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Childcare Expansion for Military Families Act of 2021
12/30/2022, 7:34 AM
Summary of Bill HR 5748
The key provisions of the bill include increasing funding for the Department of Defense's childcare programs, expanding eligibility for childcare subsidies to more military families, and improving the quality and availability of childcare services on military installations. The bill also aims to streamline the process for military families to access childcare services and ensure that they have access to high-quality, affordable options.
Overall, the Childcare Expansion for Military Families Act of 2021 is designed to support military families by making it easier for them to access the childcare services they need, allowing them to focus on their duties without worrying about the well-being of their children. The bill has received bipartisan support in Congress and is seen as a positive step towards supporting military families and ensuring they have the resources they need to thrive.
Congressional Summary of HR 5748
Childcare Expansion for Military Families Act of 2021
This bill addresses the provision of child care and development services by the Department of Defense (DOD) for children of members of the Armed Forces (military children).
First, the bill requires DOD to establish a program to carry out minor military construction projects to construct child development centers, in amounts up to $15 million per project. DOD must establish procedures for the review and approval of requests from the military departments to implement construction projects for child development centers.
DOD must conduct a comprehensive assessment of the availability of government-provided early childhood education and infant and early childhood mental health consultation services on and in the vicinity of certain military installations to identify and address the needs of military children.
DOD is authorized to conduct one or more demonstration projects to evaluate improved approaches to the provision of educational and infant and early childhood mental health services to military children to evaluate the efficacy of such services to improve social-emotional development outcomes.
DOD may authorize the development of a comprehensive professional development curricula for specified purposes.
Finally, DOD must evaluate each demonstration project to assess the (1) extent of positive outcomes for military children, (2) improvements in services and continuity of care for such children, and (3) improved military family readiness and enhanced military retention.
