A: This program is offered in conjunction with the Air Force Aid Society for parents in stressful situations and have children between 5 and 12 years old. See your squadron commander, first sergeant, chaplain, doctor or other medical professional, family advocacy personnel, Military and Family Readiness Center Personnel for a GPAB certificate. For any continued utilization of GPAB, certificates can only be signed by the Military and Family Readiness Center.

A: MilitaryChildCare.com (MCC) is a Department of Defense website for military families seeking child care. This site will allow 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 Programs, and Family Child Care Homes. Additional benefits from Child and Youth Programs (CYP) are standardized procedures for effective waiting list management, expedited placement of children and youth into available programs, and enhanced daily operations for programs.

A: The program’s costs of operating the center do not decrease when one or more children are absent in a room. The fees collected from parents are used to pay the care giving staff. Having children absent does not decrease the number (and cost) of staff in the room.

A: Caring for children is an expensive service because it is labor intensive. Over 50% of the total cost of providing child care and 95% of the cost paid by parents is for caregivers. Childcare fees include daily meals and snacks.

A: Each DoD family, regardless of their income category, must provide income documentation. Families are not permitted to automatically elect to enroll in the highest fee category. Failure to provide the required information will delay the processing and approval of childcare services.

The May 2014 Application for Department of Defense (DoD) Child Care Fees, DD Form 2652, or electronic equivalent will be used to verify total family income (TFI) as defined in Department of Defense Instructions (DoDIs) 6060.02. For the purposes of determining child care fees in the Department of Defense Child Development Programs, TFI is defined as all earned income including wages, salaries, tips, special duty pay (flight pay, active duty demo pay, sea pay), active duty save pay, long-term disability benefits, voluntary salary deferrals, retirement or other pension income including Supplemental Security Income (SSI) paid to the spouse/partner and Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits paid to the surviving spouse before deductions for taxes using the individual’s most recent W-2 or Leave and Earning Statement. TFI calculations must also include quarters subsistence and other allowances appropriate for the rank and status of military or civilian personnel whether received in cash or in-kind. Programs should not include alimony, child support received by the custodial parent, SSI received on behalf of the dependent child, reimbursements for educational expenses or health and wellness benefits, cost of living (COLA) received in high cost areas, temporary duty allowances, or reenlistment bonuses. Do not include cash awards, bonuses, or overtime pay in TFI calculation. TFI includes the appropriate Non-Locality Basic Allowance for Housing with Dependents Rate (BAH Reserve Component/Transit (RC/T)) for all members, regardless of whether they live in government housing or off-installation. Programs will use the local BAH rate in locations where military members receive less than the BAH RC/T allowance. For dual-military living in government quarters, include BAH RC/T of the senior member only; for Defense civilian OCONUS, include either the housing allowance or the value of the in-kind housing provided. Note that the BAH RC/T rate is based on the calendar year. Programs will use the appropriate year’s rate when calculating fees.

A: Rather than basing the fees on military rank, the fees are based on a family’s ability to pay. Total family income is a better yardstick since it takes into consideration all income available to pay the child care bill. Additionally one of the purposes of the military child care program is to improve the economic viability of military families. Those families with the lowest incomes are those most in need of assistance with their child care expenses.

A: Fees are based on a typical Monday–Friday operation. Fees cover quality educational activities, meals, and transportation to and/or from school. SAC fees are adjusted based on the number of program hours provided.