Sen. Blakespear’s Bill to Increase Child Care Options for Military Families Passes Committee

SACRAMENTO – Legislation by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, to help ease the shortage of child care options for military personnel on Monday passed the Senate Human Services Committee.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) provides many types of child care for military personnel, including child development centers on bases and family child care (FCC) provided in homes. SB 99 would make it easier and quicker for those approved by the DOD to provide family child care to start operating in California by exempting the requirement for a state license.

“SB 99 cuts red tape and expands child care options for military families,” Sen. Blakespear said. “To ensure military personnel are ready and focused to do their jobs, we must provide strong support to their families and make sure they have the child care they need.”

Long wait times for child care are common for military families. In 2022, more than 4,000 children were on the wait list for Navy child care centers in San Diego alone.

The military services are seeking to increase the number of FCC providers to help meet the child care demands of military communities. Without available slots, many military families are forced to turn to more expensive and less convenient civilian child care options.

By creating a state licensure exemption for FCC providers who are already certified by the DOD, SB 99 would help providers — 87% of whom were military spouses in 2021 — by reducing the administrative burden associated with completing time-consuming, expensive and often redundant state child care licensure requirements.

A waiver means these spouses can start earning income much faster after a move, preventing financial instability with their families and helping to immediately reduce the shortage of child care in their new locations. By creating new military child care spots, SB 99 will also help alleviate waitlists for all Californians, as fewer military families will need to use civilian options.

Several states, including Alaska, Colorado and New Hampshire, have approved similar waivers.

The bill is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and supported by the active military services in California, Blue Star Families, San Diego Military Advisory Council and San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Camp Pendleton, which is one the largest U.S. Marine Corps bases in the nation, is in Sen. Blakespear’s district.

Sen. Blakespear represents Senate District 38. Her constituents live in northern San Diego County and southern Orange County. To learn more about the district and Sen. Blakespear, visit her Senate website.