The Department of the Air Force (DAF) Child Development Centers (CDCs) are situated on Air Force installations worldwide. The centers offer full-day, part-day and hourly care for children in safe, healthy and nurturing environments where children (Ages six weeks - five years) can develop motor, cognitive, social and emotional skills through a balance of exploration and planned curriculum. Learning activities are designed to support the natural development of children and include individual, small group and large group experiences.

Children of Air National Guard Service Members on drill status may be eligible for Child Development Centers. As child care is a work force benefit, eligibility is contingent on the status of the sponsor as outlined in DoDI 6060.02 and DoDI 6060.04. The DoD funds child care services to support military-connected families while they serve. When you request child care for a military-operated child care program, MCC utilizes Priority for Care factors based on DoDI 6060.02 guidelines to determine if your family is eligible to receive child care as well as determine your child's priority to access care.

DAF CDCs are designed to provide a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment for children and are uniquely designed to accommodate each child’s developmental level. DAF CDCs offer the following services:

Types of Care Include: 

• Full Day/Weekly Child Care: Provides up to 50 hours of weekly child care (no more than 10 hours of care each day)
• Part-Day Enrichment (PDE) Program: Provides parents, who do not need full time child care, the opportunity for their children to participate in an early childhood experience
• Hourly Care: May be offered to support short-term needs on the installation
• Give Parents a Break (GPAB): Sponsored by the Air Force Aid Society (AFAS), GPAB provides child care for eligible parents who are subject to unique stresses due to the nature of military life including deployments, remote tours of duty, and extended working hours.

Benefits of choosing an Air Force Child Development Center also include:

• Employees who pass stringent background checks and inspections
• Highly trained staff
• Regular visits and inspections
• Programs designed to help prepare your child for school
• Accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

DoD Certification: The military equivalent of state licensing, DoD Certification represents verified compliance with standards regarding fire, health, safety, developmental programming, child abuse prevention, funding, and staff training.

How to Request Care:

To request care, complete a Request for Care at MilitaryChildCare.com. This site allows families to search for and request care from a wide range of military-operated and military-subsidized child care options across all services to include Child Development Centers, School Age Care Programs and Family Child Care Homes. Families can expect standardized procedures for effective waiting list management, placement of children and youth into available programs, and enhanced daily operations for programs.

Child Care Fee Assistance:

Costs are typically based on total family income. In general, the cost of military childcare is lower than equivalent civilian care because the military subsidizes the program. The subsidies go directly to the program and usually pay about half the cost of care and the service member pays the other half. Subsidies vary by military branch and by facility. If there is not space available in one of the child development programs, the service member will be offered a place on a waiting list. Please see the Child Care Fee Assistance Programs fact sheet for more information.

Department of the Air Force Child and Youth Programs:
https://dafchildandyouth.com/child-development-centers/

DoD military-operated and military subsidized child care options: 
https://public.militarychildcare.csd.disa.mil/mcc-central/mcchome#/

Child Care Programs funded by AFAS:
https://afas.org/how-we-help/community-programs/#child-care

Department of Defense Instruction 6060.02:
https://www.esd.whs.mil/portals/54/documents/dd/issuances/dodi/606002p.pdf

In addition, location of Child Development Centers on Air Force installations may be located on the Resource Locator Library on MyAirForceBenefits:
https://www.myairforcebenefits.us.af.mil/Benefit-Library/Resource-Locator