Recognizing that child care is a workforce issue directly impacting efficiency, readiness and retention, the DOD is rolling out MilitaryChildCare.com (MCC), a new website designed to simplify and improve the process for military families seeking child care.

Available March 16, the site provides one-stop access to comprehensive information on military-operated and military-subsidized child care options worldwide, across all branches of service. In short, MCC makes it easier for families to find the child care they need.

"The new site lets families create a household profile, conduct child care searches, submit requests for care and manage their requests at any time and from any location," explained Amorio Parish, administrator of Child and Youth Programs at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

After creating an account and personal profile, families can search and request the child care that best fits their needs, including part day and full day options in facility-based and home-based programs for children from birth through age 12.

"Families can then submit their requests for care and the program will contact them when space becomes available," Parish said. "Families may remain on a preferred program's wait list even after being offered care or enrolling in another program."

Parish noted that MCC also allows families to review the status of their requests, change information related to them and cancel requests that are no longer needed. Notifications will be delivered via email and to My Messages, within the system, to inform families about the status of their requests.

Any family at Pax River who is currently on wait lists will automatically be transitioned to the new web-based system and will retain the original date of their request(s) for care; and all program enrollment processes will remain the same.

For additional information or to learn about the types of child care programs offered, visit www.MilitaryChildCare.com; contact the Help Desk by calling the toll free number, (855)696-2934; or email FamilySupport@Military-ChildCare.com.

For more news from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, visit www.navy.mil/.