- ON THIS PAGE:
- Introduction
- Resources
- Accomplishments
- Way Ahead
Child Care
The Army provides quality and affordable care for children ages six weeks to 18 years of age and is investing in initiatives to increase access to child care. Each year, Child, Youth & School Services supports more than 226,000 children and youth through a system of both on- and off-post options.
Programs include on-post child development centers, school age centers, family child care homes, and youth programs along with youth sports and fitness. The Army also offers school support services and community-based programs along with deployment support. Parent and Outreach Services provides registration, enrollment, records management and payment services at CYS Services’ “one-stop” locations on installations.
"We will build nine new child development centers in the next five years, which will allow us to reduce wait times for child care. We’ve also increased compensation for our child care center workers. And we are making it easier for Army families to provide in-home child care, which will increase our child care capacity and make care more accessible. As a working mom, I know just how important this is."- Christine Wormuth, Secretary of the Army
Resources
Policy:
- Memorandum for Military and Civilian Families on Problematic Sexual Behavior in Children and Youth (PSB-CY)
- Execution Order 201-24: Implementation Guidance for Installations Response to Reports of Problematic Sexual Behavior in Children and Youth
Resources for parents:
- MilitaryChildCare.com is the DoD’s single online gateway for military families seeking child care, providing families with easy access to comprehensive information on all military-operated and military-subsidized child care options across all Services worldwide.
- Army Fee Assistance Program helps offset the cost of child care for Army families.
- Military OneSource support for Military Personnel & Families.
- Military OneSource for expanded hourly care options.
Resources for current or prospective staff:
- USAJOBS
- Civilian Employment Assignment Tool to help current staff transfer without a break in service.
Accomplishments
- All Army Child and Youth Services programs are certified to operate by the Department of Defense.
- The Army’s nationally accredited Child Development Centers offer on post part-day, full-day and hourly child care, along with extended duty care. Our School-Age Centers are also nationally accredited and offer before-and after-school programs, weekend activities and summer and seasonal camps typically during winter and spring breaks.
- To offer high quality in-home care – and to support a family’s individual needs for care outside of the typical duty day – the Army has worked to recruit and retain family child care providers and has increased compensation for direct-care staff.
- The Army has expanded the number of Family Child Care providers to reduce child care waitlists and offer additional opportunities for military spouse employment.
- School liaison officers are available at each installation to assist families with school transitions and ensure children enter school ready to learn.
- The Civilian Employee Assignment Tool allows non-appropriated employees to voluntarily request a non-competitive transfer to another Army installation where the same position may be available.
- The Army conducted virtual education pilots at two locations to improve access to advanced placement classes, foreign language, and trade skills opportunities.
Way Ahead
- To reduce wait times for child care, the Army plans to build new child development centers, replacing poor facilities and adding additional capacity. The Army also plans to renovate 125 existing child development centers.
- The Army identified locations where child development centers are critically required and prioritized investments based on immediate and projected child care need, facility conditions, and other factors that contribute to the Army’s ability to maximize child care spaces, quality of life, and readiness.
- The Army serves more than 10,000 families each year in its Fee Assistance Program and is participating in a DoD pilot, MCCYN-Plus, to increase the number of community-based providers eligible to participate.
- Working with partners including the Armed Forces YMCA, the Army is working to expand hourly child care capacity and increase options in Family Child Care homes.