Free Child Care

Give Army Parents a Break

The Minnesota Child Care Resource & Referral Network is partnering with the United States Army and the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies to "Give Minnesota Army Parents a Break!" Army families receive up to 16 hours of free child care per child per month.

More Info: Website, flyer, application and registration

Surge Support Child Care Services: Free Child Care

Click on the image to the right to watch the Respite Child Care for Military Families video.

Family members of Minnesota's deployed Army National Guard and Reserve are eligible to receive surge support child care services at no cost. To learn more about the surge support child care services and request referrals of participating child care providers, use this map to find your local Child Care Resource & Referral agency. Participating child care providers are offering free child care for two to four hours or up to two full days per month.

The Minnesota Surge Support Respite Child Care Project:

Maintains a list of over 500 licensed family child care and center providers in Minnesota that have volunteered to offer free child care to families affected by military deployments

• Has located child care providers and centers that have offered 2,731 hours of child care in their homes/centers to families that have been affected since the beginning of the project

• Has coordinated volunteer child care for more than 109 events (Since September 2007) that have been planned throughout the state. These events are Family Preparedness Academies, Family Readiness Group meetings, 30-, 60- and 90-day reintegration trainings, Wounded Warrior events, holiday parties, etc.

• Teaches six training classes have been developed and have been delivered to over 700 licensed family child care/center providers and other professionals working with children. The classes are designed to offer information about deployment and reunions and the effects that this may have on children. The classes also teach the impact of grief and loss and also have two new classes that focus on fostering resilience in children and youth. Classes are offered through the CCRR's professional development system and at statewide conferences for social workers, mental health care workers and at early childhood conferences.

For more information about the Surge Support Child Care Project, contact the CCR&R agency or Julie Wasiluk at 651-290-9704, ext. 119.

You can also visit the Surge Support Web site.