Bill · S. 2193· Senate(119-S-2193)
Expanding Access to Military Child Care Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 6/26/2025
- Last activity
- 6/26/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- Sponsored by
- Jeanne Shaheen
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill establishes a pilot program designed to expand early child care options for members of the Armed Forces and their families. The Secretary of Defense will direct military departments to form 12 partnerships with eligible child care providers or networks to increase capacity and improve the workforce. These partnerships aim to increase the number of available slots and provide professional development for employees. The program includes specific requirements for geographic and service-branch diversity across different military installations. It also authorizes the use of Department of Defense resources to support recruitment and retention, including financial incentives. The pilot program is scheduled to run from January 1, 2026, until December 31, 2030, with the possibility of a two-year extension.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Child Care Availability: The program seeks to increase the capacity of providers and the number of early child care slots available specifically for members of the Armed Forces and their families (Section 2(a)(1) and Section 2(a)(2)(A)(i)).
-
Workforce Improvements: The initiative aims to improve early child care workforce development and increase both the recruitment and retention of employees for eligible providers (Section 2(a)(1)(B) and Section 2(a)(1)(C)).
-
Support for Employees: The Secretary may use Department of Defense resources to provide financial incentives and professional development for employees, which can include military spouses (Section 2(a)(3)(A)(ii)).
-
Enhanced Professional Growth: Partnerships can facilitate additional professional development opportunities for child care employees (Section 2(a)(2)(A)(iii)).
-
Access to Specialized Services: The program looks into providing inclusive early child care services for children with disabilities (Section 2(a)(7)(A)(i)(B)(ii)(BB)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Risk to Non-military Family Slots: Participating child care providers are prohibited from reducing the number of early child care slots available to non-military families after entering into a partnership (Section 2(a)(4)(A)(i)(I)).
-
Restrictions on Facility Growth: Providers participating in the partnership are prohibited from entering into the construction of new child care facilities (Section 2(a)(4)(A)(i)(II)).
- 6/26/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Joni ErnstRepublican · Iowa