Accessing affordable, quality care is essential to children’s well-being and parents’ peace of mind. Our military families are looking for safe, healthy environments for their children — so they can continue to serve our country. The Defense Department provides fee assistance to eligible providers on behalf of military families using community child care centers and homes when on-base care isn’t available or accessible. Community providers approved for the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood fee assistance program must be licensed, inspected annually and meet DOD-approved quality standards.
New Jersey joins MCCYN-PLUS
On behalf of DOD, we extend our warmest congratulations to the state of New Jersey on joining MCCYN-PLUS, effective July 1, 2025. We are confident that New Jersey’s participation will contribute significantly to the collaborative efforts of MCCYN-PLUS in expanding access and increasing child care options for military families. We look forward to a productive and mutually beneficial partnership.
MCCYN closes the gap between what families would pay for on-installation child care and what they would pay for care in their communities. This makes it more affordable for families to obtain quality child care from community-based providers.
U.S military and DOD civilian families are eligible. Visit MilitaryChildCare.com for detailed information on eligibility requirements.
DOD expands child care access
The MCCYN fee assistance program expands to MCCYN-PLUS to increase access to quality child care providers. Recognizing that relying solely on nationally accredited providers limited families’ options, the DOD created an alternative pathway for eligible community child care — providers participating in state quality improvement programs to receive fee assistance on behalf of military families.
Approved providers benefit by gaining access to military families, becoming part of the DOD provider network and being listed on MilitaryChildCare.com. This provides more quality child care options, supporting military parents’ mission readiness.
MCCYN-PLUS is available in Arkansas; Colorado; Kentucky; Maryland; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Michigan; Minnesota; Nebraska; Nevada; New York; North Carolina; Oklahoma; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia; Washington; New Jersey; and San Diego County, California. Additional states continue to join the initiative.
MCCYN-PLUS helps child care providers expand their business by connecting them with military families seeking quality child care. The expansion is just one small way that the department addresses the emerging needs of our military community — the most valuable part of our national defense.
Families can search for and select an eligible child care provider through the DOD request-for-care website, MilitaryChildCare.com.
Providers can learn more about becoming a state-approved MCCYN-PLUS child care provider by visiting Child Care Aware® of America.
Support for Military
