Lankford, Rosen Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Child Care Options on Military Bases

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - US Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) recently introduced a bipartisan bill to expand access to child care on military bases for servicemembers and their families. The Best Practices for Military Child Care Homes Actwould direct the Department of War (DoW) to develop a best practices guide for military families hoping to establish a home-based certified child care center. Military families continue to experience child care shortages across installations. Family Child Care (FCC) homes are an important tool for expanding available child care capacity at installations and increasing opportunities for military spouse employment, but prospective providers often face unnecessary barriers when attempting to start an FCC home program. This bill would streamline the process and improve access to information, making it easier to establish and operate on-base child care centers to meet the growing demand for reliable, flexible child care.

"Military families shouldn't have to navigate unnecessary hurdles to find reliable child care. Our servicemembers need to know their children are cared for so they can focus on their mission, and military spouses should have opportunities to support other families while building their own careers," said Lankford. "This bipartisan bill will help make it easier to establish child care homes on base, expand options for military families, and strengthen military readiness."

"Our servicemembers and their families sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms. That's why it's so important that we make sure they have access to the community and support they need while living on base," said Rosen. "This bipartisan bill will help us close the gaps in child care services that we are seeing across the country for servicemembers and their families, while opening the door for new providers to bring much-needed services for our military families."

Background

Lankford has worked to support military families through the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) throughout his entire time in the Senate. The FY2021 NDAA included provisions he supported to allow military spouses to maintain professional licenses across state lines and strengthen oversight of military housing. In 2023, Lankford's Military Spouse Employment Act was included in the Senate's FY2024 NDAA, providing authority to hire military spouses for fully remote federal positions. In 2025, he also secured a $54 million investment in a new Child Development Center at Tinker Air Force Base to expand child care facilities for military families.

You can read the full bill text HERE.

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