Karla Diaz speaks to the children she cares for at her home in Chula Vista on Thursday, July 20, 2023. (Brittany Cruz-Fejeran/San Deigo Union-Tribune)
(Tribune News Service) — Military families in San Diego County are getting more options for affordable child care through a newly expanded federal initiative.
The initiative, launched Tuesday, will help families access more than 400 community child care providers and will offer them financial aid to help reduce out-of-pocket expenses, county officials said.
The expanded program, called Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood – PLUS, is funded and run by the Department of Defense, with the San Diego County Office of Education vetting providers.
Rita Palet, the county office’s executive director of early education programs and services, said that even though there are on-base child development centers, there is not enough space in them, leaving many families on waiting lists.
“I just think San Diego is the perfect place to have this partnership,” she said. “We have close to 1,000 families right now on a waiting list.”
The biggest need is for children under four in full-day, full-year programs — but there are still slots. Some spots are open because many children have left child care for transitional kindergarten.
The participating care providers were already available to families through the county’s Quality Preschool Initiative, which supports child development programs and helps them improve their quality.
But for providers, participating in the military child care initiative helps offer a more reliable source of income, because they will be paid directly by the military.
Because every state is different, the Defense Department has been working for almost three years to understand what families need from child care in California and San Diego, Palet said.
“So it took us this long to align what the Department of Defense does for their licensing requirements versus our licensing requirements,” she said. “What they consider quality, and what we consider quality in California.”
She said the program also provides a continuation of education, offering care for children from infancy up to age five. The website where providers are listed also offers a continuation for school services.
Many military families who have moved to the San Diego region lack family support, making community support all the more crucial. Child development centers do a good job of embedding themselves in and understanding communities, while the county office also provides resources, Palet said.
“Because when you’re coming brand new to a location, it’s like — what do you do, even, when you’re not at work?” Palet said. “How do you meet people?”
Families can find participating providers here: militarychildcare.com
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