Conference on Childcare

Dear Chairman Reed, Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Wicker, and Ranking Member Smith:

The demand for on-installation center-based childcare and Family Childcare homes exceeds current capacity. For example, in 2022 the Air Force reported over 4,800 children who were under the age of five and dependents of Air Force personnel, were unable to enroll in on- base child development programs. That is over 10 percent of the total number of dependents enrolled. The average wait time of enrollment was 130 days. Obviously, these disparities have a material impact on the morale, retention, and effectiveness of servicemembers whose children are adversely affected. Therefore, the tremendous work to address these deficiencies by the Senate Armed Services Committee (“SASC”) and the House Armed Services Committee (“HASC”) – especially the Quality-of-Life Panel – is strongly supported by the Air & Space Force Association (“AFA”).

In particular, AFA respectfully requests the following sections from both the HASC and the SASC versions of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization bill be incorporated into the final legislation.

H.R. 8070

• Sec. 1811 – Competitive Pay for Department of Defense Child-Care Personnel. For
  child-care employees at a military installation, pay at a competitive rate equivalent to non-Federal positions.
• Sec. 1812 – Parent Fees at Military Child Development Centers for Child-Care Employees. Specifically, assisting military families with the cost of childcare by completely covering the cost of the first child enrolled. For each additional child, a discounted rate based upon the parameters of 10 USC 1793.
• Sec. 1814 – Additional Information In Out-Reach Campaign Relating to Waiting Lists for Military Child Development Centers. This section directs the Secretary of Defense to inform those who are eligible for childcare at a military facility.
• Sec.1816 – Child-care Services and Youth Program Services for Dependents. Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of Defense shall fully fund requests for financial assistance to eligible civilian providers of childcare services or youth program services under 10 USC 1798.
• Sec. 1817 — Briefings on Military Child Development Centers. Every three months the Department will provide a report to Congress disaggregated by military installation: Child-Care waiting lists; shortages of employees at military child development centers; insufficient capacity of military childcare development centers; and efforts by the Secretary of Defense to address these shortfalls.

S.4638

• Sec. 578 – Redesign and Modernization of Child Development Program Compensation and Staffing Models. These provisions include requiring the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretaries of the Military Departments, to “lead the redesign of the Department of Defense child development program compensation model and the modernization of the child development program staffing model.”
  
  In addition, the bill provides the Secretary of Defense with the authority to: …direct the military services to a) use DoD resources to support eligible childcare providers in recruitment and retention of employees, including through professional development and financial incentives; and b) seek to enter into a interagency partnership with a Federal agency with the ability to place national service participant and volunteers trained in education services… at military child development centers….

In conclusion, solving the myriad issues surrounding the provision of childcare to military families is a critical military readiness issue. However, the SASC and HASC have made important progress in addressing this issue. Therefore, AFA respectfully requests the incorporation of the above listed sections into the final legislative text.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,