DoD Fee Assistance

Child Care in Your Home

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Child Care in Your Home (CCYH), formerly known as In-Home Child Care (IHCC), Fee Assistance Pilot Program administered by Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA). Furthering its commitment to support service members and military families securing child care that fits their family’s needs, the DoD initiated the CCYH pilot program to provide fee assistance to eligible military families towards the costs for their full-time, in-home child care providers and nannies.

The CCYH pilot program will offer fee assistance towards full-time child care costs, defined as a minimum of 30 hours to a maximum of 60 hours of child care weekly. Parents are responsible for their DoD fees based on their Total Family income, and fees in excess of 60 hours of care weekly. Care is administered in the military family’s home and is not limited to Monday through Friday or time of day. Eligible families are responsible for finding and hiring their CCYH provider to care for their child(ren).

The CCYH pilot program is offered in 11 regions that have high demand and the longest wait lists for installation sponsored child care. The following locations are currently eligible for the CCYH pilot program:

• Colorado Springs, CO
• Fayetteville, NC
• Fort Walton Beach, FL
• Hawaii
• Jacksonville/Mayport, FL
• Las Vegas, NV
• National Capital Region
• Norfolk, VA
• San Antonio, TX
• San Diego, CA
• Seattle/Tacoma, WA

The CCYH pilot program is not available in every state or region, and is limited in capacity. All families interested in participating should use the following instructions to place a Request for Care for their child(ren) to be added to the waiting list as soon as they know care is needed.

For information about the CCYH pilot program or your family’s eligibility, you may review the Child Care in Your Home Fee Assistance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). 

Parents, please follow the steps below.

• Step One: Create a Profile on MilitaryChildCare.com

  All Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force single active duty, dual active duty, and Guard/Reserve service members on active duty with a full-time working spouse, or spouse enrolled full-time in a postsecondary institution, interested in participating in the CCYH pilot program for full-time child care fee assistance must create a household profile on MilitaryChildCare.com (MCC).

• Step Two: Make Requests for Care & Fee Assistance

  All eligible service members located in the identified 11 regions will be provided an option within MCC to request installation sponsored child care and CCYH fee assistance. To request the CCYH Fee Assistance Pilot Program, please select the CCYH Fee Assistance option and follow the directions outlined on MilitaryChildCare.com. Once a request through MCC has been made, you may receive follow up emails through MCC providing additional information about the pilot program.

• Step Three: If Offer is Received, Accept & Complete an Application

  If you are extended an offer for the CCYH Fee Assistance Pilot Program, the offer will be issued through MilitaryChildCare.com. The offer email will provide instructions on how to accept the space, as well as the need to complete an application in the CCAoA fee assistance enrollment portal and submit supporting documents within 5 business days of accepting.

  After you have created an account in the enrollment portal, you must then complete the electronic fee assistance application, upload the applicable supporting family and provider eligibility documents listed under the section Required Supporting Application Documents, and submit your application online at the link provided in the offer email you received. Your application should be submitted even if you have not yet selected and hired your CCYH provider.

  Once your application and supporting documents are received and reviewed, CCAoA will contact you regarding your eligibility, as well as the next steps in the application process.

Child Care in Your Home Fee Assistance Pilot Program Details

• Family and Provider Eligibility
  • Family Eligibility

    Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force single active duty, dual active duty, and Guard or Reserve service members on active duty with a full-time working spouse or spouse enrolled full-time in a postsecondary institution currently on the MilitaryChildCare.com waitlist in the 11 regions are eligible to participate. If families are not yet on the waitlist but need child care, they can create an account at MilitaryChildCare.com and submit their request for Child Care In Your Home.

  • Child Care in Your Home Providers

    milies who are offered placement into the pilot program will be responsible for finding and hiring their own CCYH providers. Additionally, families will be considered employers of their selected CCYH providers and should review both The Importance of Creating Your Child Care Agreement and the related tax considerations resource for household employees. Military parents who employ providers in their home may reach out to Military OneSource tax consultants any time, if they have questions about these tax implications. Families may use the expanded child care service available at no cost through Military OneSource to search for local providers. Providers must:

    • Be eligible to work in the United States (U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident)
    • Be at least 18 years of age
    • Hold a high school diploma or equivalent
    • Read, speak, and write English

    Providers may be a member of the military family (which includes a grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, first cousin, niece, nephew, etc.) but cannot reside with, or be financially dependent upon, the military family. Sponsors, spouses or legal guardians may not participate as the CCYH provider for their child(ren). Additionally, all providers must successfully complete and maintain current background check requirements and complete required initial training including pediatric CPR and first aid, child abuse prevention, safe sleep, and care for children with special needs, if needed. The provider and family must also commit to quarterly monitoring so that ongoing oversight following the initial training provided. The following background check requirements must be completed with favorable outcomes for all CCYH providers:

    • Fingerprint-based FBI criminal history background check
    • State criminal history repository check
    • State child abuse and neglect repository
    • State sex offender registry

    If the provider previously completed the background check requirements above, they must be current which is defined as no more than five years old.

    Providers interested in applying to CCYH pilot program must visit CCAoA’s provider fee assistance webpage to review the required supporting eligibility documents and submit an application.

    Please be advised that the CCYH Fee Assistance Pilot Program is not an entitlement program and is subject to the availability of funds.

• Frequently Requested Forms
  • Required Supporting Application Documents

    When a CCYH Fee Assistance space becomes available for your child(ren), you will be notified via email regarding the next steps in the application and eligibility process. Please DO NOT submit or upload any supporting application documents to your fee assistance account until you have received an offer email. Supporting documentation for proof of eligibility may vary by family. Below is a list of commonly required documentation:

    • Self Certification Form for children listed on the application (children eligible for fee assistance must be living in the same household of the service member and be listed as a legal dependent in the service member’s DEERS. The CCYH Fee Assistance Pilot Program is provided for children two weeks through 5 years of age, but may also serve sibling children ages birth through 12 years).
    • LES for all service members activated to full-time duty. A current copy of the service member’s LES dated within the past 90 days will be required.
    • Military Orders for all service members activated to full-time duty from the National Guard or Reserves for a period of 30 days or more. Activated Guards or Reservists must submit a current copy of their orders to verify eligibility.

    Spouse/Non-Military Parent Information (applies to unmarried parents living in the same household, or parents sharing custody of the children) If the spouse/non-military parent is employed, one month’s worth of pay stubs with verification that they are working 30 hours per week or 100 hours per month. If they are unable to provide pay stubs due to recent employment, please have their supervisor complete the Employment Verification Form for a 60 day approval period, while we wait for the Spouse/Non-Military Parent to submit one month’s worth of their pay stubs.

    If the spouse/non-military parent is in school, they will need to provide a school schedule that includes the student name, institution, semester dates and credit hours. Students must meet 12+ credit hours for undergrad and 9+ credit hours for graduate to meet full-time requirements. A spouse/non-military parent in school part-time and working part-time is defined as part-time Under Graduate enrolled for 6 credit hours or part-time Graduate Student enrolled for 3 credit hours, and working on a regularly scheduled part-day basis for fewer than 6 hours per day, usually fewer than 4 days per week.

    • Child Care in Your Home Fee Assistance Parent User Agreement – Each parent should read carefully, initial each line, and sign in the appropriate places in the document and submit with your family application.
    • Understanding CCYH Fee Assistance – All families must read the information provided carefully, sign the form, and submit with your family CCYH application.

    • CCYH Provider Cost Verification Form – The CCYH collects all required information about the child care rates your family will be charged by the child care provider. This includes effective dates, rate frequency, and the schedule of care. This form will be used to process your fee assistance application and ensure that no over-payments occur. You will be required to submit this form with your family application after it has been confirmed that your child care provider is eligible to participate in the fee assistance programs.
    • Provider Documents– All eligible providers for the CCYH Fee Assistance Pilot Program must be at least 18 years of age, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, read, speak, and write English, complete and maintain a favorable background check, complete required initial training, and submit a complete provider fee assistance application. Needed forms can be found on the CCYH Provider webpage.

  • Required Medical and Emergency Documents

    Once approved for the CCYH Fee Assistance Pilot Program, you will be required to have the following medical and emergency forms accessible to your CCYH provider at your family home. Please DO NOT submit or upload these medical and emergency documents to your fee assistance account.  They need to remain in your home in a location where the provider is aware and can access them, as they will be checked during the quarterly monitoring visit. Please download and complete copies of each form:

    • Authorization, if medication is necessary or required.

    • All medication must be prescription and in the original container with my child’s name clearly labeled.
    • Medication Statement, if no medication is required.

    • I will list the children for whom no medication will be authorized.

  • Other Frequently Requested Forms
    • Change of Provider Form
    • Information Update Request Form
    • Schedule of Care Form

• Fee Assistance Calculation

  The CCYH Fee Assistance is determined by calculating the difference between the CCYH provider’s monthly fee and the DoD Total Family Income (TFI) category parent fee based on locality and type of care that a family would pay if using the installation child development programs. While the military family and the CCYH provider will agree to their own rate, for fee assistance calculation purposes, the provider’s monthly fee will not exceed the program’s established community provider rate cap of $1,700 per child in care full-time. The fee assistance amount is calculated cumulatively for all children participating. You can view the School Year 2023 Total Family Income Categories, DoD Parent Fees, High Cost Installations, and Provider Caps that will be used to determine fee assistance.

  The fee assistance payment will be paid directly to the CCYH provider. The service member and family will pay the CCYH provider their portion as determined by the fee assistance calculation. The amount of fee assistance provided per child is based on:

  • The cumulative fee a family would pay if receiving care on the installation (based on total family income)
  • The monthly rate charged by the CCYH provider for all participating children
  • The cumulative provider rate cap up to $1,700 per child in care full-time and up to $850 per eligible school-age child