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.

  • arrow white iconPolicy Updates

    The Department of Defense is implementing a pilot program that allows eligible families to receive a reduction in their parent fees. Certain restrictions apply to be eligible. Please complete the Discount Verification form found below in “Step Three” in order to collect information about your facility’s meal policies. You can send the completed form to providerservices@usa.childcareaware.org. Please note, families may see a change in the amount they are responsible for, but the total amount (parent responsibility plus fee assistance) will not be impacted.

Providers, please follow the steps below:

  • Step One: Determine Your Eligibility
    • Must be state-licensed
    • Must meet eligibility criteria outlined by the military branches and the Department of Defense (DoD)
    • Must have a state licensing inspection in the last 12 months free of disqualifying incidents
    • FBI Background Check
  • 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
  • Step Four: Apply & Submit Your Documents

    Great work! You’ve got everything ready – now it’s time to apply and submit your documents. You can do so by submitting your paperwork to the Provider Services Department (see below).

    Click here to apply online

    *Please note, if you have an existing file with the military fee assistance program, please email your updated documents or questions to providerservices@usa.childcareaware.org to get in touch with our team and update your file. If you are a new provider who has never received military fee assistance on behalf of an Army, Air Force or Marine Corps family, please click the above link and follow the prompts to apply.

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:
      • Association for Christian Schools International (ACSI)
      • Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment (APPLE)
      • Association Montessori International/USA (AMI)
      • American Montessori Society (AMS)
      • Cognia (Formally known as AdvancED)*
      • Council on Accreditation (COA)
      • *International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA)
      • Middle States Association (MSA)
      • National Association for the Education of Young Children, Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NAEYC)
      • National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC)
      • National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
      • National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA)
      • *Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA)
      • Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)

      *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.

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