Child Care

Military families may request child by visiting MilitaryChildCare.com. This Department of Defense online request for care system serves military families worldwide who are seeking child care through child development centers, school-age care programs and DoD certified family child care providers. Families may search for and request care, manage their requests, and update their profile online, simplifying the process for finding child care as they move from base to base.

Children, Two weeks to 12 years of age, may receive care in the private home of a certified Family Child Care provider living in government-owned/leased housing or off base in the community. Family Child Care offers weekdays, evenings and weekend child care.  Expanded Child Care (ECC) is available at no cost to military parents. ECC Programs include: Deployment Care, Military Spouse Appointment Care Emergency Medical Care, Respite Care, Child Care for PCS, etc.  Regulations limit the number of children who receive care at any one time to six children with no more than two children under 2 years old.  Dover Air Force Base Family Child care providers must be licensed by the State of Delaware and certified by the installation to operate. Individual providers may voluntarily seek national accreditation from the National Association of Family Child Care and are provided local support, training and materials to accomplish this goal. The AF is currently offering monetary incentives to become a Family Child Care provider.  For more information on the Family Child Care program, and for information on all ECC programs offered, please contact the Community Child Care office at 302-677-6376.

The Dover AFB Child Development Center offers quality child care services for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years of age.  Care is available Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.  Also, available monthly is Give Parent A Break and Parents Day out from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The Child Development Center offers developmentally appropriate care by following the Early Learning Matters or “ELM “Curriculum. Meals are regulated by the USDA Child and Adult Care food program.   Dover AFB Child Development Center is certified by the Department of Defense and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children For more information please contact the Child Development Center at 302-677-3716.