Our Mission

When military members and Department of Defense (DoD) personnel are confident that their children are safe and in good care, they can better concentrate on fulfilling their military and defense support responsibilities. That’s why our nationally recognized Child and Youth Programs, serving infants through 18-year-olds, are here to make sure high-quality and affordable child care and recreational programs are readily available for military and DoD families worldwide. We set the standard and we’re leading the charge in child care reform. 

We aggressively responded to the requirements of the 1989 Military Child Care Act by raising the bar for quality expectations, increasing performance and outcomes criteria, and investing in critical resources including personnel, professional development, facilities, and technology. Today, we’re known and well-respected for having a tremendous impact on the entire early childhood and youth services landscape—not only for military child care, but also for children and families in non-military operated programs. 

We also invest in professionals. With more than 6,000 early childhood development professionals, we’re not only equipped to provide high quality care, but also to offer a vast array of long-term career opportunities.