FORT BENNING, Ga., (June 26, 2013) -- Family Child Care provider Tempra Hannigan has been doing in-home child care for more than a year at Fort Benning. She became a FCC provider when she and her Family were stationed in Germany several years ago and there weren't a lot of job options for her there, she said.
Being an in-home provider was a way for her to gain income while spending time with her Family and still allowing her to search for a job.
Hannigan is one of 14 providers in Fort Benning's Family Child Care program, with most of the providers located on post. There are also three in Columbus and one in Dahlonega, Ga. FCC is looking to recruit more spouses interested in being in-home providers for children on Fort Benning, the surrounding Valley area and Dahlonega, Ga., said FCC director Earnestine Neal.
Individuals 18 and older can be a provider, or a backup provider, Neal said. Trained backup providers assist FCC providers when they are unable to watch the children at a specified time.
Those interested must complete an application, pass inspections, have references and pass a background check. Once everything is completed, providers undergo training in areas including CPR and first aid, business practices, nutrition and child growth.
Advantages of becoming a provider include being able to work from home and job mobility. If a FCC provider moves, he or she can take their business with them to their next duty station. But that means there is always a need for more providers in the area locally, Neal said.
"Wherever the Soldiers are, that's where we need (providers)," she said.
Being a provider is a great opportunity for stay-at-home parents, Hannigan said.
"It's good because they can still bring in some income, feel as if they can contribute as well as spend time with their children and other people," she said.
Neal said providers offer a lot to the community by keeping Families together.
"In FCC, you are able to service the entire Family," she said. "Wouldn't it be great for parents to stop at one place for all (their) children?"
Instead of siblings being separated from each other because of age, like in a daycare center, Neal said in a FCC-certified home, the children are able to play and eat together. It creates a more personable atmosphere for both children and parents because they are dealing with one person.
For more information on becoming a provider, call 706-545-9266.
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