FAMILY CHILD CARE
Become a FCC Provider
Do you enjoy caring for children? Do you want to operate your own business from the comfort and convenience of your home? Become an FCC Provider! At minimal start-up costs, the FCC Program offers free equipment and training to help you support the Air Force mission of caring for the children of military and civilian personnel.
Why Become a FCC Provider?
- Earn up to $250 per week for each child enrolled in full-time care & higher rates for after-hours care
- Enjoy the personal benefits of working from home and care for your own children at the same time
- Set your own schedule including traditional or non-traditional hours, such as weekend or evening care
- Obtain support and resources such as free equipment, coaching, mentoring, and on-the-job training from the FCC program
- Free childcare during FCC Orientation
- $300 licensing bonus at initial certification and annual renewal
- $200 bonus for waitlist child enrollment
- $1,000 NAFCC accreditation bonus
- FCC Transfer Program – $1,000 when licensed within 90 days
- $500 recruitment bonus
- Federal holiday pay
- And much more!
Requirements
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Must hold a high school diploma or equivalent
- Must be able to read, speak, and write English
- Must be a US Citizen, or have a Green Card, Social Security Number, and have lived in the U.S. for at least three years.
- Must be physically and behaviorally capable of performing the duties of the job and satisfactorily complete all required training
- Must have access to the base
- Must be willing and able to pass a background check for all household members ages 12+
- Must be free of communicable diseases and be able to successfully pass a physical
- All household members must be current on immunizations
DoD Certification
Prior to opening an FCC home, providers are required to become DoD certified. The certification process ensures that:
- Providers are held to the same high standard as other CYP professionals
- Regulations limit the number of children in care
- Children are actively engaged in developmentally appropriate activities
- Activities focus on school-readiness as well as social and emotional development
- The program operates in a safe, warm home environment
Screenings, Inspections, and Checks
DoD FCC programs follow some of the highest standards for care in the nation. Standards are typically more stringent than State standards, making it easier for applicants who are required to be both State and military certified. Required screenings, inspections, and checks include:
- Criminal history background checks for the applicant and all household members ages 12+
- Health screening and proof of immunizations for the provider and household members
- Home inspections for fire, safety, sanitation, and preventative medicine
- Monthly visits by an FCC staff member to observe, mentor and provide support
- Pet certificate if the provider has a pet to show that it has the appropriate vaccinations and is safe to be around children
- Proof of liability insurance
Note: If a provider is located off base, the state may require additional licensing, registration, or inspections in addition to those required by the DoD. To check your state’s requirements, visit the National Database of Child Care Licensing.
Questions? To learn more, contact the Family Child Care office at 701-747-5033
About the Program
The Family Child Care (FCC) program offers home-based child care for children ages 2 weeks to 12 years old as a supplement or alternative to the CDC and School Age Care.
Care is provided in homes located on base, or off base in the Grand Forks community that have each been certified by the Mission Support Group Commander. One of the hallmarks of the FCC program is our ability to tailor the types of care to fit virtually every schedule, deployment, or special need! We offer:
- Full Day/Weekly Child Care
- Hourly Care
- Expanded Child Care
Quick Links
Advantages of Family Child Care
- Home environment with smaller adult to child ratios
- Mixed age groups that allow younger and older children to learn from each other
- Continuity of care and flexible scheduling
What Parents Should Know
- FCC Providers must follow all Department of Defense and Air Force guidelines and are required to undergo strict licensing requirements, including completing 24 hours of mandatory training, as well as annual training, and competency based Air Force Training Modules
- FCC Providers must successfully pass comprehensive background checks on all household members ages 12+
Once licensed, FCC Providers are visited unannounced monthly to ensure compliance with guidelines - FCC Providers set their own fees
- If you are interested in a FCC provider, schedule a time to interview with them to ensure a good match between both families. Have questions ready about their policies such as discipline, vacation, illness etc.
Request Care
To apply for care, eligible families must fill out their household profile and submit a request through MilitaryChildCare.com. Requests for care may be submitted at any time, even prior to birth or to receiving hard-copy orders for a PCS.
Priority & Waiting List
Filling out a request for care does not guarantee your child a slot. Priority determination will be made for placement unless space is available and no waiting list exists. The list is reviewed daily by management.
- Priority 1A – Child Development Program Staff
- Priority 1B – Single/Dual Military & Military with a Full-Time Working Spouse
- Priority 1C – Military Members with a Part-Time Working Spouse or those with a Spouse Seeking Employment
- Priority 1D – Military Members with a Spouse Enrolled Full-Time in a Post-Secondary Institution
- Priority 2 – Single/Dual DoD Civilians with a Full-Time Working Spouse
- Priority 3 – Space Available
Our waiting list is divided into an active list for families who will accept a space as soon as it is available, and an inactive list for families who will not need care within the next 30 days. Once families have a date of care needed within 30 days, they will automatically move to the active waitlist.
A family may go up or down on the list due to another family of higher priority signing up for, or declining care. It is always recommended that families have backup care.
Important: Families PCSing to GFAFB must update their profile to reflect what their family status will be upon arrival in Grand Forks in order to be accurately prioritized on the waitlist. If a family’s status is incorrect when offered care, they may have care revoked due to an incorrect priority and will have to reapply.
Expanded Child Care Options
FCC Subsidy Program (SUB)
The SUB program is designed to assist families in the utilization of an FCC home, and pay the same weekly fee that they would be charged for child care at the CDC or School-Age Care.
- Open to Active Duty, Reserve/Guard in an Active Duty status, or DoD civilians
- All adults living in the household must be either working, enrolled in school, or seeking employment
- Spouses actively seeking employment must submit verification every 30 days once the child is enrolled in care.
- The child may be removed from care if the spouse has not gained employment after 90 days
- Fee Based Program: Complete the request for care at militarychildcare.com by selecting a FCC Provider, then contact the FCC Office
Extended Duty Care (EDC)
The EDC Program is designed to assist families when occasionally parental workloads, due to extended duty hours, exceed the normal operation hours of the childcare facility where they are already purchasing full-time or before/after school care.
Examples: mission-related duty, extended duty days, temporary shift change (not to exceed 3 working days), rapid mobilization, dual military or single parent deployment until alternate child care is arranged, federal holidays, basewide down days when Child and Youth Programs are closed and parents are required to work, mandatory PT, etc.
- Open to Active Duty, Reserve/Guard Member in an active duty status, or DoD civilians
- All adults living in the household must be either working, enrolled in school, or seeking employment
- Spouses actively seeking employment must submit verification every 30 days once the child is enrolled in care. The child may be removed from care if the spouse has not gained employment after 90 days
- Free Program: Complete the request for care at militarychildcare.com by selecting a FCC Provider, then contact the FCC Office
FCC 24/7 Child Care & RPA Extended Duty Care
The FCC 24/7 Child Care and RPA Extended Duty Care programs are designed to assist families in utilizing an FCC home when their work schedules are regularly outside the normal operation hours of the childcare facility where they are already purchasing full-time or before/after school care.
These programs are specifically designed to support shift workers and any personnel who are required to work overnights, holidays, and weekends (e.g. Security Forces, Command Post, Fire Department, 348th pilots & sensor operators etc.)
- Open to Active Duty, Reserve/Guard in an active duty status, or DoD civilians
- Must be scheduled to work & work must directly impact the mission
- No other adult in the household available to provide care
- Must be purchasing full-time care or during the school year, before and after school care
- Free Program: Contact the FCC office
Military Spouse Appointment Child Care (MSAC)
MSAC is designed to provide child care to allow spouses to attend approved appointments related to key aspects of military life.
Examples: Medical appointments, classes offered by the Military and Family Readiness Center, appointments with the Chaplain, Family Advocacy, and Medical Agencies; employment opportunities, such as job interviews, initial job training/new employee orientation
- Open to spouses of Active Duty or Guard/Reserve members in an active duty status
- Spouse must be attending an approved appointment
- No other adult in the household available to provide care
- Free Program: Contact the FCC office
Deployment/Remote Assignment Child Care (DCC)
The DCC program is designed to provide childcare for families whose sponsor is deployed or away on a remote assignment. Families may receive 16 hours of pre-deployment and 16 hours of post-deployment care per child, as well as 16 hours of care each month during the deployment/remote assignment. DCC may be used once the member has orders and ends 60 days upon return from the deployment.
- Open to Active Duty or Guard/Reserve Member in active duty status
- Deployed in support of a contingency operation
- Deployed for a minimum of 30 calendar days or personnel who routinely deploy on a short-term basis (cumulative 30 days in a 6 month period)
- No other adult in the household available to provide care
- Free Program: Contact the FCC office
Emergency Medical Care (EMC)
The EMC Program is designed to assist families who are experiencing an emergency medical situation with an immediate family member.
- Open to Active Duty or Guard/Reserve Member in active duty status
- No other adult in the household available to provide care
- Free Program: Contact the FCC office
Child Care for PCS (AFAS PCS)
Sponsored by the Air Force Aid Society, this program is designed to help relieve some of the stress felt by families during a PCS move. AFAS PCS provides 20 hours of child care, per child, at both the departing and inbound installations. Families may use the child care up to 60 days before the family’s departure and up to 60 days after arrival at the new installation
- Open to Active Duty, Guard/Reserve Member in active duty status, or Active Duty members retiring
- Free Program: Contact the M&FRC to obtain a PCS Certificate and the FCC Office for current FCC provider listing
Exceptional Family Member Respite Care Program (EFMP RCP)
The EFMP RCP is designed to assist families with short-term, specialized child care to help reduce the stresses associated with caring for an exceptional family member. The program provides 40 hours of care each month for both the EFMP child and siblings up to age 13. For young adult children between 19 – 23 years of age that are identified as the Exceptional Family Member, Respite Care may be available on a case-by-case basis.
- Open to Active Duty or Guard/Reserve Member in active duty status
- Airman must be Q-coded
- Verification of at least one child who has been identified as an ExceptionalFamily Member and has a moderate/severe status
- Free Program: Contact the FCC office
For more information on these and other available expanded child care programs, contact the FCC Office at 701-747-5033 or visit the DAF Expanded Child Care Website
Events & Programs
Parent Advisory Board
The Child and Youth Program’s Parent Advisory Board (PAB) is open to all parents of children using the CDC, School Age Care, Family Child Care, or the Youth & Teen Center. Its purpose is to increase awareness of all CYP activities, and provides opportunities for parent involvement in events and programming.
The PAB meets quarterly and the meetings are held at one of the Child & Youth Programs facilities. For more information on upcoming PAB meetings, please contact the CDC at 701-747-3042.
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