Founded in 2017 by a team of educators, care experts, and technology innovators with years of experience in early childhood care, Upwards is an attractive choice for some military families who may qualify for no-cost childcare and other service member families who will benefit from the company’s state-of-the-art and compassionate approach to childcare.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is Upwards?
Upwards is the largest childcare network in the United States, committed to providing families with access to quality, affordable care. The company uses a data-driven approach to bring together families, care providers, employers, and governments to create care options in real-time.
Hundreds of private and public sector institutions use Upwards to simplify childcare for families nationwide, including many military families who have previously struggled to find quality, vetted, and affordable care.
This solves a uniquely vexing problem for military families who need atypical childcare assistance because Upwards simplifies the matching process, connecting them with the right providers and accommodating unexpected schedule changes.
In addition, one of the most attractive benefits for military families seeking quality care is that Upwards has partnered with government entities to improve access to sponsored care, significantly reducing or eliminating costs for those who qualify.
Every provider in the Upwards technology-based marketplace is hand-picked, licensed, and background-checked, instilling confidence that children receive only the best care.
The intuitive mobile app also makes scheduling meetings, tours, and enrollment with local providers easy, eliminating paperwork and waitlists. Dedicated care navigators do all the work, guiding users and their families through the process.
How Does the Upwards Military Assistance Program Benefit Servicemembers
Upwards supports the US Army Reserve and National Guard by offering no-cost child care for eligible participants that is accessible, high quality, and flexible during drill or training battle assemblies and emergency deployments.
The company simplifies the childcare process for military families by providing easy access to licensed childcare providers without paperwork and using dedicated care managers to guide service members through enrollment and use. Upwards does the hard work of finding and matching you with the perfect caregiver based on your needs.
This can sometimes spell the difference between an active duty service member staying in the military or working in a different job or career that is more parent-friendly. This is a pervasive issue documented by a 2021 Blue Star Families survey that indicated only 22% of military spouses reported having access to childcare that works for their family situation. The survey was a large part of why the Army Reserve and National Guard partnered with Upwards. Those results were also augmented by DoD findings that identified childcare challenges as a major issue for many service members.
Upwards’ model allows prospective military applicants to get approved online within minutes and receive narrowly tailored concierge services. Parents are matched with a dedicated matchmaker who does all the work for them, looking for specifics like whether they need someone with experience with potty training or with children with special needs.
The best part is that for those who qualify, thanks to funding provided by the DoD, childcare may be provided at no cost for some families. The partnership allows United States Army Reserve and National Guard families access to safe, quality, reliable, no-cost childcare during weekend drills and battle assembly trainings. This arrangement provides reliable childcare for 12 hours a day during battle assembly and annual training, allowing reserve soldiers to commit to their service fully.
By improving the quality of life for troop program unit soldiers, this benefit also positively affects recruitment and retention for these branches of service creating a win-win across the board.
Upwards Simple Registration and Verification Process
Getting started with Upwards is simple. Go to the Upwards website, register, and verify your eligibility. If possible, specify a list of your training and preferred care dates. Upwards will quickly connect you with your area’s best-matched and experienced caregivers.
Through Upwards military childcare assistance program, eligible military families can receive financial assistance to help cover childcare costs during eligible training days.
Upwards Extensive Network of Providers
Upwards is the largest childcare service provider in the United States. Care is available in all 50 states through a network of more than 126,000 vetted caregivers. As a result, since 2017, Upwards has supported more than two million families.
The Caregiver Screening Process
Upwards has a rigorous caregiver screening process to ensure a quality, stress-free experience for parents and their children.
All daycare providers and every member of their household are background-checked and state-licensed to provide childcare. Providers who complete a background check are vetted for safety by evaluating their criminal history.
As part of Upwards ongoing commitment to child education, all providers are educators who teach through activities and curricula curated by experts in early childhood education. This content is made available to all providers in the Upwards network. Daycare providers also teach in small classroom sizes, ensuring children receive the highest levels of personalized care and support.
These efforts and Upwards ongoing results have been recognized through several accolades from leading organizations.
How to Contact Upwards
To learn more, you can contact Upwards to inquire about their military assistance program through their website or call (323) 421-7479 or 816-670-3286 to speak with a dedicated care manager.
You can also download the Upwards app on your Apple or Android device to create an account and register there.
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