Military Child and Youth Services (CYS): Parent Central Services

Everything You Need to Know about the Child and Youth Services (CYS) Army 

U.S Army MWR stands for the U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation. This organization offers and manages services and programs to support soldiers and their families. Among their programs, the Child and Youth Service (CYS) Army is remarkable. 

Child and Youth Service (CYS) Army provides services and programs for kids of all ages. They have childcare for toddlers, child development centers for bigger kids, school-age centers, and even youth centers for 11-18 years old. So, how can you sign up and get benefits from these services? Let’s check out the information below. 

Below are the details of the Child and Youth Services (CYS) Army for all soldiers and soldier’s families. Read it carefully, and you will never regret it! 

Overview

Soldiers have a family with kids. And CYS considers your child as the most critical customers all over the world. To make you stay mission ready, MWR gives your child services, including childcare, tutoring, school-age services, and more. 

Recently, they have more than 11,000 staff who serve more than 2000,000 soldier’s kids globally. All the staff here are so well-trained and dedicated that they can assume: 

– The quality of child care service and program 

– Available services for all ages 

– Affordable for the Army and Soldiers 

For Soldiers, Child and Youth Services (CYS) Army is a friendly and helpful community. Let’s take a closer look at their services and programs. 

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Child Care Assistant 

Hotline: (800) 424-2246, (703) 341-4100

Visit Child Care Aware of America for support. 

What is Army Child Care Free Assistance? 

As its name, the Child Care Assistant program is created to help Army Families to find the most affordable child care services for their unique needs. This program is only available for eligible families. Once you prove that you are eligible, they will offer you monthly fee assistance for childcare. 

However, the Child Care Fee Assistance will pay directly to the provider who helps you take care of children. And they have one important rule that you have to follow. If their Army CDC/FCC/SAC is still available, they will not pay if you let them use the other community-based service. Of course, if they don’t have any space, you will get all the benefits. 

What Can They Offer You? 

– Army Free Assistance is the army’s contribution to the total cost of child care service for Army Families. 

– They reduce the higher cost of off-post care. Therefore, you can release your financial burden when having a child. 

– They will calculate and compare the difference between their Installation’s rate and Community Based Provider’s rate to offer you support. 

– They offer you an equal amount to the provider’s rate for parent’s portion 

– However, they are not an entitlement. They are funds, which may be interrupted at any time because of their policy and financial status. 

Who is Entitled to This Service? 

– Families of Active soldiers. For Guard and reserve soldiers, you must be activated to use this service. 

– Department of the Army civilians 

– Survivors of Fallen Soldiers 

– Wounded Warriors at Special Operations Command and Warriors in Transition Unit or Battalion 

– Spouses must enroll or work at least 16 hours in school 

Child Development Center 

Child Development Center is available for children from 6 weeks to five years old with the childcare service. They are available in so many options for you, including full-day, hourly, part-day childcare for soldier families. 

Besides, if you are looking for a Pre-kindergarten program, you can find it here. And the Child Development Center can include satellite sites and the primary site of standalone CDC annexes. Their staff is well-trained with all the necessary skills and knowledge. 

Child Development Center staff and operations all meet the Department Defense Certification. They offer services in more than 100 areas. You can find the nearest location to your house on My installation website. 

Family Child Care – FCC 

What is Family Child Care? 

Family Child Care is a virtual part of the Child and Youth Service (CYS) Army, available on Army garrisons. You can simply understand it as a childcare service for kids from 4 weeks to 12 years old. The main difference between this service and previous child care service is the “family.” 

Family Child Care offers your child home-based care service, which is available in government leased and government-owned houses in your area. Many soldier families love this service because it is about 15% cheaper than the Child Development Centers and School Ages fees. 

Besides, it offers you full options for hourly care, part-day, full-day, and even extended/overnight care for your kids. And you don’t need to worry about their quality because they have strict regulations for FCC providers: 

– FCC only give certification for the best-qualified candidates 

– Providers must complete regular home inspections and background checks regularly 

– Providers are sponsored to join ongoing training to remain qualified quality

Please note that Army policy requires you to be certified through Child and Youth Services as an FCC provider if you provide childcare for more than 10 hours/ week. If you want to sign up for your child, please visit MCC.COM. 

How to Become a Provider? 

Please follow the instruction below if you want to become an FCC provider: 

– Make sure that there is an active FCC available in your future garrison to transfer your business 

– Submit your FCC transfer request to the FCC administrator then they will review and send it to IMCOM G9 CYS 

– The oraganization will answer you via email within 30 days since they receive your request 

– Follow their instruction until you get the certification 

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Why FCC Provider? 

From June 2021, FCC offer qualified providers two bonuses: 

– Relocation bonus up to $1000 if you successfully relocated your home- business to an FCC installation 

– Recruitment bonus up to $1000 if you successfully opened your homes 

You can ask your local CYS for detailed information about these two bonuses. 

School-Aged Centers 

School-aged centers are among the most popular programs from the Child and Youth Service (CYS) Army. This program is where you can find all before and after service for your kids. However, it is only for kids from 6 to 12 years old.

You can find many choices for after school, before school, weekend activities, including basketball sports for kids, soccer sports for kids, cycling sports for kids, riding bikes, paintpall, golf and more. Besides, you can also find here summer camps and care for summer vacation. Your kids can enjoy so many activities like swimming sports, bowling sports, fishing sports for kids, and more. 

For your more information, all the services here have to follow the DoD certification, and all the staff has to pass the training course. School-aged centers are available in so many areas. You can find more information and sign up for your kids at the school-aged Centers near you. 

Youth Centers 

Child and Youth Services (CYS) Army developed Youth Centers for kids from eleven to eighteen years old. They offer comprehensive programs with a supervised option for your kids. And their service is very affordable even if they come with teen-friendly and good-quality services. 

This program is accessible for children from grades 7 to 12. And it is the ideal environment for your teens to receive and exercise: 

– 21st Century Leadership Skills 

– Academic support 

– Mentoring and Intervention service 

– Fitness and Nutrition 

– Health and awareness

– Life skills and sports 

– Citizenship and leadership 

– Recreation and leisure 

– STEAM: science, technology, engineering, math and art 

– Workforces preparation 

– Youth Sponsorship 

Besides, this program has an excellent connection with some departments and clubs that can offer your kids to access standard curricular, helpful programs, unusual scholarships, events, and camps. 

Among all activities, the Homework Centers are available for K12 is the favorite of many parents because it can do your job to help your kids deal with homework. And like any other program at CYS, this program comes with trained staff and certified operations. 

Youth Sports and Fitness Programs 

If you have kids from three to eighteen years old, you should let them join the Youth Sports and Fitness Programs or take them to visit Blora Lake. Here, your kids will have chances to participate in group and individual sports programs, including running, cycling sports for kids, golf sports for kids, skiing sports for kids, softball sports for kids, and more. 

These activities are not only extra activities but also excellent for your kids to develop their physical and mental health. Apart from the game, your kids can join some competitions to develop their passion, too. 

Moreover, suppose you want your kids to develop their physical health. In that case, you can sign up for them at the skill-building clinics, health classes, and nutrition classes. These programs can help your kids to build good habits for their whole lives. 

Overall, their program has four primary baselines of team sports, individual sports, fitness, and health outreach. You can find more about the Sports and Fitness programs near your area. 

School Support Services 

School Support Service is a component of the Child and Youth Services (CYS) Army. And it will help your kids to confront the unique challenge of military life. Their mission is to bring schools, parents, and the community closer together to help their students to get the best results. 

School Support Services offer you a wide range of programming, including assistance for your kids to enter a new school. Besides, they offer tutor services for your kids to improve results and adopt-a-school programs. Their ultimate purpose is to help their soldier’s children to be a success at school. 

Their School Liaison Officers will work directly with your families and educators to deliver the best service. And the most crucial feature is money: this service is free! So please feel free to find the SLOs near you and contact them for support. You can also refer to online resources for parents with so many helpful websites and resources. 

For Parents and Students 

SLO will help you to connect with schools and installations. It is merely an information desk where you can find all the necessary information and documents like: 

– School applications for college, vocational school, and scholarship 

– Post-secondary career and opportunities 

– Youth Sponsorship opportunities for students 

– Parent workshops about transition issues 

– Army High School Senior Stabilization Information (allow you to delay PCS to complete your senior high-school year) 

– Free access to www.tutor.com with 24/7 academic tutoring to soldiers and their families 

In the bottom line, you can contact your SLO every time you need to find some information about the school near your area. You can also call them when your kids move from preschool to primary school, from primary school to Middle school, to High School and college. 

You can also call your SLO before you move to a new place. You need to find some new information about the school and educational policy in the state. 

For Educators, School Administrators, and Units 

SLO will build a relationship with local schools and create opportunities for schools to communicate and get closer to parents. Besides, they will help the school to appreciate the deployment, military transition, and military culture. Moreover, they can help you with sponsors from the Department of Defense Education Activity. 

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Parent and Outreach Services 

Parent Central Services 

Parent center services offer parenthood classes, including education classes for parents, babysitter training, and more. These services come with three main parts, including the CYS parent advisory council, Parents on the Site volunteer program, and non-traditional outreach services. 

Here are Top 17 Parent Central Services Near Army Post

Short Term Alternative Child Care 

This service is available for children from 6 weeks to 12 years old. It offers hourly child care for parents in case you have to participate in Command Sponsored events. CYS services provide it with qualified staff and service. You can register online if you have a plan and make a call in the emergency case. 

If you’re stationed near an army base and you’re looking for a place to curl up with a good book, be sure to check out one of the 15 Military Libraries near Army Base that are available to you. These libraries offer a wide range of books, magazines, and online resources to military personnel and their families, making them a great resource for anyone looking to expand their knowledge or explore new interests.

Kids at Home 

Can your kids be alone at home after class? If they can, you can think about choosing the “Kids at home” service. It is a new service that allows the parent to sign up for after-school classes and use Home School services. For example, you can register for your kids to use CYS tech lap, multipurpose rooms, instructional programs, homework centers, and more. 

Parents On-Site 

These services are available for kids from 6 weeks to 12 years old with the exchange service of babysitting, toddler playgroups. These services are set by a family member in one organization with other organizations. Like any other service from CYS, Parent on-site is operated by CYS skillful staff and DoD certification. 

Trained Babysitters 

As you may know, this service is a formal training course for adults and teens who want to find more about hourly childcare. This training course will give you all you need for taking care of a child adequately and safely, including CPR and First Aid, the business of babysitting, and the program activities. 

After finishing the course, you will get a certificate that can lead you to the CYS babysitter list. Well, we think it is an excellent opportunity for all parents and teens. 

SKIESUNlimited Instructional Program 

Skies Unlimited instructional program provides extra classes for children from three to eighteen years old. It is where you can find classes like music, martial arts, dance, technology, gymnastics, life skills, and SAT preparation for your kids. The Sky Unlimited program will help your kids optimize their ability at CYS Army School. 

When it comes to courses and classes, please always remember that the CYS staff are well-trained, and the operation of CYS is certificated. 

Deployment Support Services 

Operation Military Child Care: help to reduce child care fees for parents. It is only available for National Guard, Active Duty, Reserve Soldier parents. 

Child Behavior Consultants: provide on-site counselors to help parents, staff, and children with non-medical, problem-solving, and so many other issues. It is available in CYS services, summer camps, and garrison schools. 

Respite Child Care will give parents some time for self-business. You are offered 16 hours/child/month at no cost. The free service starts at 30 days before you are deployed and ends 90 days after you return. 

If you are deploying or returning from deployment, the Military and Family Life Consultant Centers can help you and your family with a range of free, confidential services, including stress management, communication skills, and financial management. With licensed professionals available both in-person and over the phone, you can receive the support you need wherever you are.

Conclusion 

Being parents is a complicated issue. And being a military parent is even more complicated. And that is why they created CYS. It will help soldiers and their families a lot in maintaining and developing a safe and sound life. All services at the Child and Youth Services (CYS) Army are qualified and beneficial for soldiers and families. 

And this article is everything you need to know about the Child and Youth Services (CYS) Army. We hope that with the information above, you can have more knowledge and simplify your life. If you have any comments and experience, please feel free to leave a comment and share it with us.