Child Care

Child Care: There are Child Development Centers, Child Development Homes, School-Age Care Programs, and Youth and Teen Programs throughout metro San Diego, on the installations and in the surrounding community. Please visit MilitaryChildCare.com.

Child Development Centers system support/help desk can be reached between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST. Monday through Friday, 855-696-2934.

Navy Region Southwest "San Diego" Childcare Centers hours are from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PST.  

Effective 01 Jan 2025:
New Hours of Operation 6 am - 6 pm

Naval Base San Diego CDC can be contacted at 619-556-3522 & Naval Medical Center San Diego CDC can be contacted at 619-532-7977.

Give Parents A Break Program

Military families are subject to unique stressors associated with military life, including deployments, remote tours of duty, and extended working hours. The Navy Child & Youth Programs (CYP) "Give Parents a Break (GPAB)" program is designed to give family members a short break from parenting in order to help them deal with these types of stressful situations. The GPAB program is designed to standardize respite care at all installations operating CYP programs. Below are the varying options for utilization of GPAB. 

Eligibility

The family of a Fallen Warrior is authorized 40-hours of respite care to be taken at one-time during the year after the member's death. The family should be able to provide a copy of the death certificate or verification from the command. However, in order to not place undue burden on the family, verification can be provided by the Navy Gold Star program.

Families who meet the criteria and have been identified by the command can receive up to 16 hours of free childcare monthly. Please download the GPAB Certificate and complete to request free childcare from your command. GPAB is offered during normal business hours at the preferred location. Call the center directly at 619-556-3522 for more information. If you do not meet the requirements for free care through GPAB, your child is still eligible for care through CYP at the Hourly Care rate. 

Category 4/5 EFMP families may be eligible for up to 40 hours of free respite childcare each month. This service is provided through Child Care Aware. Families seeking this service can visit the EFMP Respite or call Child Care Aware at 800-424-2246, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. EST or Child Care Aware of America (formerly Naccrra)

In support of Give Parents a Break, centers are open for care in the evenings at no cost for qualifying military families, and at the Hourly Care rate for all other eligible CYP patrons who wish to utilize, on a space available basis. Commands requiring childcare for official functions must utilize spaces made available through these evening hours. 

For additional information, visit NavyLifeSW. 

All Child Development Centers in San Diego are DOD certified. All centers are also accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The goal of the CDC is to provide children with developmentally appropriate childcare following all instructions set forth by the Bureau of Personnel. Hours of operation are from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is no state mandated preschool program. However, the CDC utilizes the Creative Curriculum which is based on a solid foundation of theory and research.

Eligibility

All active duty military personnel, reservists, DOD civilians and contract employees working in the Navy Region Southwest are eligible. Priority care may be given to dual active duty families, single parents, and members on individual augmentee assignment.

Registration

Visit Military Child Care to find comprehensive information on child care programs worldwide, conduct a customized search for the care you need and submit a request for care at any time and from any location.

Follow these (4) four simple steps:

• Create an Account: Go to militarychildcare.com to create an account containing information about your family, or to login using an existing username and password.
• Search for and Request care: Search the system for the child care options that best meet your needs. You can select one or more options and submit your requests for care. he program will contact you when space becomes available.
• Manage Requests: You can manage your requests for care from anywhere in the world.
• Update your Household profile: Be sure to keep your Household profile up to date.

Costs

Weekly child care fees for the CDCs are set by DOD and are determined by total family income. If there is a waitlist, you can apply for a subsidy for having to use off base care at Child Care Aware. Hourly or drop-in care at the CDC is offered but limited. For a list of fees please visit, Child and Youth Program Fee Policy.

The Child Development Home Program has transitioned to MilitaryChildCare.com. Access to child care directly affects mission readiness, morale, and retention of defense personnel worldwide. For this reason, the Department of Defense is committed to connecting military and DOD-affiliated families to quality, affordable child care programs. For an overview of MCC and how you can request child care for your family, watch this short video and/or select Learn More.

Child Care and School Programs

Military families like yours can access a range of child care and school programs. Click on a program name to learn more about the program and how it is designed to support military families.

• Military-Operated Child Care Programs
  • Facility-based programs and family child care providers
• Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood
  • Fee assistance for families using community-based care
• Child Care in Your Home
  • Fee assistance for full-time child care in your home
• School Liaison Program
  • Services for students and their families
• Navy Weekend Drill Child Care Pilot Fee assistance for child care on drill weekends

Finding childcare takes time but planning ahead can alleviate some of the stress on your family. Visit Militarychildcare.com for comprehensive information on child care programs worldwide, conduct a customized search for the care you need and submit a request for care at any time and from any location.

Centers are located on Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Point Loma, Naval Base Coronado (Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious Base), Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Naval Medical Center, Murphy Canyon, Chollas Heights, and Liberty Station housing areas. For center phone listings, please visit the San Diego Metro Child Development Centers webpage. The following child care programs are available: full time, part time, drop-in, pre-kindergarten, extended hours, respite care, before and after-school, summer and holiday camps.

The Youth Centers offers before and after school care as well as day camps at Liberty Military housing area recreation centers. Other programs include recreation, classes, field trips, teen programming, and special events. Fees and ages vary by program. For details on any of these programs or services, contact your local Housing Area Recreation Center or call 858-268-2828 or visit Youth Programs NBSD.

Programs Offered:

• Before and After School Program - This program is designed to meet the needs of school-aged youth (five to twelve years) during hours before and after school. Organized and supervised activities are planned and conducted at specific times before and after regular school hours.
• Day Camp/Intercession/School Holiday - This program is offered for youth between the ages of five and twelve and is conducted during school holidays and summer vacation/intercession periods. Day camp activities include arts and crafts, sports, games, swimming, field trips, outdoor recreation, cultural programs and special events.
• Tiny Tot classes are offered to children ages three to five years old. This part-time program provides an open environment where your child can participate in arts and crafts, music and rhythm, story time, social games, movement and much more.
• For a calendar of youth sports events and information on how to participate, please visit our Youth Sports Page or call 858-268-2244.