Military Child Development Program: Background and Issues (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised March 19, 2020 |
| Report Number |
R45288 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Kristy N. Kamarck |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The Department of Defense (DOD) operates the largest employer-sponsored childcare program in
the United States, serving approximately 200,000 children of uniformed servicemembers and
DOD civilians, and employing over 23,000 childcare workers, at an annual cost of over $800
million. DOD’s child development program (CDP) includes a combination of accredited,
installation-based, government-run, full-time pre-school and school-aged care in Child
Development Centers (CDCs) and subsidized care in Family Care Centers (FCCs) or through
private providers under the Fee Assistance program.
Childcare 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. The Department has
argued that these childcare benefits help support their recruiting, retention, and readiness goals
and that there is generally a high level of satisfaction among servicemembers who use DOD
childcare services. Moreover, military family advocacy groups have largely supported existing
childcare benefits and have also called for expanding awareness of, access to, operating hours for,
and improving or enhancing other aspects of military childcare services.
While there has been broad support for DOD’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.
