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Be Your Own Boss!
family child careLearn more about benefits of starting a career as a Child Care provider!
Family Child Care
Family Childcare is the regular care of a child in the home of another family in base housing. The Air Force has developed a system for bases to use in offering quality child care within a Family Childcare program.
Child Care Service Providers
Wanted!
The Sheppard Family Child Care Office is currently recruiting new providers. Prospective providers are trained, screened, and approved by applicable agencies. The Child Care Panel meets to approve or disapprove applicants. All orientation trainings are free and are held in the Child Care Office. If you are interested in becoming a licensed child care provider, contact the FCC office today!
Description of a child care provider:
Flexible/Full time hours
Coordinate and conducts activities for program participants
Promotes safe and healthy practices
Maintains professional attitude with children, parents, and staff
Inventories equipment/supplies for daily use
Develops social and physical skills for children
Play, Learn & Grow Together
Have you recently PCS'd to Sheppard or returned home from a deployment? If so, you may qualify for FREE CHILD CARE through the Family Child Care Program.
A variety of care is available including, PCS Care, Deployment/Remote Child Care, UTA Child Care, Subsidy, hourly care, Extended Duty Care, full-time care, part-time care, night and weekend care. The individual family child care provider sets the fees. These programs are listed in detail in the sections below. For additional information, please contact the Family Child Care Office.
PCS Care
Deployment/Remote Care
UTA Child Care
Subsidy
Hourly care
Extended Duty Care
Additional Information
Family Child Care Providers undergo stringent certification requirements: 15 Family Child Care Virtual Lab School Courses (approximately clock hours), monthly unannounced home inspections, yearly background investigations, annual training (24 hours), and certification in ServSafe and CPR/First Aid for children 2 weeks to 12 years.
According to our Air Force Instruction (AFI) 34-144, 11.17 states, “Residents providing uncertified child care residing in government owned and privatized housing are notified of the requirements when providing care for more than 10 hours a week. Uncertified care will be investigated by the Family Child Care Coordinator, accompanied by the Flight Chief or Force Support Squadron Commander/Director (or designee). The individual will be provided with a written request to complete the certification procedures and to cease providing care until they become certified. Security Forces will be contacted if there are suspected violations of law and the Family Child Care Program notifies the Privatized Property Management office.”
Websites & Resources
Tips when selecting a child care provider
- The relationship between Provider and Parent should be viewed as a business, with your most precious asset involved.
- Ask to see the home and don’t be afraid to ask questions that concern you.
- Read the contract thoroughly. If there is something in the contract that you disagree with, discuss with the Provider. Make sure all changes are in writing. If they are not willing to make compromises, decide whether you can live with the decision and if you cannot, find another provider that better fits your needs.
- If you see something in a home that makes you uncomfortable about leaving your child in that home, please call the FCC Coordinator. Our goal is to ensure that all homes provide quality care.
- Visit the home during child care hours. Are the children playing happily? Are they clean? Are the children doing the activities that are posted on the schedule?
- It is a requirement of the program that a signed contract between the provider and the parent is accomplished prior to care being provided. The contract will include hours of operation, fees, payment schedule, provider’s and child’s vacation, sick leave and absences, responsibility for alternate care, and termination policy.
Extended Duty Care
FREE child care that is accessible to military member as they perform their mission during contingency or high temp operations. The program is designed to help families who have to temporarily work longer hours, evenings, overnight, weekends or are experiencing a temporary shift change.
Subsidy
Designed to assist family’s utilization of a Family Child Care home and pay the same weekly fee they would be charged for child care in an Air Force Child Development Center (CDC) or Air Force School-Age Care (SAC) Program. Children with special needs may qualify for this as well.
- Eligibility requirements: child on the waiting list for the CDC or SAC through MilitaryChildCare.com, parent is active duty or DoD civilian, all adults living in the household must be working on enrolled in school full-time, completed AF FCC ECC Request
Deployment/Remote Child Care
The FCC is offering FREE childcare for anyone stationed on Sheppard that is or will be deployed for more than 30 days. Allows families 16 hours for pre-deployment, 16 hours each month of the deployment, and 16 hours post-deployment. This may be used once the member has orders and ends 60 days upon return from the deployment.
- Eligibility requirements: active duty or reserve/guard member in active status, assigned to or working at Sheppard AFB, deployed for a minimum of 30 calendar days or personnel who routinely deploy on a short-term basis (cumulative of 30 days in a 6 month period), copy of deployment orders, completed AF FCC ECC Request.
UTA Child Care
Designed to provide child care for those members of the Guard and Reserves (CAT A and B) during their regularly scheduled, or properly rescheduled, drill periods. This care is for Training Periods and Unit Training Assemblies only. Individuals on active duty orders do not qualify for this. AF Form 40As must be provided for rescheduled drills.
- Eligibility Requirements – reserve or guard member, assigned to an Air Force Guard or Reserve Unit/Installation, no other adult in the household available to provide care, completed AF FCC FCC Request.
PCS Child Care
Sponsored by the Air Force Aid Society, it is designed to help relieve some stress felt by families in the process of a PCS move. Provides 20 hours of child care at both the departing and inbound installations. Families may use the child care 60 days before the family’s departure and 60 days upon arriving at the new installation.
- Member of the Air Force active duty, completed Child Care for PCS Certificate obtained from the Airman & Family Readiness Center, copy of PCS orders
Applying for Child Care
Child care services are offered to eligible patrons at Sheppard AFB for full-time care, before and after school care, and hourly care. If you want to request child care at a Child Development Center, School Age, or Family Child Care, please make an account on www.MilitaryChildCare.com and request which programs you are interested in for child care.
If you are an active duty military member and can’t get your child into one of the above programs, you can contact Child Care Aware of America or call 1-800-424-2246. Please let them know you need assistance in locating a Community Based Child Care Program (enhanced services).
Care only applies to FCC providers. A copy of orders and a PCS Childcare Form must be provided. Please call ahead, as enrollment takes 1 - 3 weeks, depending on FCC provider's availability.
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