§ 1781. Office of Military Family Readiness Policy

• (a) There is in the Office of the Secretary of Defense an Office of Military Family Readiness Policy (in this section referred to as the “Office”). The Office shall be headed by the Director of Military Family Readiness Policy, who shall serve within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
• (b) The Office—
  • (1) shall coordinate programs and activities of the military departments to the extent that they relate to military families; and
  • (2) shall make recommendations to the Secretaries of the military departments with respect to programs and policies regarding military families.
• (c) The Office shall have not less than five professional staff members.

§ 1781a. Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council

• (a) There is in the Department of Defense the Department of Defense Military Family Readiness Council (in this section referred to as the “Council”).
• (b)
  • (1) The Council shall consist of the following members:
    • (A) The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, who shall serve as chair of the Council and who may designate a representative to chair the council in the Under Secretary’s absence.
    • (B) The following persons, who shall be appointed or designated by the Secretary of Defense:
      • (i) One representative of each of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, each of whom shall be a member or civilian employee of the armed force to be represented.
      • (ii) One representative, who shall be a member or civilian employee of the National Guard Bureau, to represent both the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard.
      • (iii) One spouse or parent of a member of each of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, two of whom shall be the spouse or parent of an active component member and two of whom shall be the spouse or parent of a reserve component member.
    • (C) Three individuals appointed by the Secretary of Defense from among representatives of military family organizations, including military family organizations of families of members of the regular components and of families of members of the reserve components.
    • (D) The senior enlisted advisor from each of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, except that two of these members may instead be selected from among the spouses of the senior enlisted advisors.
    • (E) The Director of the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy.
  • (2)
    • (A) The term on the Council of the members appointed or designated under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) shall be two years and may be renewed by the Secretary of Defense.
    • (B) The term on the Council of the members appointed under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) shall be two years.
• (c) The Council shall meet not less often than twice each year.
• (d) The duties of the Council shall include the following:
  • (1) To review and make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense regarding the policy and plans required under section 1781b of this title .
  • (2) To monitor requirements for the support of military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense.
  • (3) To evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense.
  • (4) To make recommendations to the Secretary of Defense to improve collaboration, awareness, and promotion of accurate and timely military family readiness information and support services by policy makers, service providers, and targeted beneficiaries.
• (e)
  • (1) Not later than July 1 each year, the Council shall submit to the Secretary of Defense and the congressional defense committees a report on military family readiness.
  • (2) Each report under this subsection shall include the following:
    • (A) An assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense during the preceding fiscal year in meeting the needs and requirements of military families.
    • (B) Recommendations on actions to be taken to improve the capability of the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense to meet the needs and requirements of military families, including actions relating to the allocation of funding and other resources to and among such programs and activities.

§ 1781b. Department of Defense policy and plans for military family readiness

• (a) The Secretary of Defense shall develop a policy and plans for the Department of Defense for the support of military family readiness.
• (b) The purposes of the policy and plans required under subsection (a) are as follows:
  • (1) To ensure that the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense are comprehensive, effective, and properly supported.
  • (2) To ensure that support is continuously available to military families in peacetime and in war, as well as during periods of force structure change and relocation of military units.
  • (3) To ensure that the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense are available to all military families, including military families of members of the regular components and military families of members of the reserve components.
  • (4) To make military family readiness an explicit element of applicable Department of Defense plans, programs, and budgeting activities, and that achievement of military family readiness is expressed through Department-wide goals that are identifiable and measurable.
  • (5) To ensure that the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense undergo continuous evaluation in order to ensure that resources are allocated and expended for such programs and activities to achieve Department-wide family readiness goals.
• (c) The policy required under subsection (a) shall include the following elements:
  • (1) A list of military family readiness programs and activities.
  • (2) Department of Defense-wide goals for military family support, including joint programs, both for military families of members of the regular components and military families of members of the reserve components.
  • (3) Policies on access to military family support programs and activities based on military family populations served and geographical location.
  • (4) Metrics to measure the performance and effectiveness of the military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense.
  • (5) A summary, by fiscal year, of the allocation of funds (including appropriated funds and nonappropriated funds) for major categories of military family readiness programs and activities of the Department of Defense, set forth for each of the military departments and for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

§ 1781c. Office of Special Needs

• (a) There is in the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy the Office of Special Needs (in this section referred to as the “Office”).
• (b) The purpose of the Office is to enhance and improve Department of Defense support around the world for military families with special needs (whether medical or educational needs) through the development of appropriate policies, enhancement and dissemination of appropriate information throughout the Department of Defense, support for such families in obtaining referrals for services and in obtaining service, and oversight of the activities of the military departments in support of such families.
• (c) The Office shall have the responsibilities as follows:
  • (1) To develop and implement a comprehensive policy on support for military families with special needs as required by subsection (d).
  • (2) To establish and oversee the programs required by subsection (e).
  • (3) To identify gaps in services available through the Department of Defense for military families with special needs.
  • (4) To develop plans to address gaps identified under paragraph (3) through appropriate mechanisms, such as enhancing resources and training and ensuring the provision of special assistance to military families with special needs and military parents of individuals with special needs (including through the provision of training and seminars to members of the armed forces).
  • (5) To monitor the programs of the military departments for the assignment of members of the armed forces who are members of military families with special needs, and the programs for the support of such military families, and to advise the Secretary of Defense on the adequacy of such programs in conjunction with the preparation of future-years defense programs and other budgeting and planning activities of the Department of Defense.
  • (6) To monitor the availability and accessibility of programs provided by other Federal, State, local, and non-governmental agencies to military families with special needs.
  • (7) To conduct periodic reviews of best practices in the United States in the provision of medical and educational services for children with special needs.
  • (8) To carry out such other matters with respect to the programs and activities of the Department of Defense regarding military families with special needs as the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall specify.
• (d)
  • (1) The Office shall develop, and update from time to time, a uniform policy for the Department of Defense regarding military families with special needs. The policy shall apply with respect to members of the armed forces without regard to their location, whether within or outside the continental United States.
  • (2) The policy developed under this subsection shall include elements regarding the following:
    • (A) The assignment of members of the armed forces who are members of military families with special needs.
    • (B) Support for military families with special needs.
  • (3) In addressing the assignment of members of the armed forces under paragraph (2)(A), the policy developed under this subsection shall, in a manner consistent with the needs of the armed forces and responsive to the career development of members of the armed forces on active duty, provide for such members each of the following:
    • (A) Assignment to locations where care and support for family members with special needs are available.
    • (B) Stabilization of assignment for a minimum of 4 years.
  • (4) In addressing support for military families under paragraph (2)(B), the policy developed under this subsection shall provide the following:
    • (A) Procedures to identify members of the armed forces who are members of military families with special needs.
    • (B) Mechanisms to ensure timely and accurate evaluations of members of such families who have special needs.
    • (C) Procedures to facilitate the enrollment of such members of the armed forces and their families in programs of the military department for the support of military families with special needs.
    • (D) Procedures to ensure the coordination of Department of Defense health care programs and support programs for military families with special needs, and the coordination of such programs with other Federal, State, local, and non-governmental health care programs and support programs intended to serve such families.
    • (E) Requirements for resources (including staffing) to ensure the availability through the Department of Defense of appropriate numbers of case managers to provide individualized support for military families with special needs.
    • (F) Requirements regarding the development and continuous updating of an individualized services plan (medical and educational) for each military family with special needs.
    • (G) Requirements for record keeping, reporting, and continuous monitoring of available resources and family needs under individualized services support plans for military families with special needs, including the establishment and maintenance of a central or various regional databases for such purposes.
• (e)
  • (1) The Office shall establish, maintain, and oversee a program to provide information and referral services on special needs matters to military families with special needs on a continuous basis regardless of the location of the member’s assignment. The program shall provide for timely access by members of such military families to individual case managers and counselors on matters relating to special needs.
  • (2) The Office shall establish, maintain, and oversee a program of outreach on special needs matters for military families with special needs. The program shall—
    • (A) assist military families in identifying whether or not they have a member with special needs; and
    • (B) provide military families with special needs with information on the services, support, and assistance available through the Department of Defense regarding such members with special needs, including information on enrollment in programs of the military departments for such services, support, and assistance.
  • (3)
    • (A) The Office shall provide support to the Secretary of each military department in the establishment and sustainment by such Secretary of a program for the support of military families with special needs under the jurisdiction of such Secretary. Each program shall be consistent with the policy developed by the Office under subsection (d).
    • (B) Each program under this paragraph shall provide for appropriate numbers of case managers for the development and oversight of individualized services plans for educational and medical support for military families with special needs.
    • (C) Services under a program under this paragraph may be provided by contract or other arrangements with non-Department of Defense entities qualified to provide such services.
• (f) The Secretary of Defense shall assign to the Office such resources, including personnel, as the Secretary considers necessary for the discharge of the responsibilities of the Office, including a sufficient number of members of the armed forces to ensure appropriate representation by the military departments in the personnel of the Office.
• (g)
  • (1) Not later than April 30 each year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the activities of the Office.
  • (2) Each report under this subsection shall include the following:
    • (A) A description of any gaps in services available through the Department of Defense for military families with special needs that were identified under subsection (c)(3).
    • (B) A description of the actions being taken, or planned, to address such gaps, including any plans developed under subsection (c)(4).
    • (C) Such recommendations for legislative action as the Secretary considers appropriate to provide for the continuous improvement of support and services for military families with special needs.
• (h) For purposes of this section, a military family with special needs is any military family with one or more members who has a medical or educational special need (as defined by the Secretary in regulations for purposes of this section), including a condition covered by the Extended Health Care Option Program under section 1079f of this title .

§ 1782. Surveys of military families

• (a) The Secretary of Defense, in order to determine the effectiveness of Federal programs relating to military families and the need for new programs, may conduct surveys of—
  • (1) members of the armed forces who are on active duty, in an active status, or retired;
  • (2) family members of such members; and
  • (3) survivors of deceased retired members and of members who died while on active duty.
• (b) Responses to surveys conducted under this section shall be voluntary.
• (c) With respect to a survey authorized under subsection (a) that includes a person referred to in that subsection who is not an employee of the United States or is not otherwise considered an employee of the United States for the purposes of section 3502(3)(A)(i) of title 44 , the person shall be considered as being an employee of the United States for the purposes of that section.
• (d) Notwithstanding subsection (a), during fiscal year 2010, the Secretary of Defense shall conduct a survey otherwise authorized under such subsection. Thereafter, additional surveys may be conducted not less often than once every three fiscal years.

§ 1783. Family members serving on advisory committees

A committee within the Department of Defense which advises or assists the Department in the performance of any function which affects members of military families and which includes members of military families in its membership shall not be considered an advisory committee under section 3(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) solely because of such membership.

§ 1784. Employment opportunities for military spouses

• (a) The President shall order such measures as the President considers necessary to increase employment opportunities for spouses of members of the armed forces. Such measures may include—
  • (1) excepting, pursuant to section 3302 of title 5 , from the competitive service positions in the Department of Defense located outside of the United States to provide employment opportunities for qualified spouses of members of the armed forces in the same geographical area as the permanent duty station of the members; and
  • (2) providing preference in hiring for positions in nonappropriated fund activities to qualified spouses of members of the armed forces stationed in the same geographical area as the nonappropriated fund activity for positions in wage grade UA–8 and below and equivalent positions and for positions paid at hourly rates.
• (b) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations—
  • (1) to implement such measures as the President orders under subsection (a);
  • (2) to provide preference to qualified spouses of members of the armed forces in hiring for any civilian position in the Department of Defense if the spouse is among persons determined to be best qualified for the position and if the position is located in the same geographical area as the permanent duty station of the member;
  • (3) to ensure that notice of any vacant position in the Department of Defense is provided in a manner reasonably designed to reach spouses of members of the armed forces whose permanent duty stations are in the same geographic area as the area in which the position is located; and
  • (4) to ensure that the spouse of a member of the armed forces who applies for a vacant position in the Department of Defense shall, to the extent practicable, be considered for any such position located in the same geographic area as the permanent duty station of the member.
• (c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to provide a spouse of a member of the armed forces with preference in hiring over an individual who is a preference eligible.
• (d) Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department may make available to a non-Department of Defense entity space in non-excess facilities controlled by that Secretary for the purpose of the non-Department of Defense entity providing employment-related training for military spouses.
• (e) The Secretary of Defense shall work with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management and the heads of other Federal departments and agencies to expand and facilitate the use of existing Federal programs and resources in support of military spouse employment.
• (f) The Secretary of Defense—
  • (1) shall seek to develop partnerships with firms in the private sector to enhance employment opportunities for spouses of members of the armed forces and to provide for improved job portability for such spouses, especially in the case of the spouse of a member of the armed forces accompanying the member to a new geographical area because of a change of permanent duty station of the member; and
  • (2) shall work with the United States Chamber of Commerce and other appropriate private-sector entities to facilitate the formation of such partnerships.
• (g) The Secretary of Defense shall examine and seek ways for incorporating hiring preferences for qualified spouses of members of the armed forces into contracts between the Department of Defense and private-sector entities.
• (h)
  • (1) The Secretary of Defense shall seek to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Council of State Governments to assist with funding of the development of interstate compacts on licensed occupations in order to alleviate the burden associated with relicensing in such an occupation by spouse of a members of the armed forces in connection with a permanent change of duty station of members to another State.
  • (2) The amount provided under paragraph (1) as assistance for the development of any particular interstate compact may not exceed $1,000,000.
  • (3) The total amount of assistance provided under paragraph (1) in any fiscal year may not exceed $4,000,000.
  • (4) Not later than February 28 each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on interstate compacts described in paragraph (1) developed through assistance provided under that paragraph. Each report shall set forth the following:
    • (A) Any interstate compact developed during the preceding calendar year, including the occupational licenses covered by such compact and the States agreeing to enter into such compact.
    • (B) Any interstate compact developed during a prior calendar year into which one or more additional States agreed to enter during the preceding calendar year.
  • (5) The authority to enter into a cooperative agreement under paragraph (1), and to provide assistance described in that paragraph pursuant to such cooperative agreement, expire 1 1 So in original. Probably should be “expires”. on September 30, 2024 .

§ 1784a. Education and training opportunities for military spouses to expand employment and portable career opportunities

• (a)
  • (1) The Secretary of Defense may establish programs to assist the spouse of a member of the armed forces described in subsection (b) in achieving—
    • (A) the education and training required for a degree or credential at an accredited college, university, or technical school in the United States that expands employment and portable career opportunities for the spouse; or
    • (B) the education prerequisites and professional licensure or credential required, by a government or government sanctioned licensing body, for an occupation that expands employment and portable career opportunities for the spouse.
  • (2) As an alternative to, or in addition to, establishing a program under this subsection, the Secretary may provide tuition assistance to an eligible spouse who is pursuing education, training, or a license or credential to expand the spouse’s employment and portable career opportunities.
• (b)
  • (1) Assistance under this section is limited to a spouse of a member of the armed forces who is serving on active duty.
  • (2) A spouse who is eligible for a program under this section and begins a course of education or training for a degree, license, or credential described in subsection (a) may not become ineligible to complete such course of education or training solely because the member to whom the spouse is married is promoted to a higher grade.
• (c) Subsection (b) does not include—
  • (1) a person who is married to, but legally separated from, a member of the armed forces under court order or statute of any State or territorial possession of the United States; and
  • (2) a spouse of a member of the armed forces who is also a member of the armed forces.
• (d) In this section, the term “portable career” includes an occupation identified by the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, as requiring education and training that results in a credential that is recognized nationwide by industry or specific businesses.
• (e) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to govern the availability and use of assistance under this section. The Secretary shall ensure that programs established under this section do not result in inequitable treatment for spouses of members of the armed forces who are also members, since they are excluded from participation in the programs under subsection (c)(2).

§ 1785. Youth sponsorship program

• (a) The Secretary of Defense shall require that there be at each military installation a youth sponsorship program to facilitate the integration of dependent children of members of the armed forces into new surroundings when moving to that military installation as a result of a parent’s permanent change of station.
• (b) The program at each installation shall provide for involvement of dependent children of members presently stationed at the military installation and shall be directed primarily toward children in their preteen and teenage years.

§ 1786. Dependent student travel within the United States

Funds available to the Department of Defense for the travel and transportation of dependent students of members of the armed forces stationed overseas may be obligated for transportation allowances for travel within or between the contiguous States.

§ 1787. Reporting of child abuse

• (a) The Secretary of Defense shall request each State to provide for the reporting to the Secretary of any report the State receives of known or suspected instances of child abuse and neglect in which the person having care of the child is a member of the armed forces (or the spouse of the member).
• (b) In this section, the term “child abuse and neglect” has the meaning provided in section 3 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act ( Public Law 93–247 ; 42 U.S.C. 5101 note).

§ 1788. Additional family assistance

• (a) The Secretary of Defense may provide for the families of members of the armed forces serving on active duty, in addition to any other assistance available for such families, any assistance that the Secretary considers appropriate to ensure that the children of such members obtain needed child care, education, and other youth services.
• (b) The assistance authorized by this section should be directed primarily toward providing needed family support, including child care, education, and other youth services, for children of members of the armed forces who are deployed, assigned to duty, or ordered to active duty in connection with a contingency operation.

§ 1788a. Family support programs: immediate family members of members of special operations forces

• (a) Consistent with such regulations as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe to carry out this section, the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command may conduct programs to provide family support services for the immediate family members of members of the armed forces assigned to special operations forces. In selecting and conducting any program under this subsection, the Commander shall coordinate with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
• (b) In selecting the programs to be conducted under subsection (a), the Commander shall—
  • (1) identify family support services that have a direct and concrete impact on the readiness of special operations forces, but that are not being provided by the Secretary of a military department to the immediate family members of members of the armed forces assigned to special operations forces; and
  • (2) conduct a cost-benefit analysis of each family support service proposed to be included in a program.
• (c) The Commander may expend up to $10,000,000 during each fiscal year, from funds available for Major Force Program 11, to carry out family support programs under this section.
• (d)
  • (1) Not later than March 1 each year, the Commander, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report describing the progress made in achieving the goals of the family support programs conducted under this section.
  • (2) Each report under this subsection shall include the following:
    • (A) A detailed description of the programs conducted under this section to address family support requirements for family members of members of the armed forces assigned to special operations forces.
    • (B) An assessment of the impact of the programs on military readiness and on family members of members of the armed forces assigned to special operations forces.
    • (C) A description of the special operations-peculiar aspects of the programs and a comparison and differentiation of these programs with other programs conducted by the Secretaries of the military departments to provide family support services to immediate family members of members of the armed forces.
    • (D) Recommendations for incorporating lessons learned into other family support programs.
    • (E) Any other matters the Commander considers appropriate regarding the programs.
• (e) In this section:
  • (1) The term “Commander” means the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command.
  • (2) The term “immediate family members” has the meaning given that term in section 1789(c) of this title .
  • (3) The term “special operations forces” means those forces of the armed forces identified as special operations forces under section 167(i) 1 1 See References in Text note below. of this title.
  • (4) The term “family support services” includes costs of transportation, food, lodging, child care, supplies, fees, and training materials for immediate family members of members of the armed forces assigned to special operations forces while participating in programs under subsection (a).

§ 1789. Chaplain-led programs: authorized support

• (a) The Secretary of a military department may provide support services described in subsection (b) to support chaplain-led programs to assist members of the armed forces on active duty and their immediate family members, and members of reserve components in an active status and their immediate family members, in building and maintaining a strong family structure.
• (b) The support services referred to in subsection (a) are costs of transportation, food, lodging, child care, supplies, fees, and training materials for members of the armed forces and their family members while participating in programs referred to in that subsection, including participation at retreats and conferences.
• (c) In this section, the term “immediate family members”, with respect to a member of the armed forces, means—
  • (1) the member’s spouse; and
  • (2) any child (as defined in section 1072(6) of this title ) of the member who is described in subparagraph (D) of section 1072(2) of this title .

§ 1790. Military personnel citizenship processing

• (m) and
• (n) of section 286 of such Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1356 ). Such reimbursements shall be based on actual costs incurred by USCIS for processing applications for naturalization, and shall not exceed $7,500,000 per fiscal year.

§ 1791. Funding for military child care

It is the policy of Congress that the amount of appropriated funds available during a fiscal year for operating expenses for military child development centers and programs shall be not less than the amount of child care fee receipts that are estimated to be received by the Department of Defense during that fiscal year.

§ 1792. Child care employees

• (a)
  • (1) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations implementing a training program for child care employees. Those regulations shall apply uniformly among the military departments. Subject to paragraph (2), satisfactory completion of the training program shall be a condition of employment of any person as a child care employee.
  • (2) Under those regulations, the Secretary shall require that each child care employee complete the training program not later than six months after the date on which the employee is employed as a child care employee.
  • (3) The training program established under this subsection shall cover, at a minimum, training in the following:
    • (A) Early childhood development.
    • (B) Activities and disciplinary techniques appropriate to children of different ages.
    • (C) Child abuse prevention and detection.
    • (D) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency medical procedures.
• (b)
  • (1) The Secretary of Defense shall require that at least one employee at each military child development center be a specialist in training and curriculum development. The Secretary shall ensure that such employees have appropriate credentials and experience.
  • (2) The duties of such employees shall include the following:
    • (A) Special teaching activities at the center.
    • (B) Daily oversight and instruction of other child care employees at the center.
    • (C) Daily assistance in the preparation of lesson plans.
    • (D) Assistance in the center’s child abuse prevention and detection program.
    • (E) Advising the director of the center on the performance of other child care employees.
  • (3) Each employee referred to in paragraph (1) shall be an employee in a competitive service position.
• (c) For the purpose of providing military child development centers with a qualified and stable civilian workforce, employees at a military installation who are directly involved in providing child care and are paid from nonappropriated funds—
  • (1) in the case of entry-level employees, shall be paid at rates of pay competitive with the rates of pay paid to other entry-level employees at that installation who are drawn from the same labor pool; and
  • (2) in the case of other employees, shall be paid at rates of pay substantially equivalent to the rates of pay paid to other employees at that installation with similar training, seniority, and experience.
• (d) In this section, the term “competitive service position” means a position in the competitive service, as defined in section 2102(a)(1) of title 5 .

§ 1793. Parent fees

• (a) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations establishing fees to be charged parents for the attendance of children at military child development centers. Those regulations shall be uniform for the military departments and shall require that, in the case of children who attend the centers on a regular basis, the fees shall be based on family income.
• (b) The Secretary of Defense may provide authority to installation commanders, on a case-by-case basis, to establish fees for attendance of children at child development centers at rates lower than those prescribed under subsection (a) if the rates prescribed under subsection (a) are not competitive with rates at local non-military child development centers.

§ 1794. Child abuse prevention and safety at facilities

• (a) The Secretary of Defense shall maintain a special task force to respond to allegations of widespread child abuse at a military installation. The task force shall be composed of personnel from appropriate disciplines, including, where appropriate, medicine, psychology, and childhood development. In the case of such allegations, the task force shall provide assistance to the commander of the installation, and to parents at the installation, in helping them to deal with such allegations.
• (b)
  • (1) The Secretary of Defense shall maintain a national telephone number for persons to use to report suspected child abuse or safety violations at a military child development center or family home day care site. The Secretary shall ensure that such reports may be made anonymously if so desired by the person making the report. The Secretary shall establish procedures for following up on complaints and information received over that number.
  • (2) The Secretary shall publicize the existence of the number.
• (c) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations requiring that, in a case of allegations of child abuse at a military child development center or family home day care site, the commander of the military installation or the head of the task force established under subsection (a) shall seek the assistance of local child protective authorities if such assistance is available.
• (d) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations on safety and operating procedures at military child development centers. Those regulations shall apply uniformly among the military departments.
• (e) The Secretary of Defense shall require that each military child development center be inspected not less often than four times a year. Each such inspection shall be unannounced. At least one inspection a year shall be carried out by a representative of the installation served by the center, and one inspection a year shall be carried out by a representative of the major command under which that installation operates.
• (f)
  • (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), any violation of a safety, health, or child welfare law or regulation (discovered at an inspection or otherwise) at a military child development center shall be remedied immediately.
  • (2) In the case of a violation that is not life threatening, the commander of the major command under which the installation concerned operates may waive the requirement that the violation be remedied immediately for a period of up to 90 days beginning on the date of the discovery of the violation. If the violation is not remedied as of the end of that 90-day period, the military child development center shall be closed until the violation is remedied. The Secretary of the military department concerned may waive the preceding sentence and authorize the center to remain open in a case in which the violation cannot reasonably be remedied within that 90-day period or in which major facility reconstruction is required.

§ 1795. Parent partnerships with child development centers

• (a) The Secretary of Defense shall require that there be established at each military child development center a board of parents, to be composed of parents of children attending the center. The board shall meet periodically with staff of the center and the commander of the installation served by the center for the purpose of discussing problems and concerns. The board, together with the staff of the center, shall be responsible for coordinating the parent participation program described in subsection (b).
• (b) The Secretary of Defense shall require the establishment of a parent participation program at each military child development center. As part of such program, the Secretary of Defense may establish fees for attendance of children at such a center, in the case of parents who participate in the parent participation program at that center, at rates lower than the rates that otherwise apply.

§ 1796. Subsidies for family home day care

The Secretary of Defense may use appropriated funds available for military child care purposes to provide assistance to family home day care providers so that family home day care services can be provided to members of the armed forces at a cost comparable to the cost of services provided by military child development centers. The Secretary shall prescribe regulations for the provision of such assistance.

§ 1797. Early childhood education program

The Secretary of Defense shall require that all military child development centers meet standards of operation necessary for accreditation by an appropriate national early childhood programs accrediting body.

§ 1798. Child care services and youth program services for dependents: financial assistance for providers

• (a) The Secretary of Defense may provide financial assistance to an eligible civilian provider of child care services or youth program services that furnishes such services for members of the armed forces, survivors of members of the armed forces who die in combat-related incidents in the line of duty, and employees of the United States if the Secretary determines that providing such financial assistance—
  • (1) is in the best interest of the Department of Defense;
  • (2) enables supplementation or expansion of furnishing of child care services or youth program services for military installations, while not supplanting or replacing such services; and
  • (3) ensures that the eligible provider is able to comply, and does comply, with the regulations, policies, and standards of the Department of Defense that are applicable to the furnishing of such services.
• (b) A provider of child care services or youth program services is eligible for financial assistance under this section if the provider—
  • (1) is licensed to provide those services under applicable State and local law;
  • (2) has previously provided such services for members of the armed forces or employees of the United States; and
  • (3) either—
    • (A) is a family home day care provider; or
    • (B) is a provider of family child care services that—
      • (i) otherwise provides federally funded or sponsored child development services;
      • (ii) provides the services in a child development center owned and operated by a private, not-for-profit organization;
      • (iii) provides before-school or after-school child care program in a public school facility;
      • (iv) conducts an otherwise federally funded or federally sponsored school age child care or youth services program;
      • (v) conducts a school age child care or youth services program that is owned and operated by a not-for-profit organization; or
      • (vi) is a provider of another category of child care services or youth services determined by the Secretary of Defense as appropriate for meeting the needs of members of the armed forces or employees of the Department of Defense.
• (c) To provide financial assistance under this subsection, the Secretary of Defense may use any funds appropriated to the Department of Defense for operation and maintenance.

§ 1799. Child care services and youth program services for dependents: participation by children and youth otherwise ineligible

• (a) The Secretary of Defense may authorize participation in child care or youth programs of the Department of Defense, to the extent of the availability of space and services, by children and youth under the age of 19 who are not dependents of members of the armed forces or of employees of the Department of Defense and are not otherwise eligible for participation in those programs.
• (b) Authorization of participation in a program under subsection (a) shall be limited to situations in which that participation promotes the attainment of the objectives set forth in subsection (c), as determined by the Secretary.
• (c) The objectives for authorizing participation in a program under subsection (a) are as follows:
  • (1) To support the integration of children and youth of military families into civilian communities.
  • (2) To make more efficient use of Department of Defense facilities and resources.
  • (3) To establish or support a partnership or consortium arrangement with schools and other youth services organizations serving children of members of the armed forces.

§ 1800. Definitions

In this subchapter:

• (1) The term “military child development center” means a facility on a military installation (or on property under the jurisdiction of the commander of a military installation) at which child care services are provided for members of the armed forces or any other facility at which such child care services are provided that is operated by the Secretary of a military department.
• (2) The term “family home day care” means home-based child care services that are provided for members of the armed forces by an individual who (A) is certified by the Secretary of the military department concerned as qualified to provide those services, and (B) provides those services on a regular basis for compensation.
• (3) The term “child care employee” means a civilian employee of the Department of Defense who is employed to work in a military child development center (regardless of whether the employee is paid from appropriated funds or nonappropriated funds).
• (4) The term “child care fee receipts” means those nonappropriated funds that are derived from fees paid by members of the armed forces for child care services provided at military child development centers.