The Idaho National Guard now offers free on-site child care to Guardsmen during drill weekends at Gowen Field as part of a pilot program. The program aims to help families balance child care and training.
- The pilot program started in January of 2024 and is open for families to use on many drill weekends during training.
( Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Senior Master Sergeant Lora King is dropping her two sons off at daycare while she goes to work on a drill weekend at Gowen Field.
“Right here is kind of our simulated aircraft set up for our patient care, it’s essentially an ICU in the sky,” said King, who is a respiratory therapist on a Critical Care Air Transport Team for the Idaho National Guard.
She commutes all the way from Washington state for training.
“I drive without stopping, it’s about seven hours. So I have two little ones and so we have to stop frequently,” said King.
The Pilot Program — which started in January — offers on-site child care services for guard members during drill weekends, for parents who would have difficulty making it otherwise.