WASHINGTON –
The Department of Defense announced July 30 the school year 2010/2011 child care fee policy.
The policy will adjust fee ranges in child care programs at Joint Base Charleston as well as installations across the services. Changes are expected to be implemented no later than Sept. 30.
Changes will impact families who have children enrolled in the Child Development Center and School Age Care Program.
Fee ranges have been revised to account for inflation, changes in family incomes and increased caregiver salaries. To account for these trends, both total family income categories and fee ranges within the categories have increased. These revisions represent the first adjustments in fee policy since School Year 2004/2005.
The DOD changes broadened child care fee ranges from six to nine categories and established the top range at $125,000 a year and above for a more equitable policy. The three new fee ranges have been added for families earning more than $85,000 to address the disparity of income of families in the current category 6.
Also, the DOD raised the income cap on each fee range, to allow many families to move into lower categories and increase the number of families in the lowest fee category. Previously, families earning $70,000 a year and above all paid the same fee for child care. Under the new policy, families will see either a small decrease or increase in their fees depending on their total family income.
The DOD anticipates a significant number of families currently enrolled in the Child Development system will be affected by the revised fee ranges, officials said, although families earning $85,000 and below will experience relatively minimal changes.
For most installations, each military service will provide specific fee guidelines. For CDCs on joint bases, the supporting service for the installation will set the fees based on the DOD fee policy. The fees will apply to all families regardless of service.
"This is the first time in six years that the Defense Department has adjusted fee ranges. The action follows an in-depth study that determined that fee ranges were no longer in sync with the total family income for the majority of program users," said Robert Gordon, deputy under secretary of defense, military community and family policy. "As a result of this adjustment, we broadened and added income ranges to achieve greater equity within our military community."
The fee policy represents a balanced solution to the issue of adjusting fees to pay caregiver salaries while limiting the financial impact on the family, officials said. Competitive salaries help to recruit and retain quality staff, and retaining high quality staff contributes to continuity of care.
Ninety-eight percent of the DOD's child development centers are nationally accredited compared to 8 to 10 percent of community childcare centers. National accreditation means a commitment of providing high quality services, including a developmentally appropriate curriculum, a healthy and safe environment, sufficient number of adults per children in group sizes appropriate for children's ages and strong communication between staff and families.
"Ensuring the health, safety and well-being of the military children entrusted to our care is a number one priority," said Mr. Gordon. "We are committed to high quality care for our military children, which includes attracting talented child care staff whose compensation is competitive with the civilian sector.
"Child care is a readiness issue," he added. "We will continue striving to provide quality care to support our working parents."
Exact payment amounts for Joint Base Charleston members are currently pending local approval. The pay ranges listed below are those set by the DOD, and joint base fees will fall within these ranges.
Category I - $29,400 or below will pay between $44-$59 per week
Category II - $29,401 to $35,700 will pay between $60-$74 per week
Category III - $35,701 to $46,200 will pay between $75-$90 per week
Category IV - $46,201 to $57,750 will pay between $91-$105 per week
Category V - $57,751 to $73,500 will pay between $106-$121 per week
Category VI - $73,501 to $85,000 will pay between $122-$130 per week
Category VII - $85,001 to $100,000 will pay between $131-$133 per week
Category VIII - $100,001 to $125,000 will pay between $134-$136 per week
Category IX - $125,001 or above will pay between $137-$139 per week
Families experiencing financial hardships may receive a hardship fee waiver. In addition, families who have more than one child and need to reduce the costs may receive a multiple child discount. Services may authorize up to a 20 percent reduction of fees for each additional child of the same family.
For more information about the fees, parents are encouraged to contact the Child Development Center at 963-4366. For information the school-age program fees, call 963-5684.