Program Information
The US Secret Service (USSS) Child Care Subsidy Program is a fee assistance program that keeps affordable child care in reach for eligible families. With fee assistance, up to $400 per month of your household's 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.
Who's Eligible?
The USSS Child Care Subsidy Program is available to US Secret Service employees with children from birth through age 12. To identify yourself as a Secret Service employee, in your MCC household profile, select Other Federal Employee as your sponsor type, and then indicate that you work for the US Secret Service.
Note: Families living outside of the US and US territories should contact the USSS Subsidy Program for more information.
Required Documentation
When you complete your registration, you must submit documentation to verify your eligibility.
SPONSOR
All sponsors must provide:
- Most recent tax return (Form 1040 only) showing an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of no more than $170,000, and
- Most recent Personnel Action Request Form (SF-50 Form).
USSS COST WORKSHEET
Before payments can be issued to your provider, they must be approved to participate in the subsidy, and you must submit a USSS Cost Worksheet for each child. The USSS Child Care Subsidy Program will pay up to $400 per month per household directly to your approved provider. You will be responsible for paying the remaining provider fees.
Provider Information
PROVIDER LIST
You can access the most current list of child care providers (MCCYN Providers) that may participate in the USSS Child Care Subsidy Program when searching for care by selecting the "View MCCYN Providers" link under the USSS program profile. If you’ve requested fee assistance, you can access the list under your fee assistance request on your "My Child Care" page or in the "Provider Information" section of your "My MCCYN" page if you have received and accepted an offer for the subsidy program.
If there are no providers listed 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.
PROVIDER REQUIREMENTS
The USSS is committed to providing affordable, quality child and youth care in a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment. To do that, all USSS-funded providers must be licensed.
Choosing Quality Child Care
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 training.
When selecting a child care provider, consider additional quality standards like accreditation or participation in a state's Quality Rating and Improvement System, or QRIS, that indicate a provider has gone beyond licensing requirements to provide high-quality care.
- Accreditation shows a commitment to quality and indicates that the provider meets standards for high-quality early childhood and school age education that are above a state’s minimum licensing standards.
- 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.
Visit ChildCare.gov for more information on how to choose quality child care and to find child care providers in your state.
PROVIDER APPLICATION
If your provider is interested in participating in the USSS Child Care Subsidy Program, they must complete and submit the MCCYN Provider Interest Form.
Email Contact
For more information, contact the Fee Assistance team at USSSMCCYN@MilitaryChildCare.com.