HERO Child Care for Military Families Act
Sponsored By: Senator Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced
Summary
Expand and stabilize military child care by broadening who can staff Department of Defense child development centers. The bill would remove prior-service gates, let national service volunteers work in centers, set background preclearance rules, allow job-sharing, authorize limited local benefits, and build a unified DoD child care data system with regular reporting.
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- Military families: Would get clearer, more frequent information and potential reductions in unmet need because DoD must build a unified data system updated at least every 90 days and deliver a waitlist report within 90 days.
- Child care workers and volunteers: Would face a standardized preclearance process with FBI fingerprint and state criminal checks valid up to one year and annual reverification, benefit from job-sharing rules (two part-time workers each at least 20 hours per week), and be eligible for limited commissary, exchange, tuition, or referral benefits at the Secretary's discretion.
- Military readiness and oversight: Would require briefings and reports to defense committees within 180 days and annually on gaps, actions, and how child care availability affects training, retention, dual-military families, and high-tempo units.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
DoD child care data and waitlists
If enacted, the bill would require the Defense Department to build one, department-wide child care readiness data system. The system would track capacity, use, staff levels, vacancies, turnover, compensation ranges, and waitlists (broken out by families with no access, off-installation care, and nontraditional hours). It would identify demand by age (highlighting children under age 5), track fee assistance use and attrition, and flag geographic areas with persistent unmet need. Data would be standardized across services and updated at least every 90 days, and the Secretary would brief Congress within 180 days and annually thereafter.
More child care staff and hiring
If enacted, the bill would expand who can work in military child care and add new hiring options. It would let the Defense Department place trained national service volunteers into child development centers. It would remove a prior-service requirement for some providers and allow two part-time workers to share one full-time job (each must work at least 20 hours per week). The bill would also require a preclearance process with FBI fingerprint and state criminal history checks plus a health screening (valid up to one year with annual reverification) and let the Secretary offer limited base benefits to child care workers, with guidance due within 180 days of enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
IA • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 4/16/2026
Katie Britt
AL • R
Sponsored 5/13/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov