The attack, rescue and prevail Flying Tiger mission is successful in part because service members know their families are being taken care of while they take care of the mission.

The 23rd Force Support Squadron family childcare providers step in to assist families during these challenging times when a parent is away for work. Caring for children of service members in a flexible and complex warfighter environment requires special determination, understanding and a little grit.

It's a tough job that not everyone can do, and those who do it well deserve recognition. FSS leadership surprised Taylor Cookson-Olson at her home May 3, 2023, to let her know she had earned the 23rd FSS FCC Provider of the Year award. 

“It was a mixture of emotions,” Cookson-Olson said about the shock when leadership showed up at her door. “I didn’t even know that there was an FCC provider of the year award, so to be picked among all the other wonderful women was just very surprising to me.”

Moody currently has 15 FCC providers, and each can take care of up to six children at a time. Having worked with children prior to becoming an FCC provider, Cookson-Olson now gets to transition those skills here and continue doing what she loves.

“Providing care to military families is very important to me because so many of us live far from family and friends and aren’t able to rely on them to watch our children,” Cookson-Olson said. “As an FCC provider, I feel good to be that person they’re able to trust with their child, to provide such an impactful service to Airmen. It means a lot to me and it’s something I definitely enjoy doing.” 

Cookson-Olson has been an FCC provider for Team Moody since June 2022 and has served over 30 families in the past year, making a lasting impression on military families through deployment, appointment and respite care.

“Mrs. Cookson-Olson has a very bubbly, energetic personality and all of the children she cares for always have fun in her care,” said Rebecca Reynolds, 23rd FSS FCC coordinator. “Results of the parent surveys yielded many high-praising comments for Mrs. Cookson-Olson.”

Families who use Cookson-Olson’s services through the FCC program have said “Taylor is absolutely amazing,” “Taylor has been nothing but accommodating and kind,” and “Taylor goes above and beyond for our family.”

And while Cookson-Olson may have earned top honors this year, the other FCC providers still render premiere childcare services workday mornings, evenings and weekends to meet the unique needs of fast-paced bases like Moody AFB, so service members can focus on mission support and success.

“These military children are all so strong and they deal with all of these changes (like deployments or long shifts),” Cookson-Olson said. “I feel like they deal with TDY and deployments better than some of us adults are able to. They’re just very strong and resilient little friends.”

For more information about becoming an FCC provider, care options or to schedule care, please call 229-257-9587 or visit https://moodyfss.com/fcc-3/. For more information about eligibility requirements, visit https://www.dafchildandyouth.com/expanded-child-care.