Latest news with #MilitarySpouseAppreciationDay
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dozens of Air Force Families Disenrolled from Day Care at New Mexico Base as Staffing Woes Grow
Dozens of families at a New Mexico Air Force base have been suddenly and unexpectedly warned their children will be disenrolled from the installation's day care later this month as part of widespread staffing issues seen across the military. A memo from Holloman Air Force Base, shared with and verified by the base, was sent out to 53 families last week notifying them that, "due to the current and projected staffing shortages, the child development center will no longer be able to care for your child/children." The notice was sent out May 9, which coincidentally is recognized among the services as Military Spouse Appreciation Day. "Child development centers traditionally face high turnover, and several recent departures due to [permanent change of station] season in conjunction with the hiring freeze and the post- hiring freeze exemption hiring process reduced the number of child care providers at Holloman AFB," Denise Ottaviano, a spokesperson for the base's 49th Wing, told in an emailed statement. Care is scheduled to stop May 23 for those who received the notice. Read Next: Meink Confirmed as Air Force Secretary in Senate Vote The news that dozens of families at the rural New Mexico base are losing child care comes amid numerous other cases being reported at other Air Force and Space Force bases across the country, as well as the Navy telling that it is facing similar staffing issues. The child care problems have been exacerbated, in part, by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's push to cut the size of the civilian workforce and federal government. As the Air Force struggles to provide the care amid staffing shortages, the Navy told in a statement Friday that "administrative delays had temporarily halted Navy [Child and Youth Program]'s ability to extend job offers and onboard new personnel." The statement, provided by Destiny Sibert, a spokesperson for Navy Installations Command, said that, "while the Navy is in the process of filling vacant positions due to turnover or need for seasonal staff, military families may experience child care disruptions such as reduced capacity for summer camps, reduced operating hours for certain programs, canceled activities, disenrollment of lower prioritized families, suspension of before-school care, or a pause on new enrollments." Navy officials didn't answer follow-up questions about where they expected the effects to be most severe. For many military families, the on-base child and youth programs, as well as the child development centers, are often their primary option for such services. The rural southern New Mexico community of Alamogordo near Holloman Air Force Base is limited in such offerings, leaving military families just a couple of weeks to find a solution. One military spouse at Holloman Air Force Base, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail the on-base situation, told in an interview Tuesday that the notification to affected families was sudden and the short two-week window has left many scrambling. "It was a shock," the spouse said. "Two or three months gives people kind of time to, you know, figure it out, a little bit of breathing room. They were just totally shocked and in panic." Ottaviano said that priority 1B4 families -- military members with a full-time working spouse -- are being disenrolled. The spouse who spoke to said they were not personally affected by the latest notice due to having off-base child care. But they said they had heard from more than half a dozen members of the Holloman community who are now having to make tough decisions about their careers, finances and care options due to the sudden change. "One spouse went in person to a bunch of day cares, and they all had a two-year waitlist," the spouse told "What I'm seeing is a lot of really, really tough decisions being made." Holloman's 49th Force Support Squadron posted a statement Monday, just a few days following the notice to families, saying "they want to apologize" for the sudden notices. "The level of care we could provide changed quickly last week, which resulted in a lag of open communication with you all before receiving your notices -- we're sorry," the Monday message read. Air Force guidance requires at least 54 caregivers for the child development center, the 49th Force Support Squadron said. When staffing falls below 40 caregivers, youth programs are stopped to transfer more caregivers to the day care. Amid the summer permanent change of station season, it was anticipated that staffing will drop even more. "At this point, the decision was made to prioritize within DoD guidelines, the priority fills of mil-to-mil and single mil families," the Monday message read. "The child development center is focused on care for current children in the center and [has] not taken new children." Trump's push to slash the size of the federal government since taking office has also included the military, with Hegseth pushing to cut 50,000 to 60,000 civilian jobs in the Defense Department. Hegseth also imposed a hiring freeze on civilian jobs in the department in late February. The sudden cuts have exacerbated a variety of issues with child care across military bases. has reported on the changes tied to staffing issues, including Hill Air Force Base in Utah disenrolling families and closing a child care center; closing an infant classroom at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado and stopping the child care waitlist at Fort Carson; and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida shortening its day care center hours. Staffing at military child care centers had been a long-running issue for the services even before the Trump administration's freeze on government hiring and efforts to fire or remove thousands of employees. Last year, Dr. Janet Hooten, the regional program manager for the child care centers in the Navy's southwest region, told that centers in California, Nevada and Arizona were about 73% staffed after the COVID-19 pandemic. While the service has made efforts to fill many of those jobs, as of last year, parents were still looking at monthslong wait times just to enroll a child. Last year, also reported that the Army has its day cares staffed at only about 70%. Military officials have pointed to low wages and stressful working conditions as key hurdles. Now, the Pentagon has stressed that child care workers have been exempt from the hiring freeze and shouldn't be affected. However, the uncertainty caused by the hiring freeze, resignations and firings in other parts of the military may be making it harder to hire new workers. The 49th Force Support Squadron said it's "aggressively pursuing avenues of hiring where we can." The base is expanding the availability of Family Child Care, a program in which certified caregivers watch over children either on base or off base in their homes. The Holloman spouse told that those programs often take months to set up, due to needed vetting and certification of caregivers. "Holloman AFB is aware of the stress this puts on military families," Ottaviano said. "We are working tirelessly to mitigate further impacts to our military members." Related: Florida Air Force Base Reduces Child Care Hours as Pentagon Pares Down Workforce
New York Post
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Jessie James Decker's unique military roots help her raise strong, ‘resilient' kids
Jessie James Decker credits her unique military roots to her approach to motherhood. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the 37-year-old mom-of-four – who recently partnered with Rocket Mortgage and USO for their 'Homefront Heroes' initiative – opened up about how her upbringing played a major role in raising 'resilient' kids and explained how her mom's view on life helped shift her own mindset. Advertisement 'I don't know that my mom would ever say that there were any challenges [being a military spouse],' Decker, whose father served in the Air Force, said. 'She's the most positive person, so she looked at the whole experience as the most incredible adventure, and she was just the most proud military spouse you could ever imagine. She was so happy to be part of it. She loved what her husband did for this country, and she never complained once.' Decker, who was joined by her mom, Karen Parker, for an Instagram Live session on Friday in celebration of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, said her mom's approach to parenting inspired her own way of doing things. Jessie James Decker credits her unique military roots to her approach to motherhood. Tammie/AFF-USA/Shutterstock 'I can honestly tell you when it was time to move, she was like, 'Time to go!' and we would just box everything and roll to the next place,' Decker told Fox News Digital. 'She always did it with a smile on her face.' Advertisement While the moves made her 'resilient and adaptable,' Decker admitted it was challenging at times – but her mom was always there to carry the burden and make things fun. 'I think just her positive attitude and her ability to, she always had this way about her and made everything feel at ease,' she continued. 'So something that maybe would've been stressful for the family, she was able to kind of spin on it, you know what I mean?' 'When we moved, she would do things like, 'OK, we're in a new place and let's find the top five fun things about this city and let's go do them, or let's learn about them, or let's go to the library. Let's get books on the new place that we're going to be moving to and let's all just spread out on the carpet… let's look it all up.' She was always very positive. And so I feel like I've definitely instilled that in my children, where I make everything fun and exciting, and I'm able to put a twist on anything that may be tough.' Advertisement Decker and her husband, Eric Decker, share four kids: Vivianne, 11, Eric Jr., 9, Forrest, 7, and Denver, 1. Decker and her husband, Eric Decker, share four kids: Vivianne, 11, Eric Jr., 9, Forrest, 7, and Denver, 1. Jessie James Decker/Instagram The singer, who recently celebrated her son's first birthday, said she could not be more 'proud' of herself and the challenges she's overcome when it comes to motherhood. Advertisement 'I've had four C-sections and I have breastfed and cried over breastfeeding struggles and celebrated breastfeeding victories, and I've lost my hair,' she said. 'I'm proud of the mother that I am. I started having children 11 years ago and I've had four children since then. And every single baby that I've brought into this world has been an incredible journey to motherhood, and I just cannot believe what my body has done. It's just unbelievable.' 'I am proud of my body because when you have four children, you do want to feel healthy, and you do want to feel strong, because I want to have the energy to be the best mother that I can be, and I want to be healthy, and I want to set that example to my children,' she added. 'So it is a true statement. I am proud of my body more than I ever have, but it is more than just the surface.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jessie James Decker's unique military roots help her raise strong, 'resilient' kids
Jessie James Decker credits her unique military roots to her approach to motherhood. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the 37-year-old mom-of-four – who recently partnered with Rocket Mortgage and USO for their "Homefront Heroes" initiative – opened up about how her upbringing played a major role in raising "resilient" kids and explained how her mom's view on life helped shift her own mindset. "I don't know that my mom would ever say that there were any challenges [being a military spouse]," Decker, whose father served in the Air Force, said. "She's the most positive person, so she looked at the whole experience as the most incredible adventure, and she was just the most proud military spouse you could ever imagine. She was so happy to be part of it. She loved what her husband did for this country, and she never complained once." Jessie James Decker Didn't Want To Share Swimsuit Pics After Welcoming Baby 3 Months Ago: 'Easy To Compare' Decker, who was joined by her mom, Karen Parker, for an Instagram Live session on Friday in celebration of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, said her mom's approach to parenting inspired her own way of doing things. "I can honestly tell you when it was time to move, she was like, 'Time to go!' and we would just box everything and roll to the next place," Decker told Fox News Digital. "She always did it with a smile on her face." Read On The Fox News App Click Here To Sign Up For The Entertainment Newsletter While the moves made her "resilient and adaptable," Decker admitted it was challenging at times – but her mom was always there to carry the burden and make things fun. "I think just her positive attitude and her ability to, she always had this way about her and made everything feel at ease," she continued. "So something that maybe would've been stressful for the family, she was able to kind of spin on it, you know what I mean?" "When we moved, she would do things like, 'OK, we're in a new place and let's find the top five fun things about this city and let's go do them, or let's learn about them, or let's go to the library. Let's get books on the new place that we're going to be moving to and let's all just spread out on the carpet… let's look it all up.' She was always very positive. And so I feel like I've definitely instilled that in my children, where I make everything fun and exciting, and I'm able to put a twist on anything that may be tough." Like What You're Reading? Click Here For More Entertainment News Decker and her husband, Eric Decker, share four kids: Vivianne, 11, Eric Jr., 9, Forrest, 7, and Denver, 1. The singer, who recently celebrated her son's first birthday, said she could not be more "proud" of herself and the challenges she's overcome when it comes to motherhood. "I've had four C-sections and I have breastfed and cried over breastfeeding struggles and celebrated breastfeeding victories, and I've lost my hair," she said. "I'm proud of the mother that I am. I started having children 11 years ago and I've had four children since then. And every single baby that I've brought into this world has been an incredible journey to motherhood, and I just cannot believe what my body has done. It's just unbelievable." "I am proud of my body because when you have four children, you do want to feel healthy, and you do want to feel strong, because I want to have the energy to be the best mother that I can be, and I want to be healthy, and I want to set that example to my children," she added. "So it is a true statement. I am proud of my body more than I ever have, but it is more than just the surface."Original article source: Jessie James Decker's unique military roots help her raise strong, 'resilient' kids
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Military Spouse Appreciation Day ceremony salutes family connections
Stephanie Krumenacker grew up expecting to have a military career. Her parents, grandfathers and paternal great-grandfather all served. But Krumenacker's goal never came to fruition, leaving her not knowing what to do with herself as she 'had built my identity around the plan to be in the military.' But now, she carries out a different important role, taking care of her children and life in Portage, as her husband, SSG Jonathan Krumenacker, serves in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He is currently three months into a Middle East deployment. 'I take my role seriously to ensure my command is the home front so my husband can stay focused on his mission front,' said Stephanie Krumenacker when speaking Friday at Veteran Community Initiatives' 16th annual Military Spouse Appreciation Day ceremony. She talked about their lives together from being high school sweethearts who have been married for 19 years now to family, friends, church and their shared passion for playing hockey. 'With him being deployed, it's not helping with him wanting to get back on the ice because it's so hot where he's at,' she said. 'He'll be home soon enough to swap his boots and gear to get back on the ice again.' The event, held at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial in downtown Johnstown, recognized contributions made by the spouses who VCI President and CEO Tom Caulfield referred to as a 'most unheralded group.' 'May we take a moment to pause and thank the incredible individuals who stand beside those in the service, often sacrificing just as much,' said Bob Eyer, the ceremony's emcee. 'Military spouses are the quiet strength behind the nation's armed services. They're the ones who hold the family together through the deployments, the relocations, the uncertainty. And they take on the roles of caregiver, counselor, parents, sometimes both mom and dad, while managing their own careers, and goals and their dreams.' Dave Sutor is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Sutor.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
It's Military Spouse Appreciation Day: Here's What Three Military Spouses Want You to Know
Many people understand the hard work, bravery and selflessness that members of the military dedicate to their service. But not as many understand the scope of the sacrifice their spouses make behind the scenes to support the service members they love. In honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day on May 9, PEOPLE spoke with a few military spouses on the invisible struggles they face. "We take on the role of maintaining equilibrium amidst war," said Allison Goodrich, whose spouse has served in the Marine Corps for 17 years. Military spouses are tasked with managing "the mental load of war," Goodrich said. She described the anxiety of managing a household while checking the news, wondering if their spouse is safe. "When you see the news, whether it's combat, a tragic aviation crash, or whispers of what's to come, the first person who absorbed that news was a military spouse," Goodrich said. "The fear of the knock at the door," as Kristy Willis called it, compounds on top of the stress of running a household alone. Willis' spouse has served Army Special Operation Command for 24 years. "We have seen this happen to those close to us and have grieved these losses, which makes the fear even more relevant and constantly felt," Willis said. And even on a more day-to-day level, these spouses are often raising families alone for long stretches of time, often in a new or unfamiliar location where they don't have built-in networks. This is true of Katie Moore, whose husband, Nick, has served in the Navy for 20 years. They've been stationed on the East Coast for the entirety of Nick's service, 3,000 miles away from their family. This isolation isn't uncommon for military spouses, and it can put them in difficult situations — like putting a new neighbor as an emergency contact on their child's school forms. "In any other circumstance, I would never place a complete stranger on such an important form," Moore said. "But when you're a military spouse, isolated from family and support systems, sometimes a name, any name, is your only option." Other military spouses constantly move around, making it difficult to put down roots anywhere. "Always needing to live in constant transition has been hard for me," Willis said. But these unchangeable circumstances don't stop military spouses from taking charge of their own lives. "Military spouses run their homes, communities, small businesses and America's classrooms," Willis said. "There is so much more to these women than what most take the time to see." Goodrich, Willis and Moore have all sought the support of the Station Foundation, which gives support to not just members of the Special Operations Forces as they reintegrate back into civilian life, but to their families as well. "I saw the need firsthand in my own home. And when I finally lifted my head and looked around, I realized I wasn't alone." said Shannon Stacy, the director of programs at the Station Foundation. Stacy founded the organization with her husband, who served in the special forces. Stacy found that there wasn't space for military spouses to share their stories, especially those whose partners were in the special forces. "The situations they've lived through — things most people never have to face — stay buried. Imagine being in your twenties, helping your friend choose an urn for her husband who didn't make it home," Stacy said. "The emotional toll runs deep." Even beyond supporting impactful programs like the Station, there are plenty of ways to assist a military spouse in your life. "You can invite a military family over for breakfast during a deployment, plan an outdoor movie night with your neighbors, offer to swap childcare duties for an afternoon so a military spouse can get to an appointment, drop off flowers on a holiday, offer the kids a ride to school, bring a meal, mow your neighbor's lawn, or bring the trash cans in," Goodrich suggested. Small but meaningful ways to thank those in the military and their spouses for their service. Read the original article on People
