((a))
((1)) The Commandant may make child development services available, in such priority as the Commandant considers to be appropriate and consistent with readiness and resources and in the best interests of dependents of members and civilian employees of the Coast Guard, for—
((A)) members and civilian employees of the Coast Guard;
((B)) surviving dependents of service members who have died on active duty, if such dependents were beneficiaries of a Coast Guard child development service at the time of the death of such members;
((C)) members of the armed forces (as defined in ); and
((D)) Federal civilian employees.
((2)) Child development service benefits provided under the authority of this section shall be in addition to benefits provided under other laws.
((b))
((1)) The Commandant is authorized to use appropriated funds available to the Coast Guard to provide child development services.
((2))
((A)) The Commandant is authorized to establish, by regulations, fees to be charged parents for the attendance of children at Coast Guard child development centers.
((B)) Fees to be charged, pursuant to subparagraph (A), shall be based on family income and whether a family is participating in an initiative established under section 2925(b), except that the Commandant may, on a case-by-base basis, establish fees at lower rates if such rates would not be competitive with rates at local child development centers.
((C)) The Commandant is authorized to collect and expend fees, established pursuant to this subparagraph, and such fees shall, without further appropriation, remain available until expended for the purpose of providing services, including the compensation of employees and the purchase of consumable and disposable items, at Coast Guard child development centers.
((D)) In the case of an active duty member with two or more children attending a Coast Guard child development center, the Commandant may modify the fees to be charged for attendance for the second and any subsequent child of such member by an amount that is 15 percent less than the amount of the fee otherwise chargeable for the attendance of the first such child enrolled at the center, or another fee as the Commandant determines appropriate, consistent with multiple children.
((3)) The Commandant is authorized to use appropriated funds available to the Coast Guard to provide assistance to family home daycare providers so that family home daycare services can be provided to uniformed service members and civilian employees of the Coast Guard at a cost comparable to the cost of services provided by Coast Guard child development centers.
((4)) To the maximum extent practicable, the Commandant shall ensure that, in a location in which Coast Guard family child care centers (as such term is defined in section 8239 of the Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2020) are necessary to meet the demand for child care for qualified families (as such term is defined in such section), not fewer than two housing units are maintained in accordance with safety inspection standards so as to accommodate family child care providers.
((c)) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations to implement this section. The regulations shall establish fees to be charged for child development services provided under this section which take into consideration total family income.