergency Preparedness Team has been reflecting on the disasters that struck in 2017. Top-of-mind, of course, are the hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Our team worked directly with CCR&Rs affected by the storms and the providers they serve. This is the last of three blogs on lessons learned and our team’s advice for CCR&Rs about the critical things they need to do before, during, and after a disaster.

Did you know the new iOS 11 feature on your iPhone allows you to call for Emergency SOS 911 help without using the keypad, even when your phone is locked? The great thing about this feature is that you can access emergency services silently and quickly.  Having a cell phone present during an emergency or disaster can be invaluable.  According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), about 70 percent of 911 calls are placed from wireless phones and that number is growing.

We know that having a cell phone present during an emergency or disaster is great, nevertheless, simply having a cell phone with you during an emergency does not guarantee your safety. Understanding your cell phone’s emergency options and having them properly prepared and activated is key when your survival is at stake.

Child care prepares our littlest for the future, by helping them learn and grow. A lot of time and energy is spent making sure that children are healthy right now, today in child care—we create safe environments, we do health checks, and our licensing and monitoring visits are designed to make sure that there are no public health and safety threats.
But what if we looked at health the way we look at learning--not just as things we do to keep children and their families healthy today, but as the building blocks for long, healthy lives? What if the meals we serve weren't just about giving kids something to eat to fill their tummies now, but were seen as giving children experiences with food, which in turn develops preferences for food that fuel their bodies and protects them from chronic diseases, like diabetes?

Daniela Salinas’ access to quality child care has been limited by high costs.  Like many states around the nation the cost of child care in her home state is more expensive than college tuition.  Watch as Daniela shares how voucher and subsidy programs help families make child care more affordable and enabled her to finish college. Then, check out our 2017 Parents and the High Cost of Child Care report to find out how affordable child care is in your state.