Policy changes to DoD child care allow civilian families to be kicked out of CDC with 45 day notice

Anonymous
Wanted to give a heads up families using the CDC at DoD facilities.

https://www.militarytimes.com/pay-benefits/2020/02/25/working-military-families-will-soon-get-more-access-to-dod-child-care/

Working military families will get higher priority in Defense Department child care programs under a new policy signed by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

The changes take effect June 1.

Not only does the new policy give these families priority, it would allow officials to displace children who are already in a child development program, whose parents are in a lower priority category, if the military family is expected to be on a wait list for more than 45 days after the time they need child care.

For example, the policy changes moves DoD civilians down on the priority list. If a military family moving into the area is expected to be on a wait list for more than 45 days, a DoD civilian family’s child could be displaced from the DoD child care program to make room for that military child, with a minimum of 45 days notice to the civilian family.


A group of people I work with who would be affected by this have been trying to get more information from the CDC centers at JBAB, but the people that run the centers there also found out about this policy change just recently. They do not have any guidance on how it is determined which children would be selected to be removed from the CDC in the event that a military family were to need a spot.

We have been trying to figure out if there is a parents group for the JBAB CDC. Apparently Ft Myer CDC has a parents group, but we are all looking at the JBAB CDC. Would anybody happen to know if one exists, and if so, their contact information?

Thanks
Anonymous
Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


I agree. But maybe with a distinction to those who have a parent stationed overseas getting priority first.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


+1. As a full time working military spouse who finally got into a CDC, I am very supportive of this new policy. But I recognize it does suck for the families who will be bumped, especially in this area where day care is scarce and expensive.
Anonymous
Maybe one way to make this a bit more fair for those that get bumped is to give them priority in the Fee Assistance program (as I know there is a waitlist for that). In addition, they should be put to the top of the waitlist in their corresponding priority class.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


They should absolutely have first priority on the waitlist but to kick families out?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


+1. As a full time working military spouse who finally got into a CDC, I am very supportive of this new policy. But I recognize it does suck for the families who will be bumped, especially in this area where day care is scarce and expensive.


DoD civilians also work on base and for those overseas there is a lot of panic. We can't PCS without childcare. The answer should be adding spots, not displacing us - DoD actually has the largest subsidized child care program in the country. I'm really tired of being a 2nd class citizen in DoD. My job is to support the military and I work the same hours.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


+1. As a full time working military spouse who finally got into a CDC, I am very supportive of this new policy. But I recognize it does suck for the families who will be bumped, especially in this area where day care is scarce and expensive.


DoD civilians also work on base and for those overseas there is a lot of panic. We can't PCS without childcare. The answer should be adding spots, not displacing us - DoD actually has the largest subsidized child care program in the country. I'm really tired of being a 2nd class citizen in DoD. My job is to support the military and I work the same hours.


But you’re not in the military. There’s big differences and the new policy recognizes that.

Yes in a perfect world, there would be enough spots for every unit there isn’t.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


+1. As a full time working military spouse who finally got into a CDC, I am very supportive of this new policy. But I recognize it does suck for the families who will be bumped, especially in this area where day care is scarce and expensive.


DoD civilians also work on base and for those overseas there is a lot of panic. We can't PCS without childcare. The answer should be adding spots, not displacing us - DoD actually has the largest subsidized child care program in the country. I'm really tired of being a 2nd class citizen in DoD. My job is to support the military and I work the same hours.


But you’re not in the military. There’s big differences and the new policy recognizes that.

Yes in a perfect world, there would be enough spots for every unit there isn’t.


And yet we deploy, PCS, and work in war zones... this will do wonders for retention.

It would be different if this was a policy going forward and we knew to expect it. To not grandfather in existing families in dumb. Maybe we could have spent money on increasing childcare instead of sucking DoD dry for a border wall.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


+1. As a full time working military spouse who finally got into a CDC, I am very supportive of this new policy. But I recognize it does suck for the families who will be bumped, especially in this area where day care is scarce and expensive.


DoD civilians also work on base and for those overseas there is a lot of panic. We can't PCS without childcare. The answer should be adding spots, not displacing us - DoD actually has the largest subsidized child care program in the country. I'm really tired of being a 2nd class citizen in DoD. My job is to support the military and I work the same hours.


I don't think families should be displaced but there is a huge income disparity from younger/lower enlisted and officers/DOD. You may be tired of being a second class citizen, but you have the choice to be active duty vs. civilian and you can probably afford outside care unlike some enlisted.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


+1. As a full time working military spouse who finally got into a CDC, I am very supportive of this new policy. But I recognize it does suck for the families who will be bumped, especially in this area where day care is scarce and expensive.


DoD civilians also work on base and for those overseas there is a lot of panic. We can't PCS without childcare. The answer should be adding spots, not displacing us - DoD actually has the largest subsidized child care program in the country. I'm really tired of being a 2nd class citizen in DoD. My job is to support the military and I work the same hours.


But you’re not in the military. There’s big differences and the new policy recognizes that.

Yes in a perfect world, there would be enough spots for every unit there isn’t.


And yet we deploy, PCS, and work in war zones... this will do wonders for retention.

It would be different if this was a policy going forward and we knew to expect it. To not grandfather in existing families in dumb. Maybe we could have spent money on increasing childcare instead of sucking DoD dry for a border wall.


But again.. you are not military. DoD civilians, generally speaking, move less and have more options than active duty military. Some DoD civilians do those things you reference, but many, particularly in this area, do not, and use CDCs at length in this area. Then again, some military do too.

However, all that being said, I actually agree with you, and I am surprised some grandfathering was not employed.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


+1. As a full time working military spouse who finally got into a CDC, I am very supportive of this new policy. But I recognize it does suck for the families who will be bumped, especially in this area where day care is scarce and expensive.


DoD civilians also work on base and for those overseas there is a lot of panic. We can't PCS without childcare. The answer should be adding spots, not displacing us - DoD actually has the largest subsidized child care program in the country. I'm really tired of being a 2nd class citizen in DoD. My job is to support the military and I work the same hours.


But you’re not in the military. There’s big differences and the new policy recognizes that.

Yes in a perfect world, there would be enough spots for every unit there isn’t.


And yet we deploy, PCS, and work in war zones... this will do wonders for retention.

It would be different if this was a policy going forward and we knew to expect it. To not grandfather in existing families in dumb. Maybe we could have spent money on increasing childcare instead of sucking DoD dry for a border wall.


But again.. you are not military. DoD civilians, generally speaking, move less and have more options than active duty military. Some DoD civilians do those things you reference, but many, particularly in this area, do not, and use CDCs at length in this area. Then again, some military do too.

However, all that being said, I actually agree with you, and I am surprised some grandfathering was not employed.


If grandfathering were employed it would take years to clean up the core problem which is that the waitlists are longer than the average PCS time for military families. Civilians are stable, they can find care elsewhere easily. Military cannot and need care immediately for relatively short periods of time.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


+1. As a full time working military spouse who finally got into a CDC, I am very supportive of this new policy. But I recognize it does suck for the families who will be bumped, especially in this area where day care is scarce and expensive.


DoD civilians also work on base and for those overseas there is a lot of panic. We can't PCS without childcare. The answer should be adding spots, not displacing us - DoD actually has the largest subsidized child care program in the country. I'm really tired of being a 2nd class citizen in DoD. My job is to support the military and I work the same hours.

But you’re not in the military. There’s big differences and the new policy recognizes that.

Yes in a perfect world, there would be enough spots for every unit there isn’t.

And yet we deploy, PCS, and work in war zones... this will do wonders for retention.

It would be different if this was a policy going forward and we knew to expect it. To not grandfather in existing families in dumb. Maybe we could have spent money on increasing childcare instead of sucking DoD dry for a border wall.

So do contractors. Guess they should have the same benefits as you.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not great for DoD civs but the reality is members of the military should have first priority at CDCs on base.


+1. As a full time working military spouse who finally got into a CDC, I am very supportive of this new policy. But I recognize it does suck for the families who will be bumped, especially in this area where day care is scarce and expensive.


DoD civilians also work on base and for those overseas there is a lot of panic. We can't PCS without childcare. The answer should be adding spots, not displacing us - DoD actually has the largest subsidized child care program in the country. I'm really tired of being a 2nd class citizen in DoD. My job is to support the military and I work the same hours.


But you’re not in the military. There’s big differences and the new policy recognizes that.

Yes in a perfect world, there would be enough spots for every unit there isn’t.


And yet we deploy, PCS, and work in war zones... this will do wonders for retention.

It would be different if this was a policy going forward and we knew to expect it. To not grandfather in existing families in dumb. Maybe we could have spent money on increasing childcare instead of sucking DoD dry for a border wall.


But again.. you are not military. DoD civilians, generally speaking, move less and have more options than active duty military. Some DoD civilians do those things you reference, but many, particularly in this area, do not, and use CDCs at length in this area. Then again, some military do too.

However, all that being said, I actually agree with you, and I am surprised some grandfathering was not employed.


If grandfathering were employed it would take years to clean up the core problem which is that the waitlists are longer than the average PCS time for military families. Civilians are stable, they can find care elsewhere easily. Military cannot and need care immediately for relatively short periods of time.


Are you from the DC area? It is not easy to find care here. Waitlists are months long.
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