As the United States recovers from the pandemic, Army Emergency Relief is here to help with the transition into the summer months and the upcoming school year. AER is providing assistance in the form of need-based grants for childcare assistance and remote education assistance – and both are still available. Below are descriptions of both programs to help direct you to what best fits your needs.
Basic eligibility for both programs is the same: Active-Duty Soldiers, Spouses, Retired Soldiers, and active Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers are all eligible.
Child Care Assistance
Intent: The Child Care Assistance program was established to serve Families and children 12 years and younger with $1500, per Family, spread evenly over 3 months through the Army Fee Assistance program.
Guidelines: Families must demonstrate a need for care of their child, whether it be before or after school, a private licensed caregiver, or nursery school. The Spouse must be currently employed, pursuing education or professional certification, seeking employment, or returning to work.
Remote Learning Assistance
Intent: This assistance is for traditional full-time homeschool families and remote education students affected by COVID-19. Support, such as tutoring, is meant to help students unable to be in the traditional classroom setting.
Guidelines: Those eligible are dependents Pre-K through 12th grade or undergraduate college students. There is a maximum of $2000 awarded per academic year for 12th grade and younger; $3000 maximum for undergraduate-seeking students.
Additional Resources:
AER is always willing to help, and we encourage our Soldiers and Families to just ask if they are ever unsure of our programs. The Army community is always here to help. Here are some additional resources to help you and your Family:
- Army – Child Care Aware® of America: When on-base childcare is not available or a feasible choice for the service member and their family, Army Child Care Fee Assistance was designed to help authorized Reserve and Active-Duty troops in locating, selecting and offsetting the cost of civilian childcare.
- MCC: Military Child Care (disa.mil): This secure Department of Defense (DoD) website serves as a one-stop-shop for complete information on military-run or -approved childcare facilities across the world. MilitaryChildCare.com makes it easier for you to understand and analyze your childcare alternatives and make better-educated decisions regarding your kid’s care by streamlining the childcare search and request process.
- Home | Military Kids Connect (health.mil): This website is dedicated to honoring military children and assisting them in dealing with the stresses of military life, such as deployment and numerous moves. It provides exciting tools and games, and even a secure online forum for military kids to communicate.
- Military (bgca.org): This organization connects the military with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to satisfy the needs of families who may not live near military installations.
- Military OneSource Specialty Consultations – Military Life | Military OneSource: They provide parents with the opportunity to speak with experts in a variety of fields, including adoption, education, special needs and more. They include the New Military Parent specialty consultation, which is aimed at expecting parents and parents of children under the age of five that offers guidance on a variety of parenting challenges.
- 4-H Military Partnership (4-hmilitarypartnerships.org): The 4-H Military Partnership helps promote youth development by allowing adolescents to participate in deliberate learning activities. They collaborate with 4-H educators to give them the training and tools they need to prepare the next generation of leaders.
Army Emergency Relief’s links and references throughout do not equal endorsements.