Finding child care can be a unique challenge for military service members and their families. If you are a military family, use the information below to learn about your child care options and understand how to find care wherever you are stationed.
Find military-run child care programs through MilitaryChildCare.com (MCC).
First, see if there are any military-run child care programs available at your duty station by using MCC, which is designed to help military families search for and find military-run and military-approved programs worldwide.
Since military child care programs are located worldwide, the Department of Defense (DoD) uses Standards of Operation to ensure consistent, enforceable health and safety requirements across all military-run child care programs, regardless of location. The DoD, as well as dedicated staff from each branch of service, use these standards to certify and monitor military-run child care programs to ensure program quality and compliance with DoD regulations and policies.
Military child care program types include child development centers, family child care providers, school-age care programs, and 24/7 centers. Military families who would like to enroll their child in a military-run child care program must submit a child care request through MCC. Military-run child care programs use a sliding fee scale based on family income to help military families with the cost of child care.
Find military-approved civilian child care programs through the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood fee assistance program.
If there are no openings in military-run programs or military child care is not available at your duty station, active duty service members (including reservists on active orders) may also be eligible to apply for military child care fee assistance. This program allows military families to enroll with military-approved civilian child care providers and receive fee assistance to help with the cost of care.
Find state-licensed and regulated civilian child care programs through ChildCare.gov.
Military families can also consider off-base, civilian-operated programs that are licensed or regulated by the state or territory where they are stationed. Just like the DoD sets and enforces health and safety requirements in military-run child care programs, federal law also requires states and territories to set and enforce child care licensing requirements to ensure children’s health and safety while in civilian child care programs. Child care licensing is a process in which state and territory governments set minimum health and safety requirements that a child care program must meet to operate legally. To learn more about what child care licensing is and why it is important, see the “How is Child Care Regulated to Ensure Children's Health and Safety?” page.
Each state and U.S. territory has a child care consumer education website that includes an online child care search tool and other resources to help families learn about their child care options and find child care. Since military families move so frequently, they can use ChildCare.gov to connect directly to the child care consumer education website for the state or territory where they are stationed, and also find other helpful state- and territory-specific resources for families and children (including information on early intervention services, special education services, and more).
To search for licensed civilian child care programs near you, go to the "Find Child Care" page and select the state or territory where you are stationed.
Learn about other options through Military OneSource.
Through Military OneSource, you can learn about additional part-time hourly care child care options and enrichment programs for children and teens.
Need help with the cost of child care?
Learn about "Child Care Financial Assistance for Military Families."