Expanding Access to Military Child Care Act of 2025

This bill creates a test program to make child care easier to find for military families. The Defense Department will team up with child care providers in 12 communities near different types of bases to add more spots, train and keep staff (including military spouses), and offer more professional development. Partnerships must be spread across services (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and a joint base) so multiple regions benefit . Providers in the program must promise not to cut spots for civilian families and not to build new facilities just for this; they will be checked every six months, and partnerships can be ended if they don’t follow the rules . A single, central system will help share information on available child care slots, costs, and locations for families at participating bases .

The program must start by January 1, 2026, and run through the end of 2030, with a possible extension to 2032. Congress will get updates along the way, and a separate report will study where child care is still lacking around bases, including costs, hours, and needs for infants, rural areas, and children with disabilities .

• Who is affected: Military families with young children; child care providers near military bases .
• What changes: More child care spots; support to hire and keep staff; no loss of spots for civilian families; clearer info on availability and fees; regular oversight and reports .
• When: Launch by Jan 1, 2026; ends Dec 31, 2030, with possible extension to Dec 31, 2032; major needs report due by Sept 30, 2027 .