About the Expansion Project

The Department of Defense Quality Child Care Expansion Project (the “Expansion Project”) is designed to expand the number of civilian quality child care spaces available to military families.

The Department of Defense child development system has been recognized as a model for the nation because of its strict oversight, adherence to standards and high quality programs. Child care is a major deployment issue and a high priority for dual working military families. Currently two-thirds of military families live off-installation, often in remote areas and long distances from the installation. Regardless of where they live, families consistently report difficulty in locating quality child care, especially infant care. Given the challenge that this presents to military families, the Department of Defense has launched the Expansion Project in order to expand affordable high quality child care capacity for military families of the National Guard and Reserves, geographically dispersed active duty military families and active duty families who are unable to access child care programs on the installation.

The aim of the Expansion Project is to assist in providing military families access to quality child care programs in the community. The Effectiveness Rating and Improvement System (ERIS) is a detailed assessment tool developed by the Department of Defense to evaluate providers for inclusion in the Expansion Project. To learn more about the Expansion Project, please review Project Guidelines.