Hours of Operation
Before and after school care hours are
Monday – Friday: 6:30 AM – 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Camp full day program offered in Summer and on school breaks hours are
Monday – Friday 6:30 AM – 6:00 PM
Hours
Address Information
200 W Castle Street, Fairchild AFB, WA 99011
Address
School Age Care
To deliver unparalleled educational advocacy, outreach, and partnerships for military-connected students around the globe!
Welcome to the School-Age Care Program (SAC) at Fairchild AFB. The SAC program is for children attending kindergarten – age 12. We offer Before and/or After School care and full-day care on school breaks, including summer breaks. The program follows the Medical Lake School District calendar and children must attend Michael Anderson Elementary to qualify for school year care. SAC is nationally accredited, DoD certified, and maintains high standards of health and safety while promoting the development of each child. Classrooms feature arts and crafts, science and math, recreational games, dramatic and imaginative play, and health and fitness.
Eligibility
Eligible patrons include active duty military personnel, DoD civilian personnel paid with either APF or NAF, reservists on active duty or during inactive duty training, retirees, and DoD contractors. Families with children who have special needs, including allergies, are eligible and must complete additional paperwork prior to enrollment. The environment, staffing, and activities may be modified to permit their participation. Additionally, parents must provide child’s immunization record.
* All employees of DoD contractors and specified space available patrons (to include active-duty retirees) pay the unsubsidized CDP fee. For the purposes of this fee policy, the term “specified space available patron” does not include active-duty Service members with a non-working spouse, DoD civilian employees paid from appropriated funds (APF) or non-appropriated funds (NAF) with a non-working spouse, or gold star spouses (combat related).
Priority Care for Your Peace of Mind
There may be a waiting list. The registration process is easy and only takes four steps:
Step 1
Create an account at MilitaryChildCare.com. This will allow parents to take full advantage of the available benefits.
Step 2
Search and request care. Parents will find information on facility-based or in-home child care options and may select one (or more) options. The program will contact requesters when space becomes available.
Step 3
Manage requests from anywhere in the world – parents can change requests, change the date care is needed, and cancel requests that are no longer needed.
Step 4
Update household information at any time – especially email and telephone numbers so that when an offer is made, parents can be reached quickly.
Affordable Excellence
There are eleven fee categories for care based on total family income, plus BAH. Families must provide proof of all family income (i.e., LES and/or pay stubs for all individuals in the home who contribute to the care of the child) for placement in proper fee category. Fees are due prior to the care being offered. Parents can choose between weekly, bi-weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly payments, depending on what suits their financial needs.
Diverse Programs to Suit Your Schedule
Before and After School Program – Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM – 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM Transportation to/from Michael Anderson Elementary located on Fairchild AFB is provided.
Camp – full-day program offered in summer and on school breaks, 6:30 AM – 6:00 PM
Daily Drop In Care – Space available basis; Inquiries should be made 24 hours in advance.
Give Parents a Break (GPAB) is held on Friday evening quarterly. All registrations for GPAB must be received by noon, the Wednesday prior to the event. Families are eligible for GPAB with a valid voucher completed by the MFRC. GPAB is funded for active-duty AF members by the Air Force Aid Society.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is “Give Parents a Break”?
A: This program is offered in conjunction with the Air Force Aid Society for parents in stressful situations and have children between 5 and 12 years old. See your squadron commander, first sergeant, chaplain, doctor or other medical professional, family advocacy personnel, Military and Family Readiness Center Personnel for a GPAB certificate. For any continued utilization of GPAB, certificates can only be signed by the Military and Family Readiness Center.
Q: How do I request childcare?
A: MilitaryChildCare.com (MCC) is a Department of Defense website for military families seeking child care. This site will allow families to search for and request care from a wide range of military operated and military subsidized child care options across all Services to include Child Development Centers, School Age Programs, and Family Child Care Homes. Additional benefits from Child and Youth Programs (CYP) are standardized procedures for effective waiting list management, expedited placement of children and youth into available programs, and enhanced daily operations for programs.
Q: Why do parents have to pay for child care when their child is sick?
A: The program’s costs of operating the center do not decrease when one or more children are absent in a room. The fees collected from parents are used to pay the care giving staff. Having children absent does not decrease the number (and cost) of staff in the room.
Q: Why does child care cost so much?
A: Caring for children is an expensive service because it is labor intensive. Over 50% of the total cost of providing child care and 95% of the cost paid by parents is for caregivers. Childcare fees include daily meals and snacks.
Q: What happens if a family refuses to provide proof of income?
A: Each DoD family, regardless of their income category, must provide income documentation. Families are not permitted to automatically elect to enroll in the highest fee category. Failure to provide the required information will delay the processing and approval of childcare services.
Q: How is family income determined and what forms are required for verification?
The May 2014 Application for Department of Defense (DoD) Child Care Fees, DD Form 2652, or electronic equivalent will be used to verify total family income (TFI) as defined in Department of Defense Instructions (DoDIs) 6060.02. For the purposes of determining child care fees in the Department of Defense Child Development Programs, TFI is defined as all earned income including wages, salaries, tips, special duty pay (flight pay, active duty demo pay, sea pay), active duty save pay, long-term disability benefits, voluntary salary deferrals, retirement or other pension income including Supplemental Security Income (SSI) paid to the spouse/partner and Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits paid to the surviving spouse before deductions for taxes using the individual’s most recent W-2 or Leave and Earning Statement. TFI calculations must also include quarters subsistence and other allowances appropriate for the rank and status of military or civilian personnel whether received in cash or in-kind. Programs should not include alimony, child support received by the custodial parent, SSI received on behalf of the dependent child, reimbursements for educational expenses or health and wellness benefits, cost of living (COLA) received in high cost areas, temporary duty allowances, or reenlistment bonuses. Do not include cash awards, bonuses, or overtime pay in TFI calculation. TFI includes the appropriate Non-Locality Basic Allowance for Housing with Dependents Rate (BAH Reserve Component/Transit (RC/T)) for all members, regardless of whether they live in government housing or off-installation. Programs will use the local BAH rate in locations where military members receive less than the BAH RC/T allowance. For dual-military living in government quarters, include BAH RC/T of the senior member only; for Defense civilian OCONUS, include either the housing allowance or the value of the in-kind housing provided. Note that the BAH RC/T rate is based on the calendar year. Programs will use the appropriate year’s rate when calculating fees.
Q: How are fees assessed?
A: Rather than basing the fees on military rank, the fees are based on a family’s ability to pay. Total family income is a better yardstick since it takes into consideration all income available to pay the child care bill. Additionally one of the purposes of the military child care program is to improve the economic viability of military families. Those families with the lowest incomes are those most in need of assistance with their child care expenses.
A: Fees are based on a typical Monday–Friday operation. Fees cover quality educational activities, meals, and transportation to and/or from school. SAC fees are adjusted based on the number of program hours provided.
