MILITARY FAMILY Childcare Project equips caregivers for military-connected children

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Finding a trusted, vetted, skilled childcare giver is one of the biggest challenges of parenthood. Add in multiple moves to new cities while in the military?  The challenge becomes overwhelming. 

Enter the mission of Operation Childcare Project's "HomeFront Help." 

Founded by Army spouse Kayla Corbitt, the nonprofit serves to train a cohort of "helpers" who undergo FBI background checks and receive safety training, including CPR, to be ready for military families.

"[Military Families] were turning to Facebook, and we thought, 'There has to be a better way,'" said Corbitt. "There's a gap that exists.  A gap that's typically filled with friends, family, or neighbors that military families really don't have," said Founder Kayla Corbritt.

Two dozen of those helpers have just finished their first training in Colorado Springs to fill what Corbitt terms a "childcare desert" in the Pikes Peak Region. 

The pilot program was initially introduced in Florida, and since its debut in the fall of 2024, the program has served more than 100 families.

"There's a deficit I wasn't even aware of," said Kayla Zimmerman, a helper trainee.  "We want to make sure they have some stability when it's up and down all the time and new deployments."

Operation Childcare already has quarterly trainings planned through 2026 in Colorado Springs. 

Caregivers who wish to gain vetted status through Operation Childcare can do so here.

Military members can also search the website's repository for vetted caregivers here.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.