New Mexico National Guard’s New & Improved Drill Childcare Program

Back in February, I had the exciting opportunity to head down to New Mexico to brief New Mexico’s Army National Guard units in Santa Fe. Prior to the Upwards covered drill childcare program that commenced in June of 2024, the state had trouble finding childcare options that would fit the scheduling and geographical needs for families.

While speaking with Service Members at the Army Aviation Support Facility at the Santa Fe Regional Airport, I met Sgt. Roybal, who had previously utilized the Upwards covered drill weekend childcare program and had nothing but good things to say about her experience.

Alleviating the burden on family

After speaking with Sgt. Roybal and other New Mexico National Guard Service Members, it became apparent that they rely on family to watch their children during drill weekends. That said, between all of the different training days, Soldiers don’t want to have to burden their family members to watch their children every month.

Sgt. Roybal had heard of the Upwards program before but hadn’t yet utilized it. She wanted to try it out to see how easy the application process was as she found herself needing childcare on a weekend where her husband was out of town and her family members couldn’t watch her kids.

“Probably the easiest application I’ve done for anything”

The sign up process indeed took her two minutes. “It was almost as simple as signing up for a rewards program”. At Upwards, we tried to make the sign up process as easy as possible based on feedback from prior programs. After filling out your name, unit location, home address, and answering a few childcare-related questions, you will be paired with an Upwards Dedicated Care Specialist who will do the heavy lifting of finding and securing childcare options that fit your needs.

Licensed & qualified childcare providers

“The best part of the app is I was able to select where I wanted childcare”. She was given a list of licensed and vetted providers and selected one to tour in person after work with her children. They loved the provider and decided to enroll.

Sgt. Roybal’s in-home childcare provider had a plethora of licenses and certifications hanging on her wall, which gave her peace of mind that her children were in good hands.

Once it came time for the drill weekend, she was able to drop her children off at 6:30 a.m. to make her 7:00 a.m. formation. The provider was extremely caring and thoughtful and even went to the store to pick up art supplies for her older child who shared she loved arts & crafts. She even fed them breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The providers who are in the Upwards covered childcare program are all licensed and background checked. We encourage those who already have a licensed childcare provider that they love and would like to see about onboarding them into the program, to sign up and talk to your care specialist. If the current childcare provider meets the qualifications, they will be welcomed into the program.

How to ensure this program continues for New Mexico Army National Guardsmen

As we come up on the one-year mark of the pilot, it is crucial that eligible families sign up and utilize the program so covered childcare continues to be available for Service Members. Make sure to share this resource with your friends and family. If you need childcare for drill, sign up.

Watch The Full Testimonial Below

Lauren DeBauch

Lauren DeBauch is the Communications Specialist for Military Programs at Upwards. She focuses on community outreach to military branches across the country - highlighting the importance of covered childcare for service members. She also meets with military families to understand their childcare struggles and hear the impact the Upwards covered childcare program has on their lives.