As if moving and establishing medical care wasn’t enough, we also must establish daycare. Travis works 7-? and I work 8-4. Neither of us can be home to put the girls on or off the school bus… so this means FIVE kids in daycare.
Luckily, for military families there is a subsidy called childcare aware. This subsidy lowers the cost of a civilian daycare provider to what you would pay on base. Travis and I are at the max income level for on-base childcare, so we pay the max rate, but it is still cheaper than civilian providers. More on this later.
Pre-Move
So, before we moved, I had everything figured out. I found a facility that would bus my girls to school and bus them back to the center each day, that qualified for the subsidy. I found a KinderCare near base that would take my other three. I had all the paperwork filled out ready to go, and childcare aware applications started.
Then I got here and realized that the facility near base was NOT a good fit. At all.I quickly pulled my kids from that one and started the search again, more desperately this time. Luckily, within a few days I was able to have them all start at a beautiful kiddie academy near where my big girls would be going.
I thought we were all set. Then I received the certificates. Turns out childcare in this area is even more outrageously expensive than you can imagine. See, Childcare aware has a cap of $1800. If your provider charges more than $1800 a month for childcare, you have to pay your portion and whatever is left over. This is the case for both my baby and my toddler, meaning we pay about an extra $500-700 a month in childcare compared to what we would pay on base. As much as I love this facility, it just isn’t sustainable.
On Base CDC
I put our kids on the waitlist for the CDC on base way back in April when I had my orders in hand. And here comes the story on how the Army epically fails at providing childcare for service members.
I never expected to get in, in Washington, the waitlist was over 2 years long. I put my kids on the list and started calling. They let us know that we couldn’t officially be on a waitlist until we were one month out from the day we needed care. That is the first problem.
How are families supposed to plan appropriately for childcare without knowing an estimate when you may get it? You are automatically forced to look for civilian childcare to be sure they have SOMEWHERE to go. I don’t get it. It’s like the military expects that one parent will just stay home with the kids when the service member reports for duty. There is nothing in place to assure that children will be cared for on a report date. In fact, when we were one month out from needing care, I was told the end of October would be the next date available for my children and my report date was 30 September.
I was so happy with the civilian facility, I thought I wouldn’t leave, but then when I discovered the huge gap between what Childcare aware pays and what was charged, I couldn’t do it. So a random day in October when the CDC said I had less than 48 hours to accept a spot I jumped on it.
Trying to get in
Then nothing happened. Wanting to be sure I was making the right decision, I called the CDC and asked for a tour. They asked if I had registered with CYS yet. I said no, I had no idea I was supposed to. They told me I should have gotten an email, but gave me the number anyway. I call the number and they inform me that BOTH me and Travis need to attend in person to fill out our paperwork, the next available was the following Monday, one week before the start date.
I took it because what choice do I have? That Monday was the day all my kids were puking. I called up CYS and asked if we could change it. Their next available was the following Monday (The actual start date). Not having much choice, I took that appointment.
We head into that appointment as prepared as we could be. No one sent me an email, so I had to search and find any paperwork I could find. I filled out every single form I could find and brought everything with me. Even some stuff I had filled out for other daycares.
As I’m sitting in the office they say “Oh where’s your allergen form?” What? My son, Wally, has very mild oat allergies. I said I didn’t know that he needed it. They start accusing me saying that I was supposed to check the button when I applied for care back in April. I went back that night and looked at the button. It says “Does your child have special needs needing special accommodations”. Never in a million years would I have thought that included food substitution.
Then they tell me it should have been mentioned in the email. I let them know I never received an email, and they told me it must have gone to spam. I searched right then and there and no email. But of course, I was wrong, and they were not.
So next thing I know they are telling me my children can’t start that week or anytime soon. They are telling me they will give away our start date and have to start over if I can’t get these forms filled out. I say I need more time. The gave me a new start date a month later… 28 November.
Next Steps
Now, there’s a lot of moving pieces. I have to get these allergen forms filled out by a doctor. Wally, being that we recently moved here, has not been seen by a pediatrician here yet. I can’t drop forms off, I need to establish care first. So I immediately call the doctor and they give me the next available appointment of 22 November. Well of course I take it because again what choice do I have. But CYS is happy to inform me that even if I get the forms submitted on 22 NOV it can take 10-30 days for the military to complete their half of the forms. So I likely wouldn’t be receiving childcare until mid December.
Of course, they are 100% focused on their side of the situation and completely assuming it will be no big deal for me to obtain another month of childcare for my children. But Kiddie Academy requires 30 days notice that you are leaving the facility, and I had already given it. I had to call them up and beg them to let my kids stay longer, hoping they didn’t give away the spot.
And here is the thing… no one seems to care. My boss doesn’t care, CYS doesn’t care, the CDC doesn’t care. Again everyone expects that my spouse will just stay home with the kids until they get in? But my spouse has a job and has had this job and can’t just stay home with the kids for 4 months while all this gets straightened out.
Broke broke broke
As a totally separate issue, the way Kiddie Academy here processes the childcare aware subsidy means I am paying full price and will be until funds come in. Funds come about 2 months delayed so I will pay full price for all of October and November before I receive for October in December. AKA I am currently paying $1300 a WEEK for three of my children to be in childcare.
So much is wrong with this situation. 1. CCA needs to increase the cap for this area because they require accreditation but all accredited daycares in this area are above the cap for ages 2 and under so you are flat out screwed. 2. The cdc needs to give better waitlist estimates as soon as a Soldier signs up so they can actually plan out their childcare. 3. The Army needs to stop assuming that a spouse does not work and can handle childcare. 4. Provisions should be in place should a Service member need to report to duty before childcare is established. Things like hourly care or temporary care should be made available. 5. Registering for daycare should be streamlined or virtual and should not require BOTH parents to sit in an office for 2 hours on a Monday at 1400. If Travis and I were both regularly available on a Monday at 1400 we wouldn’t be needing childcare. 6. If there is a common problem with the website (we were not the first family to not check special needs when our child has food allergies) then there should be a check in place to ensure a family has the opportunity to complete paperwork before it is due. I would have completed the paperwork in Tucson had I known.
I’m frustrated. I’m paying an insane amount for childcare, and we are feeling it. I am desperately trying to get my kids on base, and I am being met with constant roadblocks.