The Army is launching a new pilot program that aims to improve access to child care for Army Reserve soldiers and their families, the service announced. 

“The Army recognizes the impact that child care has on the lives of our soldiers and their families,” Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen, deputy Army chief of staff for installations, G-9, said in an Army news release. “Through increased initiatives to identify and secure accessible and affordable child care options, we enable our military parents to fulfill their responsibilities without sacrificing the well-being of their children.”

The pilot program operates through a partnership between Army installations and local governments, according to the news release. It will be tested in West Liberty, Iowa, and Clay County, Missouri, using the WeeCare Company, a child care network that enables users to find licensed, local child care providers through “an advanced matching algorithm,” the news release said.

Improving access to quality child care is one of the Army’s top quality-of-life initiatives. Service leaders have worked to also improve housing, spouse employment, permanent change-of-station moves and health care, and the service recently extended the Army Quality of Life Task Force.

Partnerships between the Army and local communities, like the child care pilot, are important, leaders said. “Shaping the Army Reserve of the future requires the support of both military and community leaders,” Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of the Army Reserve Command, said in the news release. “We are grateful to the organizations participating in this unprecedented partnership for providing trusted, accessible, weekend child care to our soldiers and their families.”