Navy Boosts Childcare Access for 2024 with Ambitious Expansion Ahead in 2025

WASHINGTON — In a significant stride towards enhancing childcare services, the U.S. Navy has effectively halved its waitlist for child development centers (CDCs) and school-age care (SAC) programs since the beginning of FY23. The backlog of unmet childcare needs has seen a reduction from about 5,000 children to around 2,500 as of October 2024.

Vice Adm. Scott Gray, the commander of Navy Installations Command, emphasized the Navy’s commitment to improving service quality, highlighting childcare as a crucial component. “Readiness suffers when Sailors and their families lack dependable, high-quality child care,” Gray stated. As part of this effort, the Navy has invested an additional $51.7 million to expand childcare services, which includes increasing staff salaries, benefits, and community and family childcare subsidies.

The Navy’s Child and Youth Programs (CYP) launched several initiatives in FY 2024 aimed at enhancing care quality. These efforts involved updating staffing models, adding management support, and increasing classroom staff to better handle complex preschool behaviors. Management training has also been improved through in-person sessions focused on preventative strategies to mitigate incidents in CYP settings.

Additionally, Navy CYP has outlined clear incident reporting protocols to ensure prompt documentation and trend analysis, reinforcing its dedication to safe environments for children and strong resources for staff success.

However, like many childcare providers, the Navy continues to face challenges in recruiting qualified caregivers. To counteract this, it has introduced several strategies such as salary hikes, recruitment incentives, and enhanced professional development opportunities. These initiatives have led to a notable increase in staffing, reaching 88% by October 2024 and allowing the program to operate at 85% capacity.

Retaining a qualified workforce is a Navy priority. To solidify retention efforts, Navy CYP will roll out the CARES initiative in 2025, focusing on culture, accountability, respect, engagement, and safety. This program aims to enrich communication and employee wellness, making the Navy a sought-after employer.

Further advancements include the implementation of a Child and Youth Management System in FY25, designed to streamline operations and improve experiences for families and staff through a new parent portal for better communication.

The Navy also seeks to expand its physical infrastructure. Ongoing construction projects at various bases will increase capacity by 978 childcare spaces. Over the next five years, 12 CDC projects are anticipated to add approximately 2,000 spaces to the existing capacity. Repurposing underutilized spaces like warehouses and community centers into childcare facilities further supports these expansion efforts.

Additionally, the Navy’s Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) program has expanded, enrolling 8,623 children as of October 2024. Collaboration with commercial providers is ongoing to secure spaces dedicated to military families, further enhancing the Navy’s childcare reach.

“Significant progress has been made in increasing enrollment across Navy CYP programs,” said Maryann Coutino, Director of Navy CYP. Despite these advances, challenges remain with 2,500 children still awaiting care. Coutino confirmed the Navy’s commitment to broadening childcare capacity through strategic staffing, facility expansion, and community partnership endeavors.