Mr. Chair and members of the Subcommittee:
My name is Rick Dwyer and I am the Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, an organization that supports the vast military and federal presence in our region. I am also a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and served over 20 years on active duty.
Our organization and the communities of Hampton Roads collectively support 18 military installations, all six branches of the military services, 120,000 active duty, reserve and civilian personnel, over 125,000 military dependents, and nearly 220,000 veterans. In 2023, the Department of Defense spent over $68.5 billion in Virginia and directly employed over 247,000 people. Needless to say, supporting the military and our national defense is part of who we are in Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth.
I am here today to express our support for House Bill 1833.
Securing access to high quality childcare is imperative to many military families where both parents work, or where the military member is a single parent. In fact, lack of access to childcare in military families can often lead to military members separating from the service. On-base child development centers (CDCs) cannot accommodate all military children requiring care. Like many services, our military relies on surrounding communities to provide this type of support to service members. In Hampton Roads alone, there are approximately 2,000 children on military CDC waitlists. While the military is working to increase childcare capacity on base, they will always rely extensively on off-base care. This bill could help increase the number, and quality, of family day home providers in our region. Family day home providers are especially important for military families as they are often the only childcare providers who can accommodate the non-standard childcare hours some military families require. The Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance is supportive of this bill and any measures that increase access to quality and affordable childcare. In fact, we’d like to see the bill modified to also include Ready Region Southeastern, which includes the southside of Hampton Roads, so the entire military population in Hampton Roads could benefit from it.
This bill sends a clear signal that Virginia values its strong relationship with the military and is willing to continuously support efforts to make the Commonwealth the most military-friendly state in the country. We humbly request your support of HB1833.
Thank you.
Mr. Chair and members of the Subcommittee: My name is Rick Dwyer and I am the Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, an organization that supports the vast military and federal presence in our region. I am also a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and served over 20 years on active duty. Our organization and the communities of Hampton Roads collectively support 18 military installations, all six branches of the military services, 120,000 active duty, reserve and civilian personnel, over 125,000 military dependents, and nearly 220,000 veterans. In 2023, the Department of Defense spent over $68.5 billion in Virginia and directly employed over 247,000 people. Needless to say, supporting the military and our national defense is part of who we are in Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth. I am here today to express our support for House Bill 1833. Securing access to high quality childcare is imperative to many military families where both parents work, or where the military member is a single parent. In fact, lack of access to childcare in military families can often lead to military members separating from the service. On-base child development centers (CDCs) cannot accommodate all military children requiring care. Like many services, our military relies on surrounding communities to provide this type of support to service members. In Hampton Roads alone, there are approximately 2,000 children on military CDC waitlists. While the military is working to increase childcare capacity on base, they will always rely extensively on off-base care. This bill could help increase the number, and quality, of family day home providers in our region. Family day home providers are especially important for military families as they are often the only childcare providers who can accommodate the non-standard childcare hours some military families require. The Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance is supportive of this bill and any measures that increase access to quality and affordable childcare. In fact, we’d like to see the bill modified to also include Ready Region Southeastern, which includes the southside of Hampton Roads, so the entire military population in Hampton Roads could benefit from it. This bill sends a clear signal that Virginia values its strong relationship with the military and is willing to continuously support efforts to make the Commonwealth the most military-friendly state in the country. We humbly request your support of HB1833. Thank you.