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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5683 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5683
To require the development of a best practices guide for individuals
seeking to establish and operate a Family Child Care home on a military
installation.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 15, 2026
Ms. Rosen (for herself and Mr. Lankford), under authority of the order
of the Senate of September 30, 2026, introduced the following bill;
which was ordered read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed
Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the development of a best practices guide for individuals
seeking to establish and operate a Family Child Care home on a military
installation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Best Practices for Military Family
Child Care Homes Act''.
SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BEST PRACTICES GUIDE FOR FAMILY CHILD
CARE HOMES.
(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall publish a
Department-wide best practices guide for individuals seeking to
establish and operate a Family Child Care home on a military
installation.
(b) Consultation Requirement.--In developing the guide required
under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall consult with
military departments, military installations, Family Child Care program
administrators, and established Family Child Care providers operating
under successful Family Child Care programs across the Department of
Defense to identify and incorporate best practices, lessons learned,
and approaches that have demonstrated success in expanding
participation and reducing barriers to establishing and operating
Family Child Care homes.
(c) Required Elements.--The guide required under subsection (a)
shall include, at a minimum--
(1) an overview of the process for becoming a certified
Family Child Care provider;
(2) standardized information regarding training,
inspections, background checks, licensing, and certification
requirements;
(3) guidance regarding available financial assistance,
startup support, subsidies, grants, and reimbursement
opportunities;
(4) information on liability coverage, safety standards,
and emergency preparedness requirements;
(5) recommendations for reducing administrative barriers to
establishing Family Child Care homes; and
(6) any additional information the Secretary determines
appropriate to support prospective Family Child Care providers.
(d) Public Availability.--The Secretary shall make the guide
required under subsection (a) publicly available on an internet website
of the Department of Defense in a searchable and accessible format for
military families.
(e) Service-Specific Appendices.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall encourage
the Secretaries of the military departments to publish and
maintain service-specific appendices accompanying the guide
required under subsection (a).
(2) Contents.--A service-specific appendix under paragraph
(1) may include--
(A) service-specific policies or procedures;
(B) installation-level best practices;
(C) information regarding unique operational
requirements or child care demands within the military
department concerned;
(D) guidance regarding military housing
considerations related to Family Child Care homes; and
(E) points of contact and resources specific to the
military department concerned.
(f) Briefing.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide a
briefing to the congressional defense committees (as defined in section
101(a) of title 10, United States Code) regarding--
(1) actions taken to implement this section;
(2) efforts to improve awareness of Family Child Care
opportunities among military spouses and families;
(3) barriers identified in the establishment of Family
Child Care homes; and
(4) recommendations for legislative or administrative
action to improve military child care capacity.
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