JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan officially proclaimed March 21st as National Single Parent Day in an effort to honor the hard work of a single parent and to recognize diverse family structures in the U.S.
Joint Base Langley-Eustis is home to organizations which specialize in easing the workload for parents and providing opportunities aimed at promoting healthy relationships and lifestyles, including Child Development Centers, the Airman & Family Readiness Center and the Family Child Care program.
Airman & Family Readiness Center
Dawn Teagle, A&FRC flight chief, explained that the center’s objective is to help parents establish stable foundations for families and create environments for parents to excel with their children.
“Our programs are here to help lighten the load on parents’ shoulders because we do better when we are better informed,” Teagle said. “When we’re educated and can make informed decisions today, it can only benefit our future.”
The A&FRC is currently offering an array of workshops for JBLE members:
- Healthy relationship skills for singles
- Dating Online – safety measures for navigating dating platforms
- Accomplishing Your Goals – develop and sustain healthy life goals
- Stretching Your Money – tips to manage spending and expenses
- Balancing Work and Life
- Bundles for Babies – for expecting parents
- Paying for College – planning for your child’s college tuition
- Home Sweet Home – strategies for home buying and mortgage management
- A virtual job fair – with resume writing classes available prior to fair
- Military Life Counselor Program
- A certified financial counselor on staff for consultations
- One-on-one consultations available for more focused counseling
A full list of services and workshops is available in the A&FRC online calendar.
Fort Eustis Family Child Care
The Fort Eustis FCC program assists parents who work outside of the normal duty hours by certifying private child care providers on the installation, typically military spouses, through rigorous background investigations, routine inspections, strict policy enforcements and regular training.
“The FCC is one the best kept secrets here because our program offers so much to families; to be able to go to work and have that peace of mind that your child is being taken care of,” said Romona Butler, 733rd Force Support Division FCC community child care coordinator. “We have clients who have been with us for years and tell us ‘I don’t know what I would do without (the FCC)’ or ‘I didn’t know this program existed,’ and we want to make sure our Soldiers know about all the services that are available to them.”
The program is designed to act as support system for single-parent military members or dual military couples who are selected for temporary duty missions, drill weekends or deployments.
While both programs have unique resources to aid single parents, all JBLE members are encouraged to explore the services offered and take advantage of available support to help cement a successful family dynamic.
“Our staff realizes there is a direct relationship between a member’s ability to successfully accomplish the mission and their quality of life, which includes the family experience,” Teagle said. “We want our members to be taken care of so that they can take care of the mission.”
For more information on the A&FRC, call (757) 764-3990 or follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/afrclangley.
For more information on the Fort Eustis FCC, call (757) 878-5584 or visit www.jble-eustismwr.com/family-child-care-fcc/.