.png)
Military spouses are often hailed as the unsung heroes of military life. They manage households, support their families through frequent relocations, and adapt to the uncertainties of deployment, all while maintaining their own careers, education, or personal goals. But one of the greatest challenges they face—and one that deeply impacts their mental health—is access to affordable, quality child care.
Kayla Corbitt, the visionary behind the Operation Child Care Project (OCCP), is on a mission to better understand how the availability of child care influences the mental well-being of military spouses. In a recent interview with Military Families Magazine, Corbitt dives into the complexities of the child care issue and its far-reaching effects on military families, particularly on the mental health of the spouses who are the backbone of support.
A Common Challenge with Extraordinary Impact
Kayla Corbitt highlights a reality that many military spouses are all too familiar with: the challenge of securing reliable, affordable child care. While this is an issue many civilian families face as well, it takes on a heightened significance for military spouses due to their unique lifestyle.
Military life is filled with demands and sacrifices that can make securing child care even more difficult. Frequent moves mean that just as a family might settle into a routine, they’re uprooted again, leaving behind a trusted daycare, a favorite babysitter, or a carefully arranged schedule of support. For many military families, moving to a new duty station means starting from scratch—navigating waitlists, navigating new state regulations, and rebuilding their support networks.
Corbitt points out that the impact of this instability on a spouse's mental health cannot be overstated. Without reliable child care, many military spouses find themselves unable to pursue their own careers, goals, or even take a moment for self-care. This inability to carve out personal time often leads to increased stress, anxiety, and feelings of isolation.
The Mental Health Strain
Corbitt highlights that mental health challenges among military spouses are well-documented, yet often go overlooked. While their service members are deployed, military spouses take on an extraordinary amount of responsibility. Their days are filled with parenting, running the household, managing finances, and supporting their service members from afar. Yet, they often lack consistent support or reprieve.
She emphasizes that the mental health of military spouses is directly tied to the availability of child care. When military spouses don’t have access to reliable child care, their mental health suffers. The pressure to “do it all” becomes overwhelming. Without a break, burnout is inevitable. Spouses can’t take time to focus on their own well-being—whether that’s through working out, seeing a therapist, or simply having a few moments to recharge.
Corbitt makes it clear that child care access isn’t just a logistical issue—it’s a mental health one. Without the proper support, military spouses are at risk of long-term mental health problems, from anxiety and depression to feelings of isolation and hopelessness.
The Career Trap
One of the major effects of child care shortages is the inability of military spouses to maintain or grow their own careers. Corbitt points to the overwhelming evidence that military spouses have significantly higher unemployment rates compared to their civilian counterparts. This isn’t due to a lack of ambition or talent but to the sheer logistics of balancing work with limited child care options.
When military families move to new locations, military spouses often find themselves on long waiting lists for child care facilities, especially on bases where the demand far outweighs the supply. This delay means they are unable to start a new job or continue with their career plans. For some, this turns into years of unemployment or underemployment, resulting in financial stress and career stagnation. The mental toll this takes on military spouses is significant, leading to frustration, a loss of identity, and a deep sense of unfulfillment.
Corbitt emphasizes that the career sacrifices military spouses make don’t just impact their family finances but have a profound effect on their sense of purpose. Many spouses feel disconnected from their professional goals, which directly correlates with their overall mental well-being.
Community Solutions
To combat these challenges, Corbitt stresses the importance of community-based solutions. She notes that the military community has long been resilient, finding ways to support one another during tough times. Operation Child Care Project seeks to tap into that resilience, advocating for policies and programs that prioritize child care for military families.
One of Corbitt’s primary goals is to gather data on the impact of child care access—or lack thereof—on the mental health of military spouses. Through surveys, interviews, and research, OCCP aims to paint a clearer picture of the needs within the military community. This information can then be used to advocate for better child care resources, whether that’s through additional funding for military child care centers, support for community-based care options, or programs that provide financial assistance to military families for child care.
The goal is to show that supporting military spouses through better child care access isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a necessity. By ensuring that military spouses have the child care they need, we can help improve their mental health, support their career ambitions, and strengthen military families as a whole.
Advocacy and Action
Corbitt’s efforts with OCCP are about more than just raising awareness; they are about driving change. She believes that child care access should be a priority in military policy and that military spouses’ mental health must be protected. She encourages military families to share their stories and participate in surveys to help build the data needed to advocate for stronger policies.
Through community-driven research and advocacy, Corbitt and OCCP aim to shine a light on the critical role child care plays in the lives of military families and to push for meaningful change that will have a lasting impact.
Takeaways:
Child care shortages deeply affect military spouses, impacting their mental health, careers, and overall well-being.
Mental health impact: Without reliable child care, military spouses experience increased stress, anxiety, and isolation.
Career struggles: Military spouses face significantly higher unemployment due to child care shortages, leading to financial and personal fulfillment issues.
Community-driven solutions are key to addressing these challenges, with the Operation Child Care Project gathering data to advocate for better resources.
Advocacy is critical: Military spouses are encouraged to share their stories to help push for policies that prioritize child care access for military families.
For more detailed insights, you can read the full interview with Kayla Corbitt here.
Comments