Affordable Quality Childcare for All District Parents
Local 98 is committed to quality and affordable childcare for all Army Corps employees.
How Local 98 Preserved the Army Fee Assistance Childcare Subsidy
The Army Fee Assistance (AFA) childcare subsidy is a critical family benefit available to all Army civilian employees around the world. The size of each family’s subsidy is determined by comparing the cost of quality local childcare against family income, up to $1500/month. The subsidy directly supports not only the families but also their workplaces which enjoy better retention, especially in regions with the highest childcare costs, such as New York City.
In November 2018, then-Secretary of the Army Mark Esper signed an order to eliminate the AFA subsidy. NY District parents learned of the cut not from agency or district leaders but from parents from another district of the Army Corps two months after the order was signed, in January of 2019.
With the cut set to go into effect on March 1st, Local 98 set into motion a pressure campaign to communicate its benefits to agency leaders and preserve the subsidy. With the support of IFPTE International and through a coordinated effort to engage Army and Army Corps leaders through public forums and personal appeals, Local 98 successfully reversed the cut. The day before the cut was set to go into effect, Esper reversed himself and the subsidy remains in place for Army families to this day.
Childcare & COVID-19
With the ongoing pandemic, most schools and childcare centers remain shuttered. Parents among the NY District staff are now forced to balance providing care for their children with their full time work obligations at home, all while dealing with the additional stresses and difficulties of surviving a public health crisis. The current parental leave policy for federal workers that was passed by Congress in March is far from sufficient: parents can receive ⅔ pay for up to $200 per day, capped at $2000 total for the duration of the pandemic.
In addition to advocating for a more supportive parental leave policy, Local 98 is also busy working to ensure the quality and continuity of care at the centers our children will return to upon reopening. In the context of COVID-19, that means improved wages and access to health care for our children’s teachers and their support staff.
Please stay tuned for more about IFPTE Local 98’s campaign to support our children’s care providers at FedKids and beyond.
Local 98 is committed to quality and affordable childcare for all Army Corps employees.
How Local 98 Preserved the Army Fee Assistance Childcare Subsidy
The Army Fee Assistance (AFA) childcare subsidy is a critical family benefit available to all Army civilian employees around the world. The size of each family’s subsidy is determined by comparing the cost of quality local childcare against family income, up to $1500/month. The subsidy directly supports not only the families but also their workplaces which enjoy better retention, especially in regions with the highest childcare costs, such as New York City.
In November 2018, then-Secretary of the Army Mark Esper signed an order to eliminate the AFA subsidy. NY District parents learned of the cut not from agency or district leaders but from parents from another district of the Army Corps two months after the order was signed, in January of 2019.
With the cut set to go into effect on March 1st, Local 98 set into motion a pressure campaign to communicate its benefits to agency leaders and preserve the subsidy. With the support of IFPTE International and through a coordinated effort to engage Army and Army Corps leaders through public forums and personal appeals, Local 98 successfully reversed the cut. The day before the cut was set to go into effect, Esper reversed himself and the subsidy remains in place for Army families to this day.
Childcare & COVID-19
With the ongoing pandemic, most schools and childcare centers remain shuttered. Parents among the NY District staff are now forced to balance providing care for their children with their full time work obligations at home, all while dealing with the additional stresses and difficulties of surviving a public health crisis. The current parental leave policy for federal workers that was passed by Congress in March is far from sufficient: parents can receive ⅔ pay for up to $200 per day, capped at $2000 total for the duration of the pandemic.
In addition to advocating for a more supportive parental leave policy, Local 98 is also busy working to ensure the quality and continuity of care at the centers our children will return to upon reopening. In the context of COVID-19, that means improved wages and access to health care for our children’s teachers and their support staff.
Please stay tuned for more about IFPTE Local 98’s campaign to support our children’s care providers at FedKids and beyond.
