EGLIN AFB & CHILDCARE
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin AFB has pursued a multi-pronged approach to tackle the childcare provider deficit:
Through a collaborative effort with local and State officials, Florida updated the law requiring FCC providers to be State registered before opening a home for business off base. This joint initiative has significantly reduced the time to open DoD FCC homes, which can now open provisionally while pursuing state registration requirements. As a result, the number of FCC homes at Eglin has doubled from 7 to 14 homes, increasing capacity by 42, with 12 more applications in process.
In addition, Eglin has recruited childcare providers and FCC entrepreneurs by leveraging innovative marketing strategies, implementing geofencing marketing, and collaborating with surrounding Chambers of Commerce, which has yielded impressive results. In the past two years, Eglin has reopened eight previously closed classrooms, increasing capacity by over 90. The projection to reopen the remaining four closed classrooms by the end of this calendar year further demonstrates the success of these strategies.
Eglin has also successfully conducted multiple hiring events that allowed on-the-spot job offers and the rapid onboarding of new providers in 30-45 days. To cope with the influx of new employees, and has also implemented a mentoring program to ensure new employees were paired with experienced mentors to provide safe and quality childcare for children.
Because Eglin is a joint military community (not a joint base), they partnered with the Army to gain a position at Camp Bull Simons focused on meeting the needs of families North of the Eglin AFB. The Army Community Outreach Program Manager has interfaced with local providers, recruiting additional centers to participate in the fee assistance program. As a result, the number of participating childcare providers in the north has doubled from two to four, with other applications in process.
The 96TW has also cultivated relationships with the city of Crestview, north of Eglin AFB, to assist in establishing new opportunities for Commercial Childcare providers to build new facilities. As a result, Higher Ground Education recently broke ground on a new facility with a capacity of 164 children that will open in the fall of 2025. Moreover, Higher Ground Education has expressed its intent to grant military members priority in placing children.
Working with the Air Force Services Center, Eglin garnered support to restore a previously closed CDC to operational capability. Construction is underway, and Eglin expects to open the CDC in the fall of 2025 for 118 children, primarily infants and one-year-olds.
Finally, Eglin's leadership advocated through AFMC and HAF to garner support for a MILCON project to build a large DoD CDC in Crestview. Final site approval is underway, with construction projected to begin in FY26 with a capacity of 256 children.
Photography by Kevin Gaddie.
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