Getting Started

We appreciate your willingness to provide child care services to military families. Your decision to participate in the Department of Defense Quality Child Care Expansion Project will require a commitment of time and may also require a commitment of resources to demonstrate your program’s compliance during the process. For a limited time only, the Department of Defense is offering free children's books to any provider who submits a completed ERIS application. To learn more, click here.

Here are a few recommended steps for beginning the application process:

• Read the Project Guidelines to gain a thorough understanding of all steps and requirements of the process.
• Once eligibility is confirmed by the Council on Accreditation, immediately begin to assess your program’s ability to implement the standards, including the mandatory standards (standards marked with ‘M’). Use the tools and resources provided by COA to help with this process.
• Talk with program staff members about the Expansion Project and the standards, as well as the steps in the process and policy/procedure changes that may impact them.
• Ensure that all standards are fully implemented prior to the on-site visit by the review team.
• Maintain all timeframes outlined for the process.
• Communicate any concerns or special issues with the COA Coordinator, as needed.