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Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood

SERVING DOD CIVILIAN FAMILIES

DoD Meal Policy (Navy/DoD)

New DoD Pilot Meal Initiative!

A pilot initiative will be effective on 1 April 2024 to provide a meal allowance to families who receive full-time care from the MCCYN program.

  • If lunch or formula isn’t included in the provider fee, to reduce your parent fee by $100, download and submit a new Cost Worksheet in the Provider Information section of your MCCYN registration record in MCC. 
  • If lunch or formula is included, the provider cap will automatically increase to $1,900 monthly.

Program Information

MCCYN is a fee assistance program that keeps affordable child care in reach for eligible families. It’s intended for families who cannot access military-operated care due to distance or waitlists. With fee assistance, a portion of your child care cost is paid to reduce the cost of using community-based care. The goal is to make it easier for you to afford quality child care from local community providers when you cannot access child care on a military installation.

Fee assistance is available for:

  • Families working within the continental United States, Hawaii, and Alaska.
  • Children from birth through age 12.

Who's Eligible?

DoD has several MCCYN programs available to DoD civilians. To find the program available for your family, refer to the information below.

DoD Civilian Groups

Army MCCYN is available to Army civilians who

  • Are stationed at an installation that has been pre-identified as fee assistance eligible, or
  • Do not live near a DoD installation with a Child and Youth program.

If married, your spouse must be employed, actively seeking employment, or a student enrolled in a minimum number of hours.

Visit the Army MCCYN page for more details, including documentation requirements.

Air Force Civilian MCCYN is available to Air Force civilians who

  • Are stationed at an installation that has been pre-identified as fee assistance eligible (National Capital Region only), or
  • Do not live near a DoD installation with a Child and Youth program.

If married, your spouse must be employed, actively seeking employment, or a student enrolled in a minimum number of hours.

Note: Air Reserve Technicians should request Air Force MCCYN.

Visit the Air Force MCCYN page for more details, including documentation requirements.

USMC Civilian MCCYN is available to Marine Corps civilians who

  • Are stations at an installation that has been pre-identified as fee assistance eligible, or
  • Do not live near a DoD installation with a Child and Youth program.

If married, your spouse must be employed, actively seeking employment, or a student enrolled in a minimum number of hours.

Visit the Marine Corps MCCYN page for more details, including documentation requirements.

Navy MCCYN is available to Navy civilians who

  • Are stationed at an installation that has been pre-identified as fee assistance eligible, or
  • Do not live near a DoD installation with a Child and Youth program.

If married, your spouse must be employed, actively seeking employment, or a full-time student.

Visit the Navy MCCYN page for more details, including documentation requirements.

Other DoD Civilians

NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE (NRO)  

NRO MCCYN is available to National Reconnaissance Office employees.

  1. Your total family income must be less than Level IV of the Executive Schedule.
  2. If married, your eligibility is not based on your spouse’s status (i.e., you are eligible whether your spouse is employed, seeking employment, a student, or not employed).

OFFICE OF NET ASSESSMENT (ONA)

ONA MCCYN is available to Office of Net Assessment employees regardless of income. If married, your eligibility is not based on your spouse’s status (i.e., you are eligible whether your spouse is employed, seeking employment, a student, or not employed).

OTHER DEFENSE AGENCY or FIELD ACTIVITY

DoD Civilian MCCYN is available to full-time employees (must work at least 30 hours per week) of other DoD Agencies and Field Activities.

  1. If married, your spouse must be employed, actively seeking employment, or a full-time student.
  2. In addition, employees must be either:
    • Employed at an installation that has been pre-identified as fee assistance eligible, or
    • Not living near a DoD installation with a Child and Youth program.

Required Documentation

When you complete your MCCYN registration, you must submit documentation to verify your eligibility. What's required is based on your sponsor type and spouse’s status if you are married.

Note: If you are affiliated with the Air Force, Army, Navy, or Marine Corps, visit your Service's MCCYN page for required documents.

  1. All sponsors must provide a Self-Certification Form that includes all your dependent children who will receive fee assistance.
  2. In addition, you must provide either a
    • Personnel Action Request Form (SF-50 form) which shows annual income, or
    • Most recent Civilian Leave and Earnings Statement (CLES)

If you are applying for DoD Civilian MCCYN, the required documents are based on your spouse's status.

Working Spouse must provide one of the following.

  • 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, or
  • If self-employed, a Certification of Self Employment Form PLUS a gross earnings statement from your business’s tax information, or if you do not have a tax return for the business, a signed, written estimate of anticipated annual earnings. You can estimate your annual earnings by multiplying your 90-day income by 4.

Student Spouse must provide a school schedule that includes the student’s name, the school’s name, the number of enrolled credits, and the period of the current semester.

Spouse Seeking Employment do not provide documentation. You may receive fee assistance for a one-time 90-day period while you look for work. You must then provide proof of employment to continue to receive benefits.

Before benefit payments can be issued to your provider:

  1. They must be approved to participate in MCCYN.
  2. You must submit an MCCYN Cost Worksheet for each provider that will care for your child(ren). The MCCYN Cost Worksheet collects all required information about the child care rates your family will be charged, including discounts, effective dates, rate changes, rate frequency, and the schedule of care.

How to Get Started? It's Easy!

How to Get Started? It’s Easy!

    Create an Account

    If you don’t already have an account, select "Create an Account" at the topic of this page. Once you create an account, set up a Household Profile so you can search for care at any time from any location.

    Search for and Request Care

    MilitaryChildCare.com allows you to search the full range of military child care options. Search for care, and if it’s available, submit a request for MCCYN for each of your children. Review the list of MCCYN providers to find participating providers in your area.

    Wait for an Offer

    You will receive an offer for care if space becomes available, but no more than 30 days before the date you need care. Keep your email address up-to-date in your Household Profile so you do not miss these important messages.

    Choose a Provider

    While you wait for an offer, start looking for a provider. Choose a provider from the MCCYN Provider List or select a preferred one from your community. Your selected provider must meet the requirements and apply to participate.

    Complete Registration and Upload Required Documents

    If you receive an offer for MCCYN, you will receive a notification from MilitaryChildCare.com with instructions on how to accept the offer, complete your registration, and upload eligibility documents.

Family Resources

PARTICIPATING MCCYN PROVIDERS

The DoD is committed to making a variety of child care options available – both on and off base – to ensure families have access to the care they need. On our website, you may search for community child care providers who meet the requirements to participate in MCCYN or may already be serving families receiving fee assistance. 

To see if the MCCYN program is available to you, log in to your MCC household or create an MCC account. You can then access the community provider resource list when searching for care by selecting the View MCCYN Providers link under the MCCYN program profile, or, if you've requested fee assistance, from your "My Child Care" page.

If there are no providers in your area, or your provider is not listed, you may choose your own provider. All providers must meet the eligibility requirements, apply, and be approved to participate in the MCCYN Fee Assistance Program.

MCCYN BENEFIT FORM TIP SHEET

If you are employed by the Navy or an agency affiliated with DoD, then you or your provider must complete and submit monthly a Fee Assistance Benefit Form before your fee assistance benefit can be processed. Review the Benefit Form Tip Sheet to learn how to complete and submit the form.

Provider Resources

PROVIDER APPLICATION

Community providers interested in participating in the MCCYN program must complete and submit the MCCYN Provider Interest Form.

PROVIDER REQUIREMENTS

The DoD is committed to providing affordable, quality child and youth care in a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment. To do that, all DoD-funded programs must meet strict quality standards. Learn more about the quality standards that MCCYN participating providers meet. Exceptions to the quality standards may be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Quality Standards for MCCYN

The Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) program partners with quality child care providers to offer DoD connected families greater access to care. Providers participating in the MCCYN fee assistance program must have a state child care license and either be accredited by a national accreditation organization or also participate in the MCCYN-PLUS program.

MCCYN requires community providers to meet these standards to ensure children receive a similar level of quality care through MCCYN as they would at a military-operated program. 

What is child care licensing?

Although it does not guarantee quality, child care licensing is the main way states regulate child care to ensure the health and safety of children in child care. All providers participating in the MCCYN program must have a valid state child care license that covers all ages served at the center or home. While child care licensing standards vary by state, all are federally required to set baseline health and safety requirements that providers must meet to operate legally.  To learn more about child care licensing and how your state licenses child care, visit ChildCare.gov to see your state’s resources page. 

What is national accreditation?

Child care programs that earn national accreditation demonstrate that they meet standards for higher quality child care that go beyond a state’s minimum licensing standards. This process includes self-study, continued program development, and assessment by an independent professional accrediting agency. Providers participating in a DoD-funded MCCYN program must obtain accreditation from one of the following recognized national accrediting organizations: 

*Note: Accreditation must include the early learning component to meet the MCCYN requirement. 

Family Child Care providers must also have achieved one of the following credentials: 

What is MCCYN-PLUS?

DoD created the MCCYN-PLUS program to ensure DoD connected families have access to quality child care in locations where accredited child care is limited. Through the program, providers have the opportunity to participate in MCCYN if they meet the required quality rating level for that state. 

What are state quality ratings?

Many states use a child care quality rating system to help families to easily identify high-quality child care programs when searching for care. These ratings help measure additional program features that go beyond minimum child care licensing requirements to support higher quality care. Like rating systems for public schools or hotels, states award child care quality ratings to child care and school age programs when they meet a set of defined program quality standards. Most states use symbols, such as stars, to easily indicate levels of quality. Programs earn higher ratings when the state determines they have met more quality standards.  

To learn more and quality ratings, visit ChildCare.gov.

Where is MCCYN-PLUS available?

DoD continues to work with states to expand participation in MCCYN-PLUS. The program is currently available in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida: Miami-Dade County, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Which Community Providers Can Participate in MCCYN-PLUS?

To qualify for participation in MCCYN-PLUS, providers must meet the following minimum standards:

  • Be state licensed
  • Participate in the state’s quality rating system and have achieved the minimum rating as determined by the DoD
  • Demonstrate continuous quality improvement until the provider can achieve the highest rating or accreditation.

For more information on MCCYN-PLUS, review the MCCYN-PLUS Parent Pamphlet. 

MCCYN Resources

From here, download the commonly requested forms and resources referenced on this page.

Check out the latest updates to the Cost Worksheet and the Parent Fees handout. These resources were updated for the MCCYN meal allowance pilot, which begins 1 April 2024. 

Note: If you are affiliated with the Air Force, Army, Navy, or Marine Corps visit your Service's MCCYN page.