MCCYN Fee Assistance Program

Help Support Our Families

Thank you for your interest in supporting our families’ child care needs. Child Care Aware® of America administers a Fee Assistance Program for families on behalf of the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps. If you have a valid state license, an approved national accreditation, and annual licensing inspection, you may be eligible to participate in the program. Please see below for detailed information concerning which programs are available and how to apply.

Providers, please follow the steps below:

  • Step Two: Select A Program
    • Military Child Care In Your Neighborhood with Exception (MCCYNEx) – state-licensed, serves deployed Army service members.
    • Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood state-licensed AND nationally accredited, serves deployed and active duty service members, and full-time NGA employees
    • Army Respite Care – hourly care for Army families

    Read more about these programs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Determining Your Eligibility

    State License and Inspection Report

    Child care providers and family child care homes wishing to participate in the Fee Assistance Programs must have a valid license issued by their state. The license should cover all ages served at the facility or home. In addition, providers must also present a copy of their state licensing inspection report from within the last 12 months. The inspection report must be free of any disqualifying incidents to participate in the Fee Assistance Programs.

  • What Programs Are Available?
    • Military Child Care In Your Neighborhood with Exception (MCCYNEx)

      The Military Child Care In Your Neighborhood with Exception (MCCYNEx) program provides fee assistance for families of deployed Army or mobilized Army National Guard service members during the duration of the deployment. Providers may be eligible for the Military Child Care In Your Neighborhood with Exception (MCCYNEx) program if they have a valid state license and annual licensing inspection report.

    • Military Child Care In Your Neighborhood (MCCYN)

      The Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood program provides fee assistance for families of Active Duty Service Members and full-time NGA employees who are unable to access on-post child care. Providers may be eligible for the Military Child Care In Your Neighborhood program if they have a valid state license, annual licensing inspection report, and a national accreditation. (Please see the Supporting Documents section for accreditations that are accepted.)

    • MCCYN-PLUS

      On October 1, 2019, The Military Services expanded the MCCYN program to include MCCYN-PLUS. In locations where nationally accredited care is unavailable, military families that wish to participate in the fee assistance program will be referred to community child care centers that are quality rated by their state Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). MCCYN-PLUS currently operates in select states – please click here for more information.

    • Army Respite Care

      The Army Respite program provides no-cost, hourly child care to support the unique child care needs for Army Families who meet certain criteria.

      Respite Care can be used for any of the following:

      • Attending appointments
      • Running errands
      • Taking a much needed break
      • Nights, weekends, and overnight care

      Respite care may also be used during the day, but it must be outside of the regularly subsidized care if the family already participates in the Army Fee Assistance Program.

    • Respite Provider Eligibility
      • Provider must fill out a Provider Respite Application and be willing to provide an hourly rate for the families interested in using the facility for Respite Care
      • Provider must submit the supporting documents listed on the Provider Respite Application if not already a part of the Fee Assistance Programs
      • Provider must be able to provide care in 2 hour increments
      • Care can be used at different times for a family with multiple children
  • What Supporting Documents Are Needed?

    Providers who would like to be eligible for the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) program need to meet the criteria listed above AND have one of the following approved accreditations or are currently enrolled in self-study pursuing accreditation with an approved agency:

    • Child Care Centers:
      • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
      • National Accreditation Commission (NAC)
      • National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA)
      • Council on Accreditation (COA)
      • Cognia – NCA/SACS/NWAC (formerly AdvancED)*
      • Middle States Association (MSA)
      • Maryland State Dept. of Education (MSDE) Accreditation (Maryland ONLY)
      • Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)*
      • Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment – APPLE (Effective 1-1-2022)
      • American Montessori Society – AMS (Effective 1-1-2022)
      • Association Montessori International/USA-AMI/USA (Effective 1-1-2022)

      *Please note – accreditation must include early learning component to be approved for the fee assistance program.

    • Family Child Care:

      In order for family child care providers to meet MCCYN requirements, they must be state licensed, inspected annually, and have achieved one of the following:

      • Child Development Associate (CDA) credential awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition
      • Associate’s degree or higher in Early Childhood Education (ECE) or Child Development (CD) *Transcript showing 24 or more credit hours in ECE or CD also accepted*
      • National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) accreditation

      Non-accredited facilities operating in select states may click here for more information about qualifying for MCCYN-PLUS.

      Please submit all documentation and/or questions regarding provider eligibility via email to providerservices@usa.childcareaware.org or via fax at 703-341-4146. You may also call us at 1-800-424-2246, option 4.

  • Why is Accredited Care Important?

    National accreditation is an additional criteria used to determine the quality of a child care program. Family child care homes and child care centers may pursue accreditation in order to increase the quality of their care. Accredited providers must meet higher standards than those set forth by licensing. These programs offer the kind of care, attention, and educational activities parents look for in quality child care programs, in addition to offering activities and experiences that will aid in a child’s growth and development and that will help prepare them for school.

    The Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) fee assistance program is an extension of the child care services offered through the various installations within the United States. Qualifying military sponsors for the MCCYN program must be connected to an accredited child care provider to ensure their children are receiving community child care of comparable quality to the type of care administered at installation-based Child Development Centers or Child Development Homes.

    Sponsors who qualify for the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) program must select a child care provider that meets one of the following requirements for accreditation:

    • Family Child Care:

      Non-accredited facilities operating in select states may click here for more information about qualifying for MCCYN-PLUS.

      In order for family child care providers to meet MCCYN requirements, they must be state licensed, inspected annually, and have achieved one of the following:

      • Child Development Associate (CDA) credential awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition
      • Associate’s degree or higher in Early Childhood Education (ECE) or Child Development (CD) **Transcript showing 24 or more credit hours in ECE or CD also accepted**
      • National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) Accreditation 

      In addition to the provided national accreditation agencies and their corresponding websites, please feel free to visit Child Care Aware® of America’s list of providers who have at one time participated in fee assistance. If your family selects a child care provider from this search engine, you must first verify that the facility meets the current eligibility requirements set forth by your branch and program before approval for monthly tuition assistance can be awarded. If you have questions about your selected provider’s eligibility, please contact us at 1-800-424-2246.

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