Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-PLUS (MCCYN-Plus)

The Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-PLUS (MCCYN-PLUS) program providers fee assistance, through the U.S. Department of Defense, to reduce the out-of-pocket expense of community child care for eligible military families when on-base options are unavailable.

In November 2024, Tennessee joined seventeen other states to become a participant in the MCCYN-PLUS program. This program is a partnership between all branches of the military, families, and child care providers. The initiative is an expansion of the original MCCYN (Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood) program. Both programs allow for military families who are unable to find on-installation child care to seek out child care in their local community. The MCCYN program still exists but requires child care providers to have National Accreditation. The MCCYN-PLUS program does not require this accreditation but rather focuses on the QRIS rating of the participating provider.

How Can the MCCYN-PLUS Program Help You and Tennessee Families?

MCCYN-PLUS allows child care agencies to receive fee assistance from the U.S. Department of Defense to care for children of military families. This allows child care agencies to expand their business to a military family customer base, to increase their revenue, and to grow their overall business.

To become a participant, the child care agency must participate in Tennessee’s QRIS. The agency must score within the “Good” range – meaning a score of 80 or above. The agency must submit proof that they are licensed and regulated by the State of Tennessee and must submit proof that they have met the required QRIS score.

For additional information about the MCCYN-PLUS program please visit the Child Care Aware of America web page.

Providers

Agencies who are interested in participating in the program must submit an application on the Child Care Aware of America web page. The application process for MCCYN-PLUS is the same as MCCYN.

Military Families

If you are interested in receiving childcare through the MCCYN-PLUS program, ask your provider if they are a participant. To apply for MCCYN-PLUS, use the centralized online system, Military Child Care web page. Here you can search for providers in your area, request participation, and manage child care services.