When Kayla Corbitt became an Army spouse, she knew next to nothing about the challenges faced by military families. Once she did, Operation Childcare became her new mission.
The West Virginia native had completed her graduate degree in forensic science when she fell in love with a soldier and had zero knowledge of the military lifestyle. A scientist and researcher at heart, she often jokes that she was tricked and should have known what was ahead when her wedding date changed to accommodate a deployment.
As the couple added children to their family, Corbitt saw how dire the childcare situation was.
“I found out that the center I chose, even though it was listed as approved for accepting the assistance, was not actually approved for that assistance or requesting an exception to policy,” she said.
When she attempted to file a claim, it was denied.
“So I had no choice at that point. I had to quit my job; I couldn’t afford to start over at a new center. It is generally a month or so in deposits that you have to pay and then you have to be ready to pay your tuition for a couple of months and we couldn’t do that,” Corbitt added.
Rather than accepting and making do, she challenged the whole childcare system and the Department of Defense.
Her efforts became even more passionate when she not only saw push-back for other families but when her own became involved.
“When we were in our last duty station in Maryland, my husband had applied for the Army-Baylor program, which translates into a direct commissioning as an officer once completed. At the time, he was an E6 and the only way he could be promoted to E7 was to go to another school. But he got accepted to the program so the school wasn’t necessary,” Corbitt explained.
She said his command at the time kept trying to push for him to attend the school despite being accepted into the graduate program. The start date for the school was her due date for their second child. When that didn’t move command, Corbitt admitted she got a little creative with her response.
“We had no one in the area to help me with our 3-year-old or this new baby. I had to go in to talk to them and lay it all on the line. I shared that I had postpartum depression with my previous pregnancy and was currently high-risk, and doing this would add unnecessary risk to our family,” she explained. “When their response was for me to check into the FRG to see what they could do, I was floored, especially considering it was the middle of the pandemic. Then they added that they’d send a service member to check on me each day.”
Corbitt had to have her doctor write an order stating how that wasn’t sufficient or safe, which led to the school getting pushed back—allowing her husband to be home for the birth of their second child. When he received official orders for the Army-Baylor program months later, the command still tried to send him to the enlisted leadership school despite the fact that he’d soon be a 2nd Lieutenant. This would have forced Corbitt to move their two children, animals and household goods to the new location by herself.
“I couldn’t even fit two car seats into a moving truck; there’s no way I could have done that. So I told my husband to go to his command and tell them if they did this, I would be leaving him with the two children,” she laughed. “They wanted to talk to me again, and the guy there was furious with me. He tried to make me feel irresponsible as a mother, but I didn’t bend. Later, he called my husband privately and told him he needed to prioritize his career or he’d never make it anywhere in the military and needed to get me in line.”
They tried to send him anyway, so she left. They made her husband create a family care plan without her on it, and Corbitt saw that as the military weaponizing families needing resources. Though the couple won out in the end, it was the spark that led to Corbitt founding the Operation Childcare Project, aimed at creating a one-stop shop for military families to know their resources and get answers. She also became heavily involved in advocating for childcare as a mission readiness issue.
“We are fighting for the basic understanding that people who serve will serve longer if they have a family with them. It’s a culture shift and this is honestly the only way we’ll retain an all-volunteer force,” Corbitt said. “We get case management referrals each day and these families’ stories are horrific. These families are not the ones that should feel shame.”
Corbitt takes these stories and shares them with the DoD and partners, ensuring they realize military families are struggling.
“Throughout society and history, childcare has been related to a women’s issue, but it’s more than that. We want to show that it’s an infrastructure issue,” she added.
Spouses often come to Corbitt struggling with how to challenge this issue and the push-back received from command or military leaders as a whole. She encourages them to stand their ground.
“If you are in the military community, there’s an expectation to follow the chain of command, even if you are a spouse. I didn’t grow up in the military, so I didn’t know about this and it’s really important to acknowledge that we as civilians don’t have to follow those rules,” Corbitt implored. “Honestly, the louder you are and the more space you take up, I’ve learned that the less likely you are to see repercussions. Also, there shouldn’t be any for saying something that’s simply true.”
Corbitt feels that while the military is trying to tackle these issues, they’re disconnected in a sense, and the people at the table don’t always understand the true ramifications. As for what she would say to future advocates? Don’t give up.
“Nobody listened to me the first seven years I was advocating for childcare. Eventually, when you get enough of a crowd and your voice is loud enough, the changes will happen,” she said. “I’d love to say that one day Operation Childcare Project won’t be needed, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. So in the meantime, when we all come together to make this community better, we’re really hard to ignore, and things do get better. Every single time.”
To learn more about the Operation Childcare Project, click here.