Operation Child Care Project (OCCP)
Serves: Nationwide, TX
The only nationwide nonprofit focused specifically on child care access and equity for military-connected families. A 501(c)(3) founded by Kayla Corbitt, who became a subject-matter expert in military child care and then hit the subsidy-access barriers herself while stationed overseas — noticing that spouses with young children were the ones pushed out of the workforce because on-installation Child Development Centers carry long waitlists and off-base care is expensive, scarce, and inflexible. Supports families across the full spectrum of child care challenges, from finding a trusted babysitter to navigating the military's subsidy programs. Provides one-on-one case management for 50 to 60 DOD families at a time, a scholarship program the organization describes as the first not entangled in red tape, and HomeFront Helpers — community members trained through a cohort program who receive pediatric first aid and CPR certification to expand trusted local care options. Also advocates using real family stories, and connects the child care gap to its downstream effects: spouse un- and under-employment, food insecurity, and chronic debt. A Florida training cohort opens September 19. Free to families.