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Life as a military family is a whirlwind of constant changes, challenges, and, let’s face it, a whole lot of resilience. From deployments to frequent relocations, military life is demanding in ways that many civilians might never fully grasp. One of the toughest aspects for military parents is finding reliable and affordable child care, a necessity that can seem almost impossible to secure.
Kayla Corbitt, founder of the Operation Child Care Project (OCCP), has dedicated herself to addressing this issue. In her recent appearance on the Our Navy Life podcast, Corbitt discusses the immense pressure child care—or the lack of it—puts on military families. With passion and purpose, she breaks down how OCCP is working to protect military families by making child care more accessible, affordable, and effective. Let’s dive into the highlights of what Kayla shared in this episode and explore how OCCP is transforming lives on the front lines of military child care.
The Critical Need for Child Care in Military Families
In her interview, Kayla Corbitt doesn’t mince words: child care is an urgent need for military families. The constant moving from base to base, the unpredictable deployment schedules, and the lack of local family support make it harder for military parents to secure steady child care. And without reliable care, many parents—especially military spouses—are forced to put their careers or education on hold.
Corbitt points out that this isn’t just about child care logistics. It’s about ensuring that military families have the support they need to thrive, both at home and in their professional lives. When child care falls through the cracks, it doesn’t just affect the family—it impacts the mission of the entire military. Service members perform their duties better knowing that their families are safe, cared for, and supported back home.
But finding child care is far from easy. The long waitlists for on-base Child Development Centers (CDCs) mean that many families are left scrambling for alternatives. Off-base child care can be prohibitively expensive, adding even more stress to families who are often living on tight budgets. Corbitt emphasizes that this is a national issue, not just one isolated to a handful of bases.
The Financial Burden: How Child Care Costs Are Breaking the Bank
Corbitt delves into one of the harshest realities of the child care dilemma: the cost. For many military families, child care represents a financial burden that can be difficult to manage. Even if they can secure a spot in an on-base CDC, the cost can still be significant, especially for families with multiple children. Off-base care is often the only option, and in many parts of the country, it can easily exceed $1,200 to $2,000 per month per child.
Corbitt shared stories on the podcast about military families who have had to dip into savings, take on second jobs, or even consider leaving the military because of the financial strain caused by child care costs. She argues that military families shouldn’t have to make these kinds of sacrifices just to ensure their children are well cared for.
OCCP’s work aims to address this financial burden by advocating for better funding for military child care programs and by providing resources to help families navigate their options. One of Corbitt’s key messages is that no military family should have to choose between their career and the care of their children.
The Emotional and Mental Health Impact on Military Families
It’s not just the finances that take a toll—there’s also an emotional and mental health component that’s often overlooked. Corbitt highlights how the lack of reliable child care can lead to severe stress, anxiety, and burnout for military spouses. Being a military parent is challenging enough without the added pressure of not having a safe and trusted place for your children.
Military spouses, in particular, often bear the brunt of this emotional strain. With their service member spouse away on deployment, the entire responsibility of running the household and caring for the children falls on their shoulders. Without child care, even finding time for self-care, working, or furthering their education becomes a struggle. This can lead to feelings of isolation, frustration, and even depression.
Corbitt stresses that mental health support is an essential part of what OCCP is advocating for. By providing military families with access to reliable child care, OCCP is helping to alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that military spouses face. It’s not just about dropping the kids off at daycare—it’s about creating an environment where military families can thrive emotionally, mentally, and financially.
How OCCP Is Changing the Game
Kayla Corbitt didn’t start the Operation Child Care Project to simply raise awareness—she started it to make real, lasting change. Through OCCP, Corbitt is pushing for systemic improvements in how military child care is funded and accessed. She advocates for policy changes at both the military and government levels, focusing on increasing funding for on-base child care centers, reducing waitlists, and providing subsidies for families who need to turn to off-base options.
But advocacy is just one piece of the puzzle. Corbitt and her team are also working to build community-driven solutions. OCCP is focused on creating partnerships between military families and local child care providers. By helping providers understand the unique challenges military families face, OCCP is creating more flexible, affordable child care options near military bases.
Additionally, OCCP provides military families with educational resources to help them navigate the often-confusing child care landscape. Whether it’s connecting them with child care subsidies, finding community support, or helping them understand their options, OCCP is there every step of the way.
Corbitt also discusses the importance of training child care providers to meet the needs of military children. She emphasizes that military kids often experience emotional upheavals due to their parent’s deployments, and caregivers need to be prepared to provide the emotional support these children require.
The Bigger Picture: Why Child Care is a National Security Issue
Perhaps one of the most eye-opening points that Corbitt made in the podcast was connecting child care to national security. Yes, you read that right—national security. Corbitt explains that when military families don’t have reliable child care, it affects the readiness of service members. When soldiers, sailors, and airmen are worried about their families back home, it’s harder for them to focus on their duties.
Ensuring military families have access to quality child care means ensuring that our military can continue to operate at full capacity. In this way, child care is not just a family issue—it’s a military issue and a national security issue.
Standing with Military Families
Kayla Corbitt’s work with the Operation Child Care Project is about more than just addressing child care shortages—it’s about protecting and supporting military families on every level. From advocating for policy changes to building community partnerships and supporting mental health, OCCP is helping military families thrive.
Military life is hard, but finding child care shouldn’t be. Thanks to Corbitt and OCCP, more military families are finding the care, support, and community they need to navigate the challenges of military life.
Takeaways:
Military families face unique child care challenges, including long waitlists for on-base care and high costs for off-base options.
Child care costs can cause financial strain, forcing some military spouses to leave the workforce or take on additional jobs.
Lack of child care impacts mental health, leading to burnout, isolation, and anxiety for military spouses.
OCCP advocates for policy changes, including more funding for military child care programs and subsidies for off-base care.
OCCP is building community partnerships to create flexible, affordable child care options for military families.
For more insights, check out the full podcast episode with Kayla Corbitt on Our Navy Life here.
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