Mon – Fri: 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
Family Child Care
Tinker Family Child Care (FCC) offers quality child care in nurturing and supportive home environments, for children ages 2 weeks- 12 years. Each FCC provider strives to meet the unique needs of the children and to promote positive development.
All FCC providers meet Department of Defense (DoD), Air Force (AF) and Tinker AFB requirements. FCC providers are inspected and observed on a regular basis to ensure compliance with health, fire, safety and developmentally appropriate practices and regulations.
FCC providers living in on-base housing are certified by the Mission Support Group Commander to provide child care in their homes. Affiliated FCC providers living in the surrounding communities must meet the same AF certificaion requirements and also be licensed by the Oklahoma DHS.
One of the hallmarks of the FCC is its ability to tailor the types of care offered to fit virtually every schedule, deployment, or special need.
Play, Learn & Grow Together
Have you recently PCS’d to Tinker 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 details in the sections below. For additional information, please contact the Family Child Care Office.
Additional Information
Family Child Care Providers undergo stringent certification requirements: 15 Family Child Care Virtual Lab School Courses, 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, “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
Tips when selecting a child care provider
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.
Deployment/Remote Child Care
The FCC is offering FREE childcare for anyone stationed on Tinker 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.
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.
PCS Child Care
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.
Applying for Child Care
Child care services are offered to eligible patrons at Tinker 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.