“To address the challenges of providing child care opportunities for military families, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section expands eligibility for child care providers in Department of Defense military child development centers by (1) removing the prior service requirement in 10 U.S.C. §1798(b), and (2) authorizing the Secretary to enter into interagency partnerships with federal agencies to place qualified national service volunteers (i.e., AmeriCorps participants trained in education services who meet hiring requirements) in such centers. (Thus, these volunteers receive benefits under the National and Community Service Act of 1990.)
This section directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to prescribe regulations, by June 1, 2027 (including by revising DoD Instruction 1402.05 or successor), for preclearance of individuals applying to be child care employees at military child development centers (i.e., DoD facilities providing child care services to dependents of service members and DoD civilians). The regulations must (1) specify a preclearance validity period of not more than one year; and (2) require annual reverification not later than one year after preclearance. The section clarifies that such preclearance—which includes an FBI fingerprint check, State Criminal History Repository check, and health screening conducted without regard to open positions—does not limit additional DoD background checks, require hiring of precleared individuals, or provide appeal rights to non-selected applicants.
This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to permit voluntary job-sharing arrangements—under which two part-time child care employees, each working at least 20 hours per week, share the duties of one full-time position—for employees at military child development centers. (Thus, such arrangements may expand the pool of qualified child care employees, accommodate individuals unable to work full-time due to caregiving, education, or personal circumstances, reduce staffing vacancies and turnover, and support continuity of child care services for military families.)
This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense to grant child care employees at military child development centers (i.e., facilities providing subsidized child care to service members' families) limited access to specified benefits if determined necessary for recruitment, retention, and continuity of services. Such benefits include (1) commissary and exchange privileges on workdays, on the same basis as other DoD civilian employees; (2) use of MWR (morale, welfare, and recreation) retail facilities, including fitness centers, to support workforce stability; (3) tuition assistance and referral bonuses comparable to those for other DoD civilian and contractor workforces; and (4) other limited benefits as determined appropriate. Benefits are non-transferable, revocable at any time by the Secretary, and must be implemented via guidance issued not later than 180 days after enactment.
This section establishes a unified, Department-wide child care readiness data system to assess, monitor, and manage child care capacity and workforce readiness across the Department of Defense. The system must include data on (1) child care capacity and utilization, disaggregated by military installation and region; (2) workforce staffing levels, vacancies, turnover rates, and compensation ranges; (3) waitlists, disaggregated by families with no access, those using temporary or off-installation care, and those needing nontraditional hours care; (4) demand by age cohort, specifically identifying children under age 5; (5) utilization and attrition for fee assistance programs; (6) geographic areas with persistent unmet needs; and (7) other information as appropriate. The Secretary of Defense must standardize data collection across military departments and update the system not less frequently than every 90 days, and must brief the Senate and House Armed Services Committees not later than 180 days after enactment and annually thereafter on system findings, actions to address gaps, and recommendations for legislative, regulatory, or funding needs to reduce unmet child care demand.
This section directs the Secretary of Defense to submit to the congressional defense committees, not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, a report on child care waitlists across the Department of Defense. The report must include (1) a description of steps to centralize systems and collect waitlist data; (2) available data on such waitlists; (3) steps to resolve discrepancies or misleading information, such as duplicate entries or children receiving care but listed for alternatives; (4) an analysis of waitlist spots representing unmet need versus duplicates; and (5) a plan to improve data collection.
This section directs the Secretary of Defense to submit to the congressional defense committees, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment, a report analyzing the relationship between child care availability and (1) military readiness and training participation, (2) retention and separation decisions, (3) families in which two parents are members of the Armed Forces, (4) high operational-tempo units, and (5) workforce participation of military spouses.