Family Child Care
Extended Duty Child Care
The purpose of Extended Duty Care (EDC) is to assist families in obtaining high-quality childcare from licensed or affiliated providers at or near their base when weekly parental workloads, due to extended duty hours, exceed their typical 50-hour of care (10 hrs a day or a 5 day workweek) that families are already purchasing in child care programs on or off base. Families should establish a plan to meet all their child care needs e.g., short term, TDYs, shift work care(where shift is typical assignment) etc. The EDC program should be considered the "back up plan". To be eligible for this program at least one parent must be a member of the U.S. Military Service: Active Duty; dual employed (military married to civilian) or DoD civilian employee assigned to or working on the installation. Provided care is a privledge, not a right, and the Family child Care (FCC) program will retian final approval on whether or not a child is accepted for care.
First Priority is given to parents whose children are currently enrolled in the Air Force Development, School-age and/or FCC programs. Parents must complete all appropriate forms to include AF Forms 1181, 357 (if applicable) and 1055 (if applicable).
Extended Duty Care can be used:
- On-base mission related duty (as needed)
- Extended duty days (as needed)
- Temporary shift changes (not to exceed 3 working days)
- Rapid mobilization (as needed)
- Dual military or single parent deployment until altered child care can be arranged and/or children are picked up by AF Form 357 designee (not to exceed 3 days)
- No notice/short-notice TDY (as needed, but not to exceed 3 days and a total of 12 days per calendar year)
- Less than 1-week notice
- If no other family member is available
- If verified with supervisor
- Provides temporary assistance until other arrangements can be found
- Spouse of deployed or TDY member who is experiencing a short-term child care emergency created in part by the duty-related absence of spouse (as needed)
- On Federal holidays when AF child care programs (CDC, SAP, subsidized space in licensed/affiliated FCC home) are closed/unavailable amd parents are required to work to meet mission requirements
Requests to exceed time limits are sent to the MAJCOM in advance for approval. Confirmation of approval is sent from the MAJCOM to Flight Chief, FCC Coordinator, and A1S1 simultaneously.
Extended Duty Care cannot be used:
- On a regular, recurring basis
- To meet parents’ regular child care requirements
- To provide shift work care where shift work is a typical assignment
- Mandatory PT
- To provide hourly care for non-duty related reasons
- For off-duty education and employment on a recurring basis
- For family days, CDC/SAP/FCC home closure, attend/watch air shows, etc.
- FCC providers that have medical appointments and other child care emergencies that impact on their ability to provide child care or need substitute care (Exception: Approved by MAJCOM and if EDC Provider has unused hours)
- Airman and Family staff that have medical appointments and other child care emergencies that impact on their ability to provide child care (Exception: Approved by MAJCOM and if EDC Provider has unused hours)
- Airman and Family Services staff and FCC provider training (Exception: Approved by MAJCOM and if EDC Provider has unused hours)
The ECC program is administered through the Family Child Care Program and is currently provided at no cost to families. Care is dependent upon availability of funding and providers. The FCC Coordinator is the POC and supports the program by ensuring the FCC providers are screened, trained and licensed/affiliated to provide care. The FCC Coordinator monitors homes and conducts unannounced inspections during the operation of the home. The ECC homes are required to meet all the requirements of the Air Force FCC program.
Returning Home Child Care
The RHC program provides child care for children ages 12 and under up to 16 hours of free child care per child, per occurrence, during a 6 month period. It is available to those Active Duty members, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members returning to their home stations after deployments of a minimum of 30 calendar days. Personnel who routinely deploy on a short-term basis (cumulative of 30 days in a 6 month period) in support of contingency operations and members returning for a 2 week R&R leave are also eligible. Care for the RHC Program is provided by an Extended Duty Care (EDC) or EDC temporary FCC home. The care is scheduled ONLY through the Family Child Care (FCC) office and not directly with the provider. The member must complete the RHC parent statement along with their signature and a signature from the MPFlight/Command section for verification and returned to the FCC staff. You may also fax to us at 501-987-7169. The 16 hours are to be used within the 6 months from returning to their home station.
Child Care for PCS
The Child Care for PCS Program is intended to help relieve some of the stress felt by families in the process of a PCS move. The Air Force Aid Society (AFAS) will pay up to 20 hours of child care (per child) in licensed FCC homes on base or in AF affiliated homes off base. Air Force families with PCS orders can obtain a Child Care for PCS Certificate at the base Relocation Office in the Family Support Center. Families can receive a certificate at both the base from which they are departing and at their new base. Certificates are good only at the base at which they are issued--unused hours do not transfer from one base to another. Families may use the 20 hours of child care within 60 days before the family's departure from a base, and 60 days after arriving at the new base. This program is open to all ranks unless there are a shortage of child care providers at the base in which case priority would be given to junior ranking personnel.
