Taxpayers no longer subsidize child care for the highest-paid DoD contract employees under a DoD policy change that went into effect this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Higher-paid defense contract employees who use DoD child development centers are paying 46 percent more for child care. These contract employees \u2014 making $129,573 or more \u2014 pay $206 weekly per child, compared to others in the category who pay $142.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contract employees are eligible for DoD child development program services on a space-available basis. Among those who get the highest priority for child care are children of combat-wounded warriors, and single or dual-military members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We believe child care is a readiness issue and priority for child care is given to working families,” said DoD spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen. “But the demand is high and spaces are limited.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said DoD will assess the impact of the loss of child care subsidies for contract employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Information was not available on how many contractor families use DoD child care. The decision to raise fees for the contractor families in the highest income category was based on a recommendation from a 2012 DoD efficiency study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, taxpayers subsidize about half of the cost of military child care. Military parents in the lowest income categories receive the biggest subsidy. Fees are based on total family income, including spousal income and housing allowance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fees for active-duty families and others who use DoD child care programs increased only slightly, and only for some. The minimum fee in each category increased by $1 or $2, with no increase in the $134 weekly fee for those whose total family income falls between $88,080 and $103,622.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those whose income falls in the lowest category, the bottom of the range increased this fall by $2, so that the range is now $56 to $58 weekly, depending on the installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials also increased the family income threshold for determining fees for that and all categories, to reflect a weighted average of proposed military and civilian pay raises. Thus, the pay raise wouldn’t necessarily bump a family into a higher fee category. For example, the income range for the lowest category cuts off at $30,466, compared to $30,164 last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2011, defense and service officials began moving to a single fee for all income categories. The top three categories have one fee; the other six have narrowed their ranges to $1 or $2. The goal is to move to a single fee for each category by school year 2015-16, according to a DoD memo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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