ALBANY, N.Y. (WWTI/WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – New York State Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that more than 48,000 New York State military families will now be able to receive child care fee assistance that covers 15,000 state-licensed childcare providers.

The military fee assistance will offset the cost of childcare that is not covered by the parent fee as calculated by their total family income up to a maximum childcare rate of $1,800 per month per child. New York State has been selected as the first state approved to qualify licensed/registered childcare providers for participation in this federal military fee assistance program.

Child care providers licensed by the state’s Office of Children and Family Services will be eligible to participate and receive fee assistance on behalf of a military family under the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-PLUSprogram offered by the U.S. Department of Defense.

While the costs of child care continue to rise beyond what many families can afford, providing high-quality, accessible, and low-cost care choices for New York families is vital. That commitment extends to our military families.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul

The Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-PLUS (MCCYN-PLUS) program was created more than 15 years ago to offer assistance to reduce the out-of-pocket expense for military families using community child care providers. However, under MCCYN, the child care providers must be nationally accredited, and this sometimes can limit families choices.

The military fee assistance will offset the cost of childcare not covered by the parent fee as calculated by their total family income up to a maximum childcare rate of $1,800 per month per child. Military families can search for and select an approved childcare provider through the DOD’s request-for-care website MilitaryChildCare.com.