The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is excited to announce that we are partnering with the Department of Defense (DOD) in the expansion of the military child care fee assistance program Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN).
MCCYN provides fee assistance for families of Active Duty personnel, DOD Neighborhood civilians, and Guard and Reserve service members who are unable to access on-installation child care. Previously, only a limited number of child care providers were eligible to participate in the MCCYN program. Through this expansion, called MCCYN-PLUS, we will provide military families greater access to high-quality early care and education experiences for their children.
The MCCYN-PLUS program will also provide benefits to child care providers throughout the entire state. The MCCYN-PLUS fee assistance program allows providers to expand their child care businesses to serve a military family customer base and increase their income. To be eligible to participate in MCCYN-PLUS, Washington licensed child care providers must participate in Early Achievers, the state’s quality recognition and improvement system (QRIS). Early Achievers provides additional resources and supports, such as customized coaching and financial incentives.
Interested providers can work with Child Care Aware of America to enroll and verify eligibility requirements. Learn more about MCCYN-PLUS at https://www.childcareaware.org/fee-assistancerespite/feeassistancerespiteproviders/qris-mccyn-plus/ or contact QRISMCCYNPLUS@usa.childcareaware.org.
For more information about Early Achievers, please visit https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learning-providers/early-achievers or contact QRIS@dcyf.wa.gov.