Child Care in Your Home

Active duty and Guard/Reserve members on active duty must provide both of the following:

• Most recent Leave and Earnings Statement (LES)
• Military orders

Active duty and Guard/Reserve members on active duty must provide both of the following:

• Most recent Leave and Earnings Statement (LES)
• Military orders

A full-time working spouse must provide one of the following that shows you work at least 30 hours per week or 100 hours per month:

• One month or 4 weeks of pay stubs
• If newly employed, a letter from your employer with the date of hire, hours worked per week, and weekly/monthly salary. You will be asked to revalidate your eligibility within 90 days.
• If self-employed, a Certification of Self-Employment form AND a gross earnings statement from your business’s tax information. If you do not have a tax return for the business, you must provide a signed, written estimate of anticipated annual earnings. You can estimate your annual earnings by multiplying your 90-day income by 4.

A full-time student spouse must provide a school schedule that shows you are enrolled at least 12 credit hours in an undergraduate program or 9 credit hours in a graduate program.

• The school schedule must include the student’s name, school name, number of enrolled credits, and start and end date of enrolled classes.
• If your school has nontraditional scheduling (such as a quarter schedule), the documentation must clearly state that you are enrolled full time.
• You will be asked to revalidate your eligibility based on the dates your classes end.
• If you are enrolled in a full-time program (for example, medical/social work or student teaching) where you must complete clinical hours toward your degree/certification, you must provide documentation verifying that your clinical schedule meets or exceeds the required number of working hours to participate in CCYH. This official documentation must be verified each semester.

A part-time working and part-time student spouse must provide both of the following:

• Documentation that shows you work on a regularly scheduled basis, typically for fewer than 6 hours per day and fewer than 4 days per week. See the requirements for a full-time working spouse for examples of acceptable documentation.
• A school schedule that shows you are enrolled at least 6 credit hours in an undergraduate program or 3 credit hours in a graduate program. See the requirements for a full-time student spouse for examples of acceptable documentation.

The monthly fee assistance amount paid for each child is based on your Total Family Income (TFI) category and will not cover the entire cost of child care. CCAoA will make the fee assistance payment directly to your selected CCYH provider.

The amount of fee assistance provided per child is based on:

• The DoD assigned TFI Category based on your Total Family Income.
• The DoD determined full-time parent fee per child for the relevant TFI category. For each category, there is a Basic parent fee and a High Cost parent fee based on geographic area. 
• The monthly rate charged by your provider.
• The provider rate cap determined for your geographic area.

You are responsible to pay your provider for all additional costs the fee assistance does not cover, including taxes. Provider rates may only include child care services and may not include housekeeping-related duties outside of what is necessary for child care.

You are responsible for selecting your own in-home child care provider. To find a provider, you may use the expanded child care service available at no cost through Military OneSource. CCYH providers must meet the following requirements:

• Be a U.S. Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Hold a high school diploma or equivalent
• Have the ability to read, speak, and write English
• Comply with applicable federal and state labor laws, to include income tax implications

CCYH providers may be family members:

• A family member is defined as a person who is related to each child by blood, marriage, or adoption.
• A family member who serves as the CCYH provider may not be the parent, stepparent, or legal guardian of the child or children in care.
• Sponsors, spouses, and legal guardians may not serve as the CCYH provider for their child.

All providers must complete all training and background check requirements.

You may consider the following types of in-home care arrangements when you participate in the CCYH pilot.

• A provider who comes to your home to care for only your children.
• A nanny-share arrangement. A nanny share is when two or more families enter into an agreement to hire an in-home child care provider to care for their child(ren) under a co-arrangement. The families agree to share the cost of the child care provider. Families participating in a nanny-share are responsible for developing their own nanny-share agreement and complying with any state or local regulations.
• A live-in arrangement in which the CCYH provider resides in your home and provides child care services. To use this option, you must follow the labor and tax laws. CCYH fee assistance only covers the child care fee and does not pay for any living expenses.
• A provider may care for their own children in your home with a written agreement. In this case, there cannot be more than six children in care, and no more than two of these children can be infants.

When you use this pilot program, you will be considered your provider's employer. To learn about the tax implications of being an employer, contact Military OneSource tax consultants. If you receive and accept an offer for CCYH fee assistance, CCAoA will also provide you with information on tax requirements. You can also read the Tax Considerations for Household Employers fact sheet. 

Because you will be your in-home child care provider's employer, it's important to negotiate and execute a written contract with your in-home provider. For more information on why it's important to have an agreement with your provider and what you should consider including, review The Importance of Creating Your Child Care Agreement handout.

If you receive and accept an offer for CCYH fee assistance, CCAoA will work with you and your selected provider to understand the provider training and background check requirements needed to participate. In addition to meeting these requirements, if your child has a special need, it is important that you share best care practices with your provider to ensure your child's needs are met.

CCAoA will work with your provider to ensure they complete the following required training before starting, including:

• CPR certification
• First aid certification
• Child abuse prevention training
• Safe sleep training

In addition, the provider must complete additional training such as developmentally appropriate practices, health and safety procedures, and positive child guidance strategies within 90 days of starting.

CCAoA will share information with providers on how to complete the minimum background check requirements, including:

• Fingerprint-Based FBI Criminal History Background Check
• State Criminal History Repository Check
• State Child Abuse and Neglect Repository Check
• State/National Sex Offender Registry Check

If the provider previously completed the background check requirements above, they must be current, which is defined as no more than 5 years old.