FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Contact: ACF Press Office
(202) 401-9215
HHS Honors Child Care Volunteers for Service to Armed Forces
Operation Child Care provides child care to military personnel on leave
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today honored volunteers of an initiative called Operation Child Care for providing services to National Guard and reserve soldiers on leave from military duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“I congratulate these volunteers for helping to strengthen military families,” Secretary Thompson said. “These Americans of good will are helping to fill a gap in services for National Guard and reserve soldiers who are on leave from heroically serving our nation overseas.”
Operation Child Care is a voluntary child care initiative involving the Child Care Bureau at HHS’ Administration for Children and Families and Child Care Aware, a federally-funded hotline run by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. Approximately 4,500 volunteers of Operation Child Care today received certificates of appreciation from Secretary Thompson.
“The child care community stands ready to support members of the National Guard, reserves and their families,” said Dr. Wade F. Horn, HHS’ assistant secretary for children and families. “These public servants provide valuable assistance so military on leave can find time to take care of personal business such as financial and medical appointments, or to just spend more time with their spouses.”
The operation links eligible soldiers with participating child care agencies to provide family support services to soldiers on leave. Twenty-four states currently participate in the program.
For more information on Operation Child Care, go to http://www.childcareaware.org/en/operationchildcare/.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news