DOD also subsidizes care in private child care centers outside of military installations through the Fee Assistance program. DOD's child development program (CDP) includes accredited, installation-based, government-run, full-time pre-school and school-aged care in its Child Development Centers (CDCs), and subsidized care in Family Care Centers (FCCs).

The Department of Defense (DOD) operates the largest employer-sponsored child care program in the United States, serving approximately 200,000 children of uniformed servicemembers and DOD civilians, and employing over 23,000 child care workers, at an annual cost of over $1 billion. While there has been broad support for DODвЂ™s CDP since its inception, the questions of what benefits should be provided to military servicemembers and their families, how these benefits should be structured, and what resources should be directed to these benefits are issues for Congress when considering the annual defense budget authorization and appropriation. Issues of sustained concern for Congress are quality and accessibility of military child care and availability of adequately trained child care employees. Funds for the construction of care facilities come from military construction (MILCON) funds, while other program funds come from Operation and Maintenance (O&M) and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) accounts. Appropriated funds are directed to different accounts. Average fees for military CDCs tend to be lower than the average fees for civilian day care providers.Д¬DCs are funded by a combination of appropriated and non-appropriated funds (APF and NAF), Non-appropriated funds are generated from fees paid by military child care patrons and from other revenue-generating programs on military installations. Child care fees are subsidized and based on total family income with a progressive fee structure. The services maintain a priority list with active duty single parents, dual military couples, and wounded servicemembers typically eligible in the highest priority category. DOD contractors, military retirees, and other federal agency personnel are eligible on a space-available basis. Military service members, surviving spouses, and DOD civilians are generally eligible for CDC services.

Military family advocacy groups have largely supported existing child care benefits and have also called for expanding awareness of, access to, operating hours for, and improvements or enhancements of other aspects of military child care services. The Department has argued that these child care benefits help support its recruiting, retention, and readiness goals and that there is generally a high level of satisfaction among servicemembers who use DOD child care services. DOD also subsidizes care in private child care centers outside of military installations through the Fee Assistance program.Д¬hild care services are part of a broader set of quality of life benefits that make up the total compensation package for military personnel and certain DOD civilians. DODвЂ™s child development program (CDP) includes accredited, installation-based, government-run, full-time pre-school and school-aged care in its Child Development Centers (CDCs), and subsidized care in Family Care Centers (FCCs).

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