Community providers participating in the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) fee assistance program must have a state license and either be accredited by a national accreditation organization or participate in the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood Plus program.
State Licensure
All community providers participating in an MCCYN program must have a valid state license that covers all ages served at the center or home. While licensing standards vary by state, all are designed to ensure the health and safety of children in care and outline the minimum standards that providers must meet to operate legally. They often include rules that ensure caregivers have passed criminal background checks and have taken required health and safety trainings, including CPR.
You can learn more about state licensing regulations in your area by reviewing the National Database of Child Care Licensing.
In addition to being licensed, each community provider must submit a state licensing inspection report from within the last 12 months indicating there were no disqualifying incidents.
National Accreditation
Community providers participating in a DoD-funded MCCYN program must obtain accreditation from one of the recognized national accrediting organizations. Accreditation shows a commitment to quality and indicates that the provider meets standards for high-quality early childhood and school age education. MCCYN requires community providers to meet these standards to ensure military-connected children receive a similar level of quality care through MCCYN as they would at a military-operated program.
Child care centers must obtain accreditation through one of the following organizations.
* Accreditation must include the early learning component to meet the MCCYN requirement.
Family Child Care providers must have achieved one of the following credentials:
MCCYN PLUS
To expand the availability of quality child care in locations where accredited care is limited, DoD added MCCYN PLUS. MCCYN offers MCCYN PLUS to give community-based providers participating in their state’s QRIS an opportunity to participate in the fee assistance program.
QRIS is a systemic approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early and school age care and education programs. Like rating systems for restaurants and hotels, QRIS award quality ratings to early and school age care and education programs that meet a set of defined program standards. By participating in a state’s QRIS, community providers embark on a path of continuous quality improvement.
MCCYN PLUS is currently available in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida: Miami-Dade County, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. To qualify for MCCYN PLUS, community providers must meet minimum standards.
- Participate in the state’s QRIS and have a minimum rating of three or higher
- Demonstrate continuous quality improvement until the highest rating or accreditation is achieved
In states where MCCYN PLUS is offered, licensed community providers that previously obtained an exception to participate in MCCYN, must meet the below standards to maintain their eligibility.
- Provide evidence of enrollment in the state’s QRIS within twelve months of being notified of the MCCYN PLUS requirements
- Submit the initial rating level awarded by the state’s QRIS
- Achieve a minimum of three rating
- Demonstrate continuous quality improvement until the highest rating or accreditation is achieved
For more information on MCCYN PLUS, review the MCCYN PLUS Parent Pamphlet.