Child Care

The Family Child Care program offers an alternative for child care to families who want their children in a home-like environment. Many FCC Providers are able to accommodate the various work schedules of parents by offering part-time, hourly, weekend/evening/night care, shift work and special needs care, in addition to full-time care.  FCC Provider Vacancy list is available via the Military Child Care website.

FCC also offers a variety of Air Force paid care programs (no cost to the service member) such as Deployment Care, Military Spouse Appointment Care, Extended Duty Care (24/7, PCS Care, Wounded Warrior Care, Fallen Warriors Care, Emergency Medical Care, Provider Orientation Care, Home Community Care/UTA Care, and Key Spouse Training. To reserve care, please contact the FCC office directly.

FCC Homes are located on and off the installation.  There is no differentiation between On-Base licensed and Off-Base Affiliate providers in regards to training requirements or adherence to Air Force regulations.

For more information about Family Child Care or on becoming a Family Child Care Provider, call 405-734-7190 or DSN 884-7190.

The Child Development Program is conveniently located in three separate facilities. The centers provide quality developmental care for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years by certified and well-trained child care providers. The programs offered include full-day and hourly care. Children of active-duty military, DoD civilians, reservists and contractors assigned to Tinker are eligible to participate. The child development programs are DOD certified and nationally accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

The goal of the Tinker Child Development Program is to provide a safe, healthy, loving and rich environment that meets and promotes children's physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. Our staff is committed to providing quality care by implementing developmentally appropriate curriculum that encourages children to be active participants in the learning process.

Waiting List

If you would like to request care and be put on the Tinker CDC Waiting Lists, you must register at www.militarychildcare.com

Priority Care

Priority 1, CDP Direct Care Staff, Service Members. The children of CDP Direct Care Staff and Active Duty Service members will be placed into care utilizing the following guidance:

(1) Priority I A. CDP Direct Care Staff. The children of Direct Care CDP staff will be placed into care ahead of all other eligible patrons.

(2) Priority 1 B. Single or Dual Active Duty Members; Single or Dual Guard or Reserve Members on Active Duty or Inactive Duty Training Status; and Service Members with a Fulltime Working Spouse. The children of patrons that fall under Priority 1 B will be placed into care ahead of all other eligible patrons except Priority 1 A.  The following order of precedence will be utilized:

(a) Single or Dual Active Duty members.

(b) Single or Dual Guard or Reserve Members on Active Duty or Inactive Duty training status.

(c) Active Duty members with a full-time working spouse.

(d) Guard or Reserve members on Active Duty or Inactive Duty training status with a full-time working spouse.

(3) Priority I C. Active Duty Members or Guard or Reserve Members on Active Duty or Inactive Duty Training Status with Part-Time Working Spouse or a Spouse Seeking Employment. The children of patrons that fall under Priority 1 C will be placed into care ahead of all other eligible patrons except for Priority IA and 1 B patrons.  The following order of precedence will be utilized:

(a) Active Duty members with a part-time working spouse or a spouse seeking employment.

(b) Guard or Reserve members on Active Duty or Inactive Duty training status with a part-time working spouse or a spouse seeking employment.

(4) Priority I D. Active Duty Members or Guard or Reserve Members on Active Duty or Inactive Duty Training Status with a Spouse Enrolled in a Post-Secondary Institution on a Fulltime Basis. The children of patrons that fall under Priority 1 D will be placed into care ahead of all other eligible patrons except for Priority IA, lB, and IC patrons.  The following order of precedence will be utilized:

(a) Active Duty members with a spouse enrolled in a post-secondary institution on a full-time basis. 

(b) Guard or Reserve members on Active Duty or Inactive Duty training status with a spouse enrolled in a post-secondary institution on a full-time basis.

b. Priority 2, DoD Civilians. The children of DoD civilians will be placed into care utilizing the following guidance:

(1) Patrons in Priority 2 will utilize the following order of precedence for placement:

(a) Single or dual DoD Civilian Employees.

(b) DoD Civilian Employees with a full-time working spouse.

c. Priority 3, Space Available. When all Priority 1 and 2 patrons have been placed into care, CDPs may place additional eligible patrons not identified in Priority 1 and 2 into Space Available care.

(2) The following order of precedence will be followed when placing eligible patrons into Space      Available.

(a) Active Duty with non-working spouse.

(b) DoD Civilian Employees with spouse seeking employment.

(c) DoD Civilian Employees with a spouse enrolled in a post-secondary educational program on a full time basis.>

(d) Gold Star spouses.

(e) DoD contractors.

(f) Other eligible patrons.

Fees

A current fee listing can be obtained online at www.tinkerliving.com or from one of the CDC’s. Fees, according to DoD Instruction 6060.2 are based on Total Family Income-gross income-for the year. If one parent is a full time student, proper documentation must be obtained from the school and fees will be calculated off of the other working parent only.

Respite Care

Respite care is important to the prosperity of the military family.  Give Parents a Break is one respite care program Tinker offers. Give Parents a Break is four hours of free care offered one weekend a month for families whose spouse has been deployed, TDY, has a special needs child or who are undergoing unique circumstances or hardships due to the nature of military life. To be eligible for the program, families may obtain a referral certificate by one of the following officials:  Squadron Commander/First Sergeant/immediate Supervisor, Chaplain, Doctor or other medical professional, Family Advocacy Personnel or Airman and Family Services Flight personnel. Once certificate is obtained contact the CDC West for more information and to make reservations.

Additional Respite Care programs are available. Care will be provided in one of the Extended Duty Family Child Care Provider homes and is based on space available. The care must be used within 30 days of the return from the deployment unless the program is not able to offer it during that time. For more information you may contact the Community Child Care office.

Community Child Care Office, Building 6001:  734-6996

Children with conditions that require special services, beyond those normally provided to promote children's growth and development, are considered "special need children." Determination of a special need must be made by base medical authorities or attending physician. This category includes children with dietary restrictions, ongoing medical conditions, and speech delays, developmental delays or physical problems/handicaps. Parents of special needs children must discuss the situation with the center director/designee and obtain written concurrence (special needs letter/ health assessment) from base medical advisory, prior to the child's enrollment. The guidelines of the Center for Disease Control are followed to ensure the protection of the health of all children and adults.

Tinker has three Child Development Centers on the installation:

CDC West Bldg 5510: 405-734-3116

CDC East Bldg 3904: 405-734-4212

CDC South Bldg 1101: 405-582-9025

Each year, the need for transportation from Tinker Before and Afterschool Program to schools in the Mid Del School District is reviewed. Rates are based on total family income. The SAP follows the Mid Del School District Calendar. Before and After School care is offered on school days and full day care is offered on school breaks. The SAP is closed all Federal Holidays.

The School Age Program (SAP) recognizes the needs of working parents and their children by offering School Age Care as a year round program. This program provides supervised recreational, educational, social, and cultural programs for eligible youth ages 5-12 in a safe and healthy environment. The program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).

Parents are invited to visit the facility and meet the staff of the SAP program before making parental decisions concerning childcare. The Tinker SAP believes the services rendered are of vital importance to the growth and development of the children of Tinker AFB. SAP is committed to providing a quality learning environment that promotes development through all possible resources.<

The Tinker School Age Program follows the Mid Del School District calendar and provides full day camp on school vacation days and teacher work days excluding federal holidays. The program also offers full day camp on weather and pandemic related school closings if the base operating status is “open.” Parents interested in Mid Del School District information for enrollment, etc. can access their website.

Summer Day Camp

During the summer months, the SAP provides care from 6AM to 6PM. The children have a variety of supervised activities, field trips, swimming, bowling, clubs, movies, and more. Breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack are provided. To registration for Summer Camp please call the Youth Center at 405-734-7866.

School Age Registration

The School Age Program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and offers quality Before and After School Care to children in grades kindergarten through 5th grade who are enrolled in Tinker Elementary School. We transport to some Mid Del Schools. Contact the Youth Center to find out which schools qualify for transport. SAP offers a safe and healthy environment where youth can feel safe and comfortable while participating in a variety of activities and clubs including cooking, gardening, drama, beading, and more. There are opportunities to participate in community service projects and activities that help extend the school learning day. Other programs offered include Power Hour, a homework incentive program, and other fine arts programs. 

More about the program:

• Curriculum goals are offered in SAP that meet developmental needs.
• Youth with special needs are welcome and staff will meet with the family to ensure goals are supported prior to enrollment.
• Parents of children in the program have the opportunity to participate in a Parent Advisory Board and Quarterly Improvement Team.
• The Tinker School Age Program staff are required to complete 24 hours of training each year in topics pertaining to school age development.
• Staff are also trained in CPR and First Aid as well as Identification of Child Abuse and Reporting procedures.

Transportation is provided to and from Tinker, Parkview, Barnes, Schwartz, Midwest City, and Soldier Creek Elementary schools, and Carl Albert Middle & High School. We also pick youth from St. Philip Neri Catholic School.

Parents needing care for their child(ren) must go to www.Militarychildcare.com website to register.  When a space is available, parents will receive an email from the website notifying them of a space and will direct them to go to the Tinker Youth Center to complete a Parent Agreement packet.  Required documents needed in the registration packet include: copy of the child’s up to date immunizations (this includes a flu shot from the current flu season), sponsor’s most recent LES, spouse’s most recent LES, pay stub, or school letter (if applicable), and divorce decree/power of attorney (if applicable).