Fort Benning/Army Childcare for Single Soldiers Desperately Needs an Overhaul

Go forward and answer the call. That is the number one job of a soldier and the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are stretching our nations army thin. Due to the before mentioned conflicts the number of single parents in the Army is growing drastically.

To counter some of these problems the Army has programs for spouses and children. But what about the single parents who are soldiers? A day in the Army often begins at 6:00 AM which means the soldier is always expected to be ten minutes early. Posts like Fort Benning, GA have multiple on post day cares for the children but they do not open until 5:30 AM. This means that the soldier has twenty minutes to check the child in, run to the car, drive to the formation and ultimately be there on time.

These day cares on Fort Benning are open until 6:30 PM but at Tot Town they keep the little children in the hallway after 5:30. The children are left with less supervision and all of the feeding and diaper changing essentials left in the rooms. While the children are still being supervised this is still something that some parents aren't happy about.

Furthermore centers are only Monday-Friday which means that a soldier like an MP (Military Police) who has to work the weekend will have to find an alternate solution for the child. This means finding an off post day care that will likely charge more and provide less efficient care. What about the soldier that works the night shift at the hospital? Currently Fort Benning offers no assistance except for normal operation hours which were mentioned before. And Fort Benning is not alone.

Should there not be a better system for our country's protectors? As it stands now there isn't and there has been no indication of a change. Leadership puts the responsibility solely on the soldier and provides little understanding in the instance that the soldier has a family issue such as childcare.

When a child of a single soldier is sick that child is not allowed in the CDC. (Child Development Center) With that the soldier is forced to take the child to the emergency room which will often lead to a four hour wait, to obtain a document saying the child is indeed sick. Then the leadership will mention something called a family care plan which charges the soldier with finding someone to care for the child. If the soldier is still unable to find someone to watch the child they are forced to take their hard earned leave.

This is unacceptable. A single soldier is forced to live (more times than not) a great distance from his/her family due to needs of the army. If the situation is due to a deployment or life in the army then how is it the soldiers fault that they are left being a single parent? Aren't they doing the right thing by stepping up to their responsibilities while still answering the countries call? Shouldn't the army be taking steps to ensure that the soldier can provide the right kind of care and attention their child deserves? Either way the army is consistent in seeing that it is not their responsibility even though they are quick to send a soldier away for a year to a combat zone, far away from that family that can in the end become broken.

It isn't just a childcare issue though. The Smith gym on Fort Benning provides daycare during a few hours in the middle of the day so that a parent can enjoy a work out. What about the soldier that works all day and has no time for the gym during those hours? Shouldn't this opportunity be available throughout the day and in the evening as well?

Given the current economic situation the army could provide more jobs by providing more coverage for these soldiers. They could set up volunteer organizations to help these soldiers who themselves are all volunteers who fight for our nations freedom. The army could reach out and be more understanding of these situations instead of having the soldiers choose between making the command happy and the health and welfare of the child. Basically, the army could start by showing they give a crap.