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Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN)

SERVING U.S. MARINE CORPS FAMILIES

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 military care.

Who's Eligible?

MCCYN is available to Marine Corps active duty members, Marine Corps Reservists on active duty, and Marine Corps 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.

Fee assistance is available to:

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

* If you are a Marine Corps civilian, your total family income (TFI) must be $90,000 per year or less to qualify for Marine Corps Civilian MCCYN.

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.

Required Documentation

When fee assistance becomes available for your child(ren), you will receive an offer from MilitaryChildCare.com with the next steps to complete your application. The Marine Corps MCCYN has authorized Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) to administer the program. You will submit your required documents through the CCAoA fee assistance portal.

All sponsors must provide a Self-Certification Form that includes all your dependent children who will receive fee assistance.

You must provide additional documentation based on your sponsor type.

Marine Corps active duty and Reservist on active duty must provide

  • Most recent Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) and
  • Active Duty Orders

Marine Corps civilians must provide either

  • Personnel Action Request Form (SF-50) or
  • Most Recent Civilian Leave and Earnings Statement (CLES)

Working Spouse must provide one of the following

  • One month or 4 weeks of pay stubs showing you work at least 16 hours per week, or
  • If newly employed, a completed Employment Verification Form for a 60-day approval, or
  • If self-employed, a copy of the most recent Schedule C Income Tax Return, a copy of the business license, and a self-employment statement signed by the sponsor and spouse that includes a description of the business, start date, estimated monthly income, and work hours per week. If a Schedule C has not been filed yet, you must submit the business license and statement.

Student Spouse must provide

  • School schedule that shows you are enrolled at least 12 credit hours in an undergraduate program or 9 credit hours in a graduate program.
  • School schedule must include the student’s name, the school’s name, the number of enrolled credits, and the period of the current semester.

Spouse Seeking Employment must provide a Looking for Work Form to 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 a Provider Cost Verification Form for each provider that will care for your child(ren). The Provider Cost Verification Form 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.

Fee Assistance Calculation

Family Resources

For DoD MCCYN programs, your fee assistance benefit varies based on the rate your provider charges, your Total Family Income (TFI), and if you live in a high cost area. The benefit amount is the difference between the rate your community-based provider charges and your parent fee. In addition, the benefit amount cannot be more than the DoD-established provider rate cap.

To determine what you will pay for child care, each month, you’ll need some more details.

  1. First, determine your parent fee.
    • DoD assigns you to a TFI Category based on your Total Family Income. Refer to the TFI Family Tip Sheet for guidance on what income to include when calculating your TFI.
    • The DoD then determines the full-time and part-time parent fee for each TFI category. For each category there is a Basic parent fee and High Cost parent fee based on locality.
    • Review the MCCYN Parent Fees document to determine your TFI category and the associated parent fee. Review the list of installations at the end of the document to determine if you are in a high cost area.
  2. Next, determine your provider’s monthly rate.
    • If your provider charges a weekly rate, multiple that amount by 4.33 to get the monthly rate.
  3. Subtract the Parent Fee from the Provider Rate or the Provider Cap, whichever is less. This is your Benefit Amount.
    • DoD defines a provider rate cap; however, the rate may vary by Service. If you enroll with a provider who charges more than the provider cap, then you are responsible for your parent fee plus any amount above the provider rate cap.

Example 1: Dual-income family with TFI of $89,000 living in a base area

TFI Category: VII

Basic Parent Fee for Full-Time Care: $602

Provider Monthly Rate: $966

$966 (Provider Rate) - $602 (Parent Fee) = $364 (Benefit Amount)

Your total responsibility: $602

Example 2: Dual-income family with TFI of $89,000 living in a high cost area

TFI Category: VII

High Cost Parent Fee for Full-Time Care: $646

Provider Monthly Rate: $2200 ($700 above provider cap)

$1500 (Provider Cap) - $646 (Parent Fee) = $854 (Benefit Amount)

Your total responsibility: $646 + $700 = $1346

Participating MCCYN Providers (AF/USMC)

You may access the most current list of participating MCCYN providers when searching for care by selecting the View MCCYN Providers link under the MCCYN program profile, or, if you've requested fee assistance, by accessing your MCCYN request on your "My Child Care" page.

If there are no providers listed in your area, or your desired provider is not listed, you may choose your own provider. All providers must meet the eligibility requirements and apply to participate. For information on provider requirements and a provider application, review the Provider Resources section below.

Provider Resources (AF/USMC)

Provider Resources

PROVIDER APPLICATION

Community providers interested in participating in the MCCYN program must complete and submit an application by visiting the Child Care Aware of America Provider Fee Assistance webpage.

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

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.

MCCYN Resources (AF/USMC)

MCCYN Resources

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

Email Contacts (AF/Army/USMC)

Email Contacts