San Diego Navy officers are scrambling to alleviate the shortfall of kid care suppliers for the greater than 4,000 army youngsters ready for spots in its base daycare facilities, in accordance with Navy Area Southwest officers.
Staffing shortages introduced on by the pandemic have impacted a army youngster care system that was already strained earlier than COVID-19 hit, in accordance with Janet Hooten, the kid and youth program supervisor at Navy Area Southwest in San Diego.
Earlier than the pandemic, army households in San Diego may anticipate to attend greater than a 12 months to have a baby positioned in a Navy Baby Improvement Middle for care, Hooten instructed the Union-Tribune.
Hooten declined to say how lengthy army households would possibly wait right this moment for a spot. She stated the tiered-priority system means not everybody will wait in the identical line. Nevertheless, she stated any army member up for orders that would ship them to San Diego ought to get on the ready listing now.
“We encourage each household to place their youngster on the waitlist as quickly as you realize you can be leaving (the present obligation station),” Hooten stated. “You do not have to attend till you’ve got orders in hand.”
In 2020, the Navy signed a take care of Coronado Unified College District to lease an under-utilized preschool for Navy youngster care. Whereas that opened about 200 spots for youths, it solely made a dent within the waitlist.
Navy youngster care is backed by the Protection Division. There are daycare services on army bases in addition to in-home daycare suppliers. However with spots full, service members have to hunt costlier alternate options elsewhere — and the state of affairs outdoors the army system can also be strained, in accordance with a College of San Diego examine printed in April.
The army affords a charge help program for these households, nevertheless it doesn’t cowl the total value, Hooten stated.
Navy Area Southwest, which additionally manages the kid care facilities on native Marine bases, is brief about 400 suppliers — together with the workers wanted for 2 new facilities but to open at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
One other new heart at Naval Base Level Loma is because of open in 2023, and elevated pay for army youngster care staff is a part of subsequent 12 months’s proposed Pentagon funds.
In San Diego, the Navy is providing monetary incentives to deal with its staffing shortfall. Accreditation charges for brand spanking new hires are coated by the Navy, as are sign-on, referral and retention bonuses.
The Navy is holding a hiring truthful on the Scottish Ceremony Middle in Mission Valley on Friday, the place it’ll display screen, interview and make affords to candidates for each its base youngster care and recreation facilities.
Navy households needing help with youngster care, or to get on the wait listing, can accomplish that at militarychildcare.com.
This story initially appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.
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