14 U.S.C. § 2922: Child development services

members and civilian employees of the Coast Guard; surviving dependents of service members who have died on active duty, if such dependents were beneficiaries of a Coast Guard child development service at the time of the death of such members; members of the armed forces (as defined in section 101(a) of title 10 ); and Federal civilian employees. Child development service benefits provided under the authority of this section shall be in addition to benefits provided under other laws. The Commandant is authorized to use appropriated funds available to the Coast Guard to provide child development services. The Commandant is authorized to establish, by regulations, fees to be charged parents for the attendance of children at Coast Guard child development centers. Fees to be charged, pursuant to subparagraph (A), shall be based on family income and whether a family is participating in an initiative established under section 2925(b), except that the Commandant may, on a case-by-base basis, establish fees at lower rates if such rates would not be competitive with rates at local child development centers. The Commandant is authorized to collect and expend fees, established pursuant to this subparagraph, and such fees shall, without further appropriation, remain available until expended for the purpose of providing services, including the compensation of employees and the purchase of consumable and disposable items, at Coast Guard child development centers. In the case of an active duty member with two or more children attending a Coast Guard child development center, the Commandant may modify the fees to be charged for attendance for the second and any subsequent child of such member by an amount that is 15 percent less than the amount of the fee otherwise chargeable for the attendance of the first such child enrolled at the center, or another fee as the Commandant determines appropriate, consistent with multiple children. The Commandant is authorized to use appropriated funds available to the Coast Guard to provide assistance to family home daycare providers so that family home daycare services can be provided to uniformed service members and civilian employees of the Coast Guard at a cost comparable to the cost of services provided by Coast Guard child development centers. To the maximum extent practicable, the Commandant shall ensure that, in a location in which Coast Guard family child care centers (as such term is defined in section 8239 of the Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2020) are necessary to meet the demand for child care for qualified families (as such term is defined in such section), not fewer than two housing units are maintained in accordance with safety inspection standards so as to accommodate family child care providers. The Secretary shall promulgate regulations to implement this section. The regulations shall establish fees to be charged for child development services provided under this section which take into consideration total family income. The Commandant [of the Coast Guard] shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Defense to enable qualified families to access the website at https://militarychildcare.com (or a successor website) for purposes of Coast Guard family access to information with respect to State-accredited child development centers and other child care support services as such services become available from the Department of Defense through such website. The memorandum shall provide for the expansion of the geographical areas covered by such website, including regions in which qualified families live that are not yet covered by the program. The information accessible pursuant to the memorandum of understanding required by paragraph (1) shall include information with respect to any child development center accessible pursuant to the pilot program under section 8234 [of Pub. L. 116–283 , set out as a note below]. Register children for a Coast Guard child development center. Make online child care payments to a Coast Guard child development center. Track the status of a child on the wait list of a Coast Guard child development center, including the placement and position of the child on the wait list. The Commandant shall maintain a record of the wait list for each Coast Guard child development center. The total number of children of qualified families on the wait list. the age of the child; the number of days the child has been on the wait list; the position of the child on the wait list; any special needs consideration; and information on whether a sibling of the child is on the wait list of, or currently enrolled in, the Coast Guard child development center concerned. Information placed in the record of a Coast Guard child development center under paragraph (1) shall be archived for a period of not less than 10 years after the date of its placement in the record.” the results of the survey under subsection (b); and any other information the Commandant considers appropriate to ensure adequate tracking and future needs-based assessments with respect to adequate access to Coast Guard child development centers. In conducting a study under paragraph (1), the Commandant may consult a federally funded research and development center. The data obtained through each study under paragraph (1) shall be obtained on a regional basis, including by Coast Guard unit, sector, and district. Together with each study under subsection (a), and annually as the Commandant considers appropriate, the Commandant shall carry out a survey of individuals described in paragraph (2) on access to Coast Guard child development centers. Commanding officers, regardless of whether the commanding officers have children. Regular and reserve personnel. Spouses of individuals described in clauses (i) and (ii). Individuals described in clauses (i) through (iii) of subparagraph (A) shall be surveyed regardless of whether such individuals use or have access to Coast Guard child development centers or other Federal child care facilities. Participation of any individual described in subparagraph (A) in a survey shall be on a voluntary basis. On request, the Commandant shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives the results of any study or survey under this section.” Commencing not later than 60 days after the date on which the report under section 8231 [of Pub. L. 116–283 , 134 Stat. 4659 ] is submitted, the Commandant [of the Coast Guard] shall carry out a pilot program, based on the recommendations provided in such report, to expand access to public or private child development centers for qualified families. The duration of the pilot program under subsection (a) shall be not more than 3 years beginning on the date on which the pilot program is established. may carry out the pilot program on a district basis; and shall include in the pilot program remote and urban locations. the Coast Guard lacks a Coast Guard child development center; or the wait lists for the nearest Coast Guard child development center or Department of Defense child development center, where applicable, indicate that qualified families may not be accommodated. As part of any study conducted pursuant to section 8233(a) [of Pub. L. 116–283 , set out as a note above] after the end of the 1-year period beginning with the commencement of the pilot program, the Commandant shall also undertake a current assessment of the impact of the pilot program on access to child development centers for qualified families. The Commandant shall include the results of any such assessment in the results of the most current study or survey submitted pursuant to section 8233(a).” establish a procedure to allow Coast Guard family child care centers to occur at off-base housing, including off-base housing owned or subsidized by the Coast Guard; and establish a procedure to ensure that all requirements with respect to such family child care programs are met, including home inspections.” The term ‘Coast Guard child development center’ has the meaning given that term in section 2921(3) of title 14 , United States Code. The term ‘Coast Guard family child care center’ means a location at which family home daycare is provided. The term ‘family child care provider’ means an individual who provides family home daycare. The term ‘family home daycare’ has the meaning given that term in section 2921(5) of title 14 , United States Code. The term ‘qualified family’ means any regular, reserve, or retired member of the Coast Guard, and any civilian employee of the Coast Guard, with one or more dependents.”