With many schools partially closed or online right now, military families may be struggling with childcare options. Perhaps your kids are home all day for online school while you and your spouse both work. Some units are seeking additional help to remedy the situation. Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for example, sought additional funding for its service members based on the needs of its formations. Other military units, however, may not be doing as much to help cope with the situation caused by the ongoing pandemic. While the situation may seem dire, there is help available. We’ll take a look at a few of the options below:
*Please note that COVID-19 may cause delays to service requests.
Option 1: Childcare.gov
ARMY
“Child Care Aware® of America authorizes subsidy amounts based on Total Family Income (TFI) for those eligible Army families, and supplies monthly payments directly to the prospective child care provider. The Army Fee Assistance Subsidy is the difference between what the Sponsor would pay for on-post child care and the community-based child care provider’s rate, up to a provider rate cap of $1500 per child per month. The Army Sponsor is responsible for the DoD-established parent fees that sponsors pay on post, and any amount over the provider rate cap of $1500. If you would like more information on your parent fees, please call 1-800-424-2246 to speak to a representative at CCAoA.”
Air Force
“The Department of the Air Force Child Care Fee Assistance Program was created to provide authorized Active Duty personnel assistance in locating, selecting, and offsetting the cost of civilian child care, when installation child care is not available, or a viable option for the Department of the Air Force Sponsor and their family. The programs available through Child Care Aware® of America provide subsidies for eligible Department of the Air Force dependents enrolled in quality commercial child care programs throughout the United States.”
NAVY and MARINE CORPS
The Navy and Marine Corps require service members to create an account and request installation child care access before accessing fee assistance. If unable to place your child into installation childcare, you can request to be added to the waitlist for access to fee reimbursement. For Covid-19 related frequently asked questions, take a look here.
Option 2: Militarychildcare.com
MilitaryChildCare.com is a Department of Defense website that helps families in any service branch find and request military-operated child care anywhere in the world. Search for full- and part-time care at facility-based or home-based child care programs, including before- and after-school care, as well as summer and holiday camps. Employment status is the primary driver of enrollment status. The site also offers employment opportunities for those looking to work with military kids.
Option 3: Check Your State’s Availability for Programs
Some states have granted tax credits and grants for families with children in which the parents are employed. The state of North Carolina, for example created the Extra Credit Grant Program which grants $335.00 to each eligible individual. Eligible individuals who have filed their state return and reported at least one qualifying child do not need to take any action to receive the grant. A simple Google Search should give you tips as to what your state has done to help.
As always, be sure to keep track of your childcare expenses as there’s a good likelihood that you can write them off on next year’s taxes!
Enjoy the contents of this post? Subscribe below to get the latest content delivered to your inbox!
Military Money Matters 