Examining the Cost of Military Child Care

📖 The Scoop

The military child-care system, the largest system of employer-sponsoredchild care in the country, has received high marks for providing quality,accessible care for children of military employees. In an effort to controlexpenses, the Department of Defense (DoD) has considered a number ofdifferent approaches to delivering this care. This book presents estimatesof the cost of providing care in DoD-operated Child Development Centers(CDCs), Family Child Care (FCC) homes, and centers operated by outsideproviders under contract to the DoD. The authors conclude that child care is a costly employee benefit and the costs are particular high for infants andtoddlers. Their survey of CDCs revealed dramatic differences acrossinstallations in the cost of care per child, with significantly lowerper-child costs in larger centers. FCC costs are considerably lower thanthose for CDC care because cost is not so closely tied to a child_s age inFCC homes. Costs for contractor-operated centers fall within the rangeobserved for DoD-run centers. There is no evidence that contractor-runcenters are 10-percent cheaper to operate than DoD-run centers, the costdifferential that is a DoD requirement for outsourcing.

Genre: Family & Relationships / Babysitting, Day Care & Child Care (fancy, right?)