Childcare Expansion for Military Families Act of 2021
Bill: S.1967 | Sponsor: Sen. Sinema, Kyrsten (D-AZ)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Childcare Expansion for Military Families Act of 2021
This bill addresses the provision of child care and development services by the Department of Defense (DOD) for children of members of the Armed Forces (military children).
First, the bill requires DOD to establish a program to carry out minor military construction projects to construct child development centers, in amounts up to $15 million per project. DOD must establish procedures for the review and approval of requests from the military departments to implement construction projects for child development centers.
DOD must conduct a comprehensive assessment of the availability of government-provided early childhood education and infant and early childhood mental health consultation services on and in the vicinity of certain military installations to identify and address the needs of military children.
DOD is authorized to conduct one or more demonstration projects to evaluate improved approaches to the provision of educational and infant and early childhood mental health services to military children to evaluate the efficacy of such services to improve social-emotional development outcomes.
DOD may authorize the development of a comprehensive professional development curricula for specified purposes.
Finally, DOD must evaluate each demonstration project to assess the (1) extent of positive outcomes for military children, (2) improvements in services and continuity of care for such children, and (3) improved military family readiness and enhanced military retention.

To require the Secretary of Defense to establish a program to carry out 
  minor military construction projects to construct child development 
centers and to provide education and treatment services for infant and 
         early childhood mental health, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Childcare Expansion for Military 
Families Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY PROGRAM TO USE MINOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY 
              FOR CONSTRUCTION OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.

    (a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a 
program to carry out minor military construction projects under section 
2805 of title 10, United States Code, to construct child development 
centers.
    (b) Increased Maximum Amounts Applicable to Minor Construction 
Projects.--For the purpose of any military construction project carried 
out under the program under this section, the amount specified in 
section 2805(a)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is deemed to be 
$15,000,000.
    (c) Notification and Approval Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--The notification and approval requirements 
        under section 2805(b) of title 10, United States Code, shall 
        remain in effect for construction projects carried out under 
        the program under this section.
            (2) Procedures.--The Secretary shall establish procedures 
        for the review and approval of requests from the Secretaries of 
        military departments to carry out construction projects under 
        the program under this section.
    (d) Report Required.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
        submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the 
        program under this section.
            (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include a list and description of the construction projects 
        carried out under the program under this section, including the 
        location and cost of each project.
    (e) Expiration of Authority.--The authority to carry out a minor 
military construction project under the program under this section 
expires on September 30, 2023.
    (f) Construction of Authority.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed to limit any other authority provided by law for a military 
construction project at a child development center.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Child development center.--The term ``child development 
        center'' includes a facility, and the utilities to support such 
        facility, the function of which is to support the daily care of 
        children aged six weeks old through 12 years old for full-day, 
        part-day, and hourly service.
            (2) Congressional defense committees.--The term 
        ``congressional defense committees'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code.

SEC. 3. EDUCATION AND INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH 
              CONSULTATION SERVICES FOR INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD 
              MENTAL HEALTH (IECMH).

    (a) Assessment of Availability of Services.--The Secretary of 
Defense shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the availability of 
Federal, State, and local early childhood education and infant and 
early childhood mental health (IECMH) consultation services on and in 
the vicinity of a covered military installation for identifying and 
addressing infant and early childhood mental health needs of children 
of members of the Armed Forces. This assessment shall include the 
following:
            (1) The local availability of developmentally appropriate 
        services advancing social and emotional development and infant 
        and early childhood mental health of infants, toddlers, and 
        young children, including certification or endorsement programs 
        for professionals serving as infant early childhood mental 
        health consultants for early education programs and centers.
            (2) The local availability of adequate diagnostic and non-
        medical intervention services for infants, toddlers, or young 
        children identified as requiring infant and early childhood 
        mental health treatment.
            (3) The local availability of supplemental services for 
        infant and early childhood mental health such as Infant and 
        Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) consultation by licensed 
        professionals who are also certified or endorsed in IECMH.
            (4) The ease of access for individuals with identified 
        infant and early childhood mental health needs to adequate, 
        comprehensive educational services, such as the length of time 
        on waiting lists.
    (b) Review of Best Practices.--In preparing the assessment under 
subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall conduct a review of best 
practices of providing infant and early childhood mental health 
consultation in the United States in the provision of covered 
educational services and support services for infant and early 
childhood mental health, including an assessment of Federal and State 
early education and mental health services for infant and early 
childhood mental health in each State, with an emphasis on locations 
where members of the Armed Forces and their dependent children reside. 
The Secretary of Defense shall conduct the review in coordination with 
the Secretary of Education.
    (c) Demonstration Projects.--
            (1) Projects authorized.--The Secretary of Defense may 
        conduct one or more demonstration projects to evaluate improved 
        approaches to the provision of covered educational and infant 
        and early childhood mental health services to children of 
        members of the Armed Forces for the purpose of evaluating and 
        the efficacy of infant and early childhood mental health 
        consultation models to improve social-emotional development 
        outcomes for military children enrolled in child development 
        centers, reducing incidents of behavioral issues and or need 
        for intensive treatment, and early identification of needs 
        requiring non-medical intervention as considered appropriate by 
        the Secretary.
            (2) Infant and early childhood mental health 
        consultation.--
                    (A) Consultation.--
                            (i) In general.--The Secretary of Defense 
                        may authorize the development of a 
                        comprehensive professional development 
                        curricula for use in training non-medical 
                        counselors in infant and early childhood mental 
                        health and consultation to serve in child 
                        development centers, and to allow for the 
                        training of Department of Defense-contracted 
                        child and youth behavioral-military family life 
                        counselors as infant early childhood mental 
                        health consultants.
                            (ii) Competency guidelines.-- The curricula 
                        developed under clause (i) shall be based on a 
                        set of competency guidelines designed to 
                        enhance culturally sensitive, relationship-
                        focused practice within the framework of infant 
                        and early childhood mental health recognized by 
                        authorizing agencies such as the Alliance for 
                        the Advancement of Infant Mental Health for 
                        purposes of certification or endorsement as a 
                        IECMH practitioner.
                    (B) Personnel.--The Secretary of Defense may 
                utilize for purposes of the demonstration projects 
                personnel who are professionals with a level (as 
                determined by the Secretary) of post-secondary 
                education that is appropriate for the provision of safe 
                and effective services for infant and early childhood 
                mental health and who are from an accredited 
                educational facility in the mental health, human 
                development, social work field to act as consultation 
                level providers of promotive, preventive, and 
                behavioral non-medical intervention services within 
                child development centers for infant and early 
                childhood mental health. Such personnel may be 
                authorized--
                            (i) to develop and monitor promotion, 
                        prevention, and non-medical intervention plans 
                        for military children within child development 
                        centers who are participating in the 
                        demonstration projects;
                            (ii) to provide appropriate training in the 
                        provision of approved services to participating 
                        children;
                            (iii) to provide non-medical counseling 
                        services to children and their primary 
                        caregivers outside of the child development 
                        center as required;
                            (iv) to coordinate with other established 
                        installation and community resources to 
                        coordinate and collaborate regarding needed 
                        services, such as New Parent Support Program, 
                        Behavioral Health, Tricare mental health 
                        providers, HealthySteps, and early behavioral 
                        intervention services; and
                            (v) to be endorsed, or work toward becoming 
                        endorsed, by a recognized infant and early 
                        childhood mental health organization such as 
                        the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant 
                        Mental Health.
            (3) Evaluations of outcomes.--The Secretary of Defense may 
        authorize an evaluation of outcomes from any demonstration 
        project to determine the value of infant and early childhood 
        mental health consultation within child development centers.
            (4) Services under corporate services provider model.--In 
        carrying out the demonstration projects, the Secretary of 
        Defense may utilize a corporate services provider model. 
        Employees of a provider under such a model shall include 
        personnel who implement special educational and behavioral 
        intervention plans for children of members of the Armed Forces 
        that are developed, reviewed, and maintained by supervisory 
        level providers approved by the Secretary. In authorizing such 
        a model, the Secretary shall establish--
                    (A) minimum education, training, and experience 
                criteria required to be met by employees who provide 
                services to children;
                    (B) requirements for IECMH consultation personnel 
                and supervision, including requirements for infant and 
                early childhood mental health credentials and for the 
                frequency and intensity of supervision; and
                    (C) such other requirements as the Secretary 
                considers appropriate to ensure the safety and 
                protection of children who receive services from such 
                employees under the demonstration projects.
            (5) Period.--If the Secretary of Defense determines to 
        conduct demonstration projects under this subsection, the 
        Secretary shall commence such demonstration projects not later 
        than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. The 
        demonstration projects shall be conducted for not less than 2 
        years.
            (6) Evaluation.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct an 
        evaluation of each demonstration project conducted under this 
        section. The evaluation shall include the following:
                    (A) An assessment of the extent to which the 
                activities under the demonstration project contributed 
                to positive outcomes for children of members of the 
                Armed Forces.
                    (B) An assessment of the extent to which the 
                activities under the demonstration project led to 
                improvements in services and continuity of care for 
                such children.
                    (C) An assessment of the extent to which the 
                activities under the demonstration project improved 
                military family readiness and enhanced military 
                retention.
    (d) Relationship to Other Benefits.--Nothing in this section 
precludes the eligibility of members of the Armed Forces and their 
dependents for extended benefits under section 1079 of title 10, United 
States Code.
    (e) Reports on Demonstration Projects.--Not later than 30 months 
after the commencement of any demonstration project under subsection 
(e), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the 
demonstration project. The report shall include a description of the 
project, the results of the evaluation under subsection (e)(5) with 
respect to the project, and a description of plans for the further 
provision of services for children of members of the Armed Forces under 
the project.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Child.--The term ``child'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 1072 of title 10, United States Code.
            (2) Covered educational and treatment services.--The term 
        ``covered educational and treatment services'' means provision 
        of quality early childhood education that promotes healthy 
        social and emotional development and provides supports for 
        children experiencing mental health challenges and supportive 
        services that include assessment, coaching for educators and 
        parents, and when warranted, referral to appropriately licensed 
        and specialized infant and early childhood mental health 
        services for diagnosis, therapeutic treatment, and early 
        intervention.
            (3) Covered military installation.--The term ``covered 
        military installation'' means a military installation at which 
        at least 1,000 members of the Armed Forces are assigned who are 
        eligible for an assignment accompanied by dependents.
            (4) Infant and early childhood mental health.--The term 
        ``Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health'' (IECMH) means the 
        developing capacity of the child, birth to age 5, to form close 
        and secure adult and peer relationships, to experience, manage, 
        and express a full range of emotions, and to explore the 
        environment and learn, all in the context of family, community, 
        and culture.
            (5) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given that term in section 8013(9) of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7713(9)), except that the term includes publicly financed 
        schools in communities, Department of Defense domestic 
        dependent elementary and secondary schools, and schools of the 
        defense dependents' education system.
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