Military families in the West Liberty area will have access to childcare options thanks to a pilot program between the city, childcare network WeeCare and the Department of Defense.
Mayor Ethan Anderson, city council member Dana Dominguez, and city manager Lee Geertz were in Washington, D.C., last Thursday for a ceremony to sign an agreement for the program, known as the Childcare Intergovernmental Support Agreement. West Liberty was one of two communities in the nation chosen to start the program, along with Clay County, Mo., in the Kansas City area.
“Parenting our kids well is likely one of the most important things that any of us will do in our lives,” said Anderson during the ceremony. “And the one thing that every parent knows is that feeling of relief when you need to leave your child, and you know that you are leaving them with someone you trust. You know that they are in good hands. It’s worthwhile to invest in it.”
All active Iowa Army National Guard and Iowa Army Reserve members within a 100-mile radius of West Liberty are eligible to sign up for the program.
WeeCare had been looking for municipalities to partner with, and council member Dominguez learned about the program while visiting a friend in Los Angeles, where WeeCare is headquartered.
“After speaking with a WeeCare representative and learning more about the opportunity, I knew it was one we couldn’t pass up,” she said.
WeeCare is an online childcare network that helps families connect with qualified providers in their community. They also support childcare providers and help businesses offer their employees childcare benefits.
The program officially launches in November, at which time Army families who are looking for childcare can sign up directly through the WeeCare app.
Service members can upload their military credentials and income for verification and specify their childcare needs. They will then be awarded monetary credits to help pay for childcare. The app allows parents to set up in-person appointments to meet childcare providers they are interested in or take a virtual tour of the facility. They can also complete intake paperwork, make payments, and communicate with the provider, as well as receive updates on their child.
“The Army recognizes the impact that childcare has on the lives of our soldiers and their families,” Army deputy chief of staff for installations Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen said in a press release. “Through increased initiatives to identify and secure accessible and affordable childcare options, we enable our military parents to fulfill their responsibilities without sacrificing the well-being of their children.”
In 2021, a survey by the Military Family Advisory Network said almost half the military families surveyed said they needed childcare, and 78 percent reported they had trouble finding childcare.
When the program opens, service members will also be able to seek childcare options during battle assembly weekends.
WeeCare also hopes to attract more childcare providers to join its network and utilize its services.
“I hope this program will create more of an opportunity for people in our community and within the service area to become licensed and start their own childcare businesses, making more options and availability for everyone so that we can help to eliminate the lack of childcare options in our area,” said Dominguez.
WE-LEAD director Ken Brooks also assisted in helping West Liberty’s success in joining the program.
Geertz, Anderson and Dominguez were joined at the Pentagon ceremony by Clay County, Mo., presiding commissioner Jerry Nolte, WeeCare’s Jessa Santangelo, and Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of Army Reserve and commanding general of U.S. Army Reserve Command.
“Shaping the Army Reserve of the future requires the support of both military and community leaders,” said Daniels. “We are grateful to the organizations participating in this unprecedented partnership for providing trusted, accessible, weekend childcare to our soldiers and their families.”
“On behalf of the City of West Liberty and our surrounding communities, we are honored to be a part of this partnership to serve our military families with quality childcare,” said Anderson. “And we say thank you.”