JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
The 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio selected Paloma De La Llata and Tammie McIlroy as the 2019 Family Child Care providers of the year for the 502nd Force Support Squadron’s Child and Youth Services Flight earlier this year.
“These providers are true nurturers. They are providing a much-needed service for our JBSA military and civilian families,” said Andrea Nicholas, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Community Family Child Care coordinator.
McIlroy was excited about the recognition.
“I was very surprised and happy,” McIlroy said of the news. “I have been a provider for five years, and there are always so many deserving providers. To have been selected solidifies that I am doing something great and that I have touched so many hearts and families. It is a very fulfilling feeling.”
De La Llata was also thrilled to be selected.
“I have been doing this for 20 years and was happy, proud and blessed to be selected,” she said.
The JBSA Family Child Care Program offers care in providers’ homes for children ages 2 weeks to 12 years old and may be available seven days per week. The program is open to active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian employees of the Department of Defense.
“Providers offer an enjoyable, educational environment where children can grow and develop at their own pace,” said Linda Salazar, JBSA-Lackland Family Child Care Coordinator. “The homes they provide truly exemplify the motto of our program: “CYP, Where Kids Want to Be!’”
Both of the recognized providers said they are honored to be able to provide care for the children of military members. As mothers themselves, they said they understand how it feels to worry about their children’s care.
“I hope they know I take care of each child in my care as though they were my own,” De La Llata said. “I want parents to feel confident that I take care of their children in a caring, loving environment ... a home away from home. “
McIlory, who moved to a different military installation this year, hopes parents will consider FCC providers when they are looking for child care options.
“A lot of military members do not know that we exist, and when they find out, most of them are very weary of their child being in someone else’s home,” McIlroy said. “Being a provider is about helping families to be able to work, go to school, go to doctor appointments, move without stress, take a break during spousal deployments and to be able to provide a better life for their children.”
Military spouses looking for a way to earn income might also look into the FCC program as an option.
“The Child and Youth Services FCC is recruiting new providers to join our team,” said Jeanie Smith, JBSA-Randolph/Fort Sam Houston Family Child Care Coordinator. “If you are interested in increasing your family's income; providing quality, available, and affordable child care; and assisting the Air Force with meeting the child care need of patrons, call the FCCC for JBSA-Randolph or JBSA-Fort Sam Houston at 210-221-3820, or for JBSA-Lackland and JBSA-Chapman Training Annex, call 210-671-3376.”
Additional information about FCC may be found on the JBSA Today website at: https://www.jbsatoday.com/FamilyChildCare under the Child & Youth Services tab.