[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2193 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2193
To establish a pilot program to expand early child care options for
members of the Armed Forces and their families.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 26 (legislative day, June 24), 2025
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Ms. Ernst) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a pilot program to expand early child care options for
members of the Armed Forces and their families.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding Access to Military Child
Care Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO EXPAND EARLY CHILD CARE OPTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF
THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR FAMILIES.
(a) Pilot Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to carry out a pilot
program to improve the access of members of the Armed Forces
and their families to high quality early child care
opportunities by establishing partnerships with eligible child
care providers--
(A) to increase the capacity of those providers;
(B) to improve early child care workforce
development; and
(C) to increase recruitment and retention of
employees for eligible child care providers.
(2) Selection of eligible child care providers and networks
of such providers.--
(A) In general.--Under the pilot program required
by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to enter into a
total of 12 partnerships with eligible child care
providers, or networks of such providers, to, in
communities under the jurisdiction of such
Secretaries--
(i) increase the number of early child care
slots available to members of the Armed Forces
and their families;
(ii) facilitate recruitment and retention
of employees for eligible child care providers;
and
(iii) provide additional professional
development opportunities for such employees.
(B) Limitation.--The Secretary may direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to enter into
not more than one partnership with each eligible child
care provider, or network of such providers, under the
pilot program required by paragraph (1).
(C) Locations.--In selecting eligible child care
providers or networks of such providers with which to
enter into partnerships under the pilot program
required by paragraph (1), the Secretary--
(i) shall direct the Secretaries of the
military departments--
(I) to ensure that--
(aa) each partnership is
based at a different military
installation; and
(bb) at least one
partnership is based at--
(AA) a Navy
installation that is
not a Marine Corps
installation;
(BB) a Marine Corps
installation;
(CC) an Army
installation;
(DD) an Air Force
installation that is
not a Space Force
installation;
(EE) a Space Force
installation; and
(FF) a joint
military installation;
and
(II) to consider--
(aa) geographic diversity
and population demographics to
reflect the inclusion of
multiple communities across the
United States;
(bb) the appropriate
qualifications, consistent with
Department of Defense
regulations and training
requirements and under
applicable State and local
laws, to provide services to
meet the needs of eligible
children; and
(cc) existing resources
available to the eligible child
care providers or networks of
such providers to train and
support employees for eligible
child care providers; and
(ii) may authorize the Secretaries of the
military departments to establish partnerships
in communities near military installations with
military child development centers or other
existing early child care programs of the
Department of Defense, including the Military
Child Care in Your Neighborhood program.
(3) Authorized functions.--In carrying out the pilot
program required by paragraph (1), the Secretary may--
(A) direct the Secretaries of the military
departments--
(i) to identify gaps between existing early
child care needs and available eligible child
care providers in communities where such
Secretaries are considering establishing the
pilot program;
(ii) to use resources of the Department of
Defense to support eligible child care
providers in recruitment and retention of
employees, including military spouses,
including through professional development and
financial incentives for such employees; and
(iii) to seek to enter into an interagency
partnership with a Federal agency with the
ability to place national service participants
and volunteers trained in education services,
including senior volunteer programs, at
military child development centers, including
such a center at an installation selected for a
partnership under paragraph (2)(C), in
accordance with applicable national service
laws and with all the benefits accorded to such
participants and volunteers; and
(B) provide training and resource subsidies to
eligible child care providers and networks of such
providers participating in partnerships established
under paragraph (2).
(4) Requirements for participating providers.--
(A) In general.--An eligible child care provider or
network of such providers participating in a
partnership established under the pilot program
required by paragraph (1) is required--
(i) to provide assurances that the provider
or network will not--
(I) reduce early child care slots
for nonmilitary families after entering
into the partnership; or
(II) enter into the construction of
new child care facilities; and
(ii) not later than 150 days after the
establishment of the partnership, and every 180
days thereafter while the partnership
continues, to submit documentation to the
Secretary that the provider has complied with
such assurances.
(B) Assessments.--Not later than 180 days after the
pilot program commences under subparagraph (A)(i) of
paragraph (8), and every 180 days thereafter until the
pilot program terminates under that subsection, the
Secretary shall--
(i) assess whether each eligible child care
provider or network of such providers with
which the Secretary of a military department
entered into a partnership under paragraph
(2)--
(I) is providing the assurances
required by clause (i) of subparagraph
(A); and
(II) has submitted adequate
documentation under clause (ii) of that
subparagraph of compliance with such
assurances; and
(ii) if the Secretary determines that the
provider or network of providers is not
providing such assurances or has not submitted
adequate documentation of compliance with such
assurances--
(I) notify the provider or network
that the provider or network has 90
days to comply with the assurances; and
(II) if the provider or network
does not comply with the assurances
during that 90-day period, terminate
the partnership.
(5) Location of pilot program.--The Secretary shall direct
the Secretaries of the military departments to ensure that,
pursuant to a partnership entered into under the pilot program
required by paragraph (1), the program is administered at or
near the site of the eligible child care provider or network of
such providers with which the Secretary entered into the
partnership at or near a military installation.
(6) Administration.--Not later than 30 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to develop one
centralized administrative system to carry out the pilot
program required by paragraph (1), which may include
information on--
(A) available military child development centers at
military installations at which partnerships are
established under the pilot program;
(B) the number of early child care education slots
available or needed at such installations;
(C) the fees and costs associated for parents
participating in the pilot program; and
(D) other relevant administration and technical
assistance matters.
(7) Reporting requirements.--
(A) Briefings by secretary of defense.--
(i) Initial briefing.--Not later than 180
days after the pilot program required by
paragraph (1) commences under paragraph
(8)(A)(i), the Secretary shall direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to
provide a briefing to the appropriate
committees of Congress on the implementation of
the pilot program, including--
(I) the demonstrated need for
eligible child care providers in the
locations of the pilot program,
including--
(aa) the number of such
providers present at the start
of the pilot program relative
to the number of eligible
children requiring care; and
(bb) data on children
served through the pilot
program, disaggregated by
criteria such as--
(AA) the number of
infants and toddlers
served;
(BB) providers
offering early child
care during
nontraditional or
extended hours;
(CC) early child
care in rural
communities; and
(DD) inclusive
early child care
services for children
with disabilities;
(II) the change in the number of
eligible child care providers as a
result of the pilot program;
(III) the change in early child
care education capacity for members of
the Armed Forces and their families and
an assessment of unmet need for such
education;
(IV) an assessment of the efficacy
of the pilot program; and
(V) an assessment of the compliance
of child care providers participating
in partnerships established under the
pilot program with the assurances
required by paragraph (4)(A).
(ii) Annual briefings on progress.--Not
later than one year after the pilot program
required by paragraph (1) commences under
paragraph (8)(A)(i), and annually thereafter
until the termination of the pilot program
under paragraph (8), the Secretary shall direct
the Secretaries of the military departments to
provide a briefing to the appropriate
committees of Congress on the progress of the
pilot program.
(B) Final report by secretary of defense.--Not
later than 120 days after the termination under
paragraph (8) of the pilot program required by
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to submit to
the appropriate committees of Congress a final report
on the pilot program.
(C) Reports by government accountability office.--
(i) Progress report.--Not later than 4
years after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress an interim report on the
progress of the pilot program required by
paragraph (1).
(ii) Final report.--Not later than 120 days
after the termination under paragraph (8) of
the pilot program required by paragraph (1),
the Comptroller General shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a final
report on the pilot program.
(8) Duration of pilot program.--
(A) In general.--The pilot program required by
paragraph (1) shall--
(i) commence not later than January 1,
2026; and
(ii) unless extended in accordance with
subparagraph (B), terminate on December 31,
2030.
(B) Extension.--The Secretary may direct the
Secretaries of the military departments to extend the
pilot program required by paragraph (1) to terminate
not later than December 31, 2032, if the Secretary
notifies the appropriate committees of Congress not
later than June 30, 2030, of the intention of the
Secretary to extend the pilot program, along with a
description of the benefits of extending the pilot
program.
(b) Report on Unmet Need for Child Care in Areas With Significant
Populations of Members of the Armed Forces.--
(1) In general.--Not later than September 30, 2027, the
Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate committees
of Congress a report on the unmet need for child care in areas
with populations of members of the Armed Forces that includes--
(A) a description of--
(i) the unmet need for each military
installation; and
(ii) the fees and costs for parents or
guardians seeking child care in those areas;
(B) a review of the efforts of the Department of
Defense to recruit and retain eligible child care
providers; and
(C) a plan for meeting the unmet need for child
care.
(2) Assessment of child care in civilian communities.--In
assessing the unmet need described in paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall assess--
(A) the availability of child care in civilian
communities surrounding military installations; and
(B) opportunities to provide additional
professional development opportunities to eligible
child care providers serving both civilian and military
families in child care centers.
(3) Use and inclusion of data.--The Secretary shall use in
preparing the report required by paragraph (1), and shall
include in the report, for each military installation, data on
the number of members of the Armed Forces living on and off the
installation with children under the age of 5, disaggregated
by--
(A) the ZIP Code for the location where the members
reside; and
(B) household status of the members, including--
(i) the number of parents and guardians
present in the household;
(ii) the work status of the parents and
guardians; and
(iii) the total number of children under
the age of 5 in the household.
(4) Collaboration.--In preparing the report required by
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider collaborating with
a nongovernmental organization with--
(A) access to, and a strong understanding of, State
licensing systems for child care; and
(B) a proven track record of working with States to
map child care gaps utilizing a distance-based
methodology.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Child care employee.--The term ``child care employee''
has the meaning given that term in section 1800 of title 10,
United States Code.
(3) Eligible child.--The term ``eligible child'' means--
(A) an infant or toddler;
(B) a three- or four-year-old; or
(C) a school-aged child.
(4) Eligible child care provider.--The term ``eligible
child care provider'' has the meaning given that term in
section 658P of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n).
(5) Military child development center.--The term ``military
child development center'' has the meaning given that term in
section 1800 of title 10, United States Code.
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