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Child Care

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Child care services are offered to eligible patrons at Dyess AFB for full-time (weekly) care, before-and-after-school care, and hourly care. All services except hourly care and special openings require a completed application and time on a placement list. Specific procedures for the Resource and Referral Program can be found in SVYC Operating Instruction 34-4.

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New policies and procedures.

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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

What is “Give Parents a Break”?

This program is offered in conjunction with the Air Force Aid Society for parents in stressful situations and have children between 6 weeks and 5 years old. See your squadron commander, first sergeant, chaplain, doctor or other medical professional, family advocacy personnel, Airman and Family Readiness Center Personnel, or Child Development Center personnel for a GPAB certificate.

How do I request childcare?

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.

Why do parents have to pay for child care when their child is sick?

The program’s costs of operating the center do not decrease when one or more children are absent in a room. Unless at least half of the children are absent, the same number of staff must be present to ensure the health and safety of the children. The fees collected from parents are used to pay the care giving staff and those costs do not decrease because of the absence of a few children.

Why are the fees at off-base centers cheaper in some areas?

There are several reasons why the fees at some off-base centers may be lower than the Air Force child development or school age programs. Many off-base centers do not provide infant and toddler care or, if they do, provide only a few spaces for these age groups. These age groups are the most expensive to provide care because caregivers can care for fewer children. Most Air Force centers devote up to half (or more) of their spaces to infants and toddlers, therefore, the overall cost of operating is higher. Secondly, staff:child ratios (the number of children for whom one caregiver can provide care) are different. In many states, the number of children per caregiver is much higher than the Air Force considers necessary to provide good care for children. Finally, off-base centers may pay low wages and not be concerned about high staff turnover; some off-base centers pay minimum wage and have very high staff turnover. The Air Force believes it is important for children to be taken care of by the same caregiver from day-to-day. The caregiver gets to know the child, establishes an emotional bond, and is more aware when the child is coming down with a potentially life-threatening illness. Paying caregivers enough to minimize staff turnover reduces the amount the Air Force has to spend recruiting, screening, and training caregivers and saves parent’s money in the long run.

Why does child care cost so much?

Caring for children is an expensive service because it is labor intensive, especially, for infants and toddlers. Over 50% of the total cost of providing child care and 95% of the cost paid by parents is for caregivers. Child care fees include 10 meals and up to 10 snacks per week. The actual cost of the child care part of the fees (not counting the value of the meals and snacks) is less than $3.00 per hour for those in Category IX.

What happens if a family refuses to provide proof of income?

Families will be charged the highest weekly fee.

How is family income determined and what forms are required for verification?

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.

Why are the fees based on total family income?

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.

What services do families receive for their fees?

Fees are based on a typical Monday–Friday operation which hours total 50 or more. SAC fees are adjusted based on the number of program hours provided. Meals (breakfast, lunch and a snack) are included.

How are fees determined?

The fees are set by DoD to pay approximately half of the total cost of providing the care. The Military Child Care Acts of 1989/1996 directed parents to pay approximately half of the cost of care. Fees are set high enough to only cover the costs not paid for by the taxpayers.

Applying for Child Care

Hourly Care

Offered for children ages 6 months to 5 years of age at the CDC. Hourly care meets the needs of customers who need care on an irregular basis such as short term care for a doctor appointment, to work out or to volunteer in the community, on a space available basis. The requirements reguarding eligibility, registration and immunization's are the same as those required for full-day care.

Give Parents a Break

The Give Parents A Break (GPAB) program is funded by the Air Force Aid Society and the purpose of this program is to offer eligible parents a few hours break from the stresses of parenting. Families may use this time to suit their personal needs.

This could be related to the military member being deployed, extended TDY, on a remote tour of duty, or is deployed to the missile field; a family crises or emergency such as serious illness of a family member, death in the family, extended illness of family members, birth of a new baby; the family recently moving to the base; having a child with special needs; and unique circumstances/hardships or having difficulties just being a parent.

A GPAB certificate is required for participation in the program. The base officials who can refer/issue a GPAB certificate for families include the Squadron Commander or First Sergeant, chaplain, doctor or other medical professional, Family Advocacy personnel, Life Skills personnel, Airmen and Family Readiness Center personnel, or the Child Development Center or Youth Center directors.

The Child Development Program and Youth Center supports the GPAB program by offering care on one Friday evening (6 to 10 p.m.) each month. Children between the ages of 6 weeks through Pre-school (NOT in Kindergarten) at CDC and children in Kindergarten (age 5) through age 12 at Youth Center School Age Program.

GPAB packets may be obtained/completed at the CDC or Youth Center. Immunization records are required for children who are NOT in the public school system and/or are attending CDC for care. All children must have current immunizations in order to attend.

Parent Advisory Board

Parents are always welcome to visit and assist with their child's care to the extent that their duty permits.
The parent Advisory Board/involvement is a committee of all the CDC programs in conjunction with other CYP’s. The DAB acts only in an advisory capacity, providing recommendations for improving services. The Chairperson of the DAB is a parent.
The Parent Advisory Committee selects a chairperson. Each chairperson attends the Program Parent Advisory Board meeting. The Parent Advisory Board meets with the Airman and Family Readiness Center Flight Chief and Center Directors at least quarterly and with the Mission Support Group Commander at least annually. The minutes of the parent advisory meetings are forwarded to the Mission Support Group Commander for review.
If you are interested in attending your center's parent advisory committee, please see your center's director for more information.

Parent Testimonials

"My child learns new things each day at the CDC. The teachers here are just so wonderful."

"Here at Dyess, my child's caregiver has been especially impressive. Her caring attitude and depth of knowledge in childhood behavior, activities and appropriate responses has really been an inspiration for our family."

"The staff is always courteous and attentive. I find them to be very family oriented and welcoming."

"Very happy with providers & facilities!!"

"All the providers are very helpful and willing to discuss my child's needs."

"I love my son's teachers and all the other teachers in this building. They treat us like family and are all great at what they do. I would like us to be able to show them how much they mean to each of us more often. YOU ALL ARE THE BEST!!"