Fort Bragg Childcare: CDCs, Registration & Fees (2026)

Fort Bragg's Child & Youth Services (CYS) runs ten on-post Child Development Centers, plus Family Child Care homes and School Age Centers, for children six weeks through 12 years old. Families request full-day or part-day spaces through MilitaryChildCare.com as soon as they have orders, then register with Parent Central Services in Building 1-4157 Knox Street, (910) 396-8110, where fees are set by total family income.

Because Fort Bragg is one of the Army's largest installations, infant and toddler rooms fill months ahead of summer PCS season. This guide walks through the two-step enrollment process, every on-post Child Development Center, how DoD priority tiers and fee categories work, and what to do if an on-post room is not open when you report. If you are still planning the rest of your move, pair this page with our PCS to Fort Bragg guide and our Soldier Support Center guide.

Fort Bragg Childcare at a Glance

Question	Short answer	Official source
Where do I request a childcare spot?	Create a family profile and submit requests on MilitaryChildCare.com as soon as you receive orders or assignment notification	MilitaryChildCare.com
Where do I complete CYS registration?	Parent Central Services, Bldg. 1-4157 Knox Street (between Randolph St. and Honeycutt Rd.); (910) 396-8110	Fort Bragg MWR Parent Central Services
What ages do on-post CDCs serve?	Infants through preschool, ages 6 weeks to 5 years (until kindergarten entry)	Fort Bragg MWR Child Development Centers
Who handles grades K–5 before and after school?	CYS School Age Centers (SAC), serving kindergarten through 5th grade	Fort Bragg MWR CYS
How are weekly fees calculated?	DoD sliding scale based on Total Family Income (TFI), regardless of rank	Military OneSource installation profile
What if on-post care has a waitlist?	Apply for Army Fee Assistance through Child Care Aware of America to use licensed off-post providers at near on-post rates	Child Care Aware of America Army program

Two Systems to Know: MilitaryChildCare.com vs. Parent Central Services

Newcomers often assume that putting a child on the waitlist registers them with Fort Bragg CYS. In practice, you use two separate systems in order:

1. MilitaryChildCare.com (MCC) is the Defense Department's central waitlist and request portal. You can open an account and request spaces at multiple Fort Bragg centers from your losing duty station as soon as you know you are headed to Fort Bragg. You do not need a local address to join the waitlist.
2. Parent Central Services is the garrison office that verifies your documents, medical forms, and Total Family Income, then issues your child's CYS registration and sets your fee category. Every child must be registered through Parent Central Services before attending any CDC, Family Child Care home, School Age Center, hourly care room, or CYS youth sports program.

Parent Central Services is located in Building 1-4157 Knox Street (between Randolph Street and Honeycutt Road), (910) 396-8110—separate from the in-processing stations at the Soldier Support Center. Families can start pre-registration online through WebTrac before walking in or scheduling an appointment at 1-4157 Knox Street to finalize paperwork.

Documents Required at Parent Central Services

Bring these items when you finalize registration (Fort Bragg MWR Parent Central Services):

• Military ID card or DoD civilian ID card of the sponsor.
• Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) for military sponsors, plus recent pay stubs, W-2s, or employment verification for a working spouse to calculate Total Family Income.
• Immunization records on file or transcribed to North Carolina / CYS requirements.
• A current CYS Health Assessment / Sports Physical statement signed by a health care provider (required within 30 days of registration).
• Two local emergency designees with names, addresses, and phone numbers who can pick up your child within 30 minutes if you cannot be reached.
• Special diet, allergy, or medical action plans (examined by the Army Public Health Nurse before care begins if your child requires an EpiPen, inhaler, or specialized care).

On-Post Child Development Centers (CDCs)

Fort Bragg CYS operates ten Child Development Centers across the main cantonment, North Post, and Linden Oaks areas for children ages six weeks through five years (Fort Bragg MWR Child Development Centers). All Fort Bragg CDCs are DoD-certified and nationally accredited. Because morning physical training and gate traffic shape your daily routine, request the centers closest to either your unit footprint or your gate route (see our Fort Bragg gates and commute guide and housing options guide).

Center	Location on Post	Core Programs
Alexander CDC	Rockefeller Blvd. (Linden Oaks housing area)	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), Strong Beginnings Pre-K, NC Pre-K
Bauguess CDC	Manhay Rd. / Longstreet area	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), Strong Beginnings Pre-K, NC Pre-K
Cook CDC	Gruber Rd.	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), part-day preschool, Strong Beginnings Pre-K, NC Pre-K
Eagle CDC	Stiner St.	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), Strong Beginnings Pre-K, NC Pre-K
Fernandez CDC	Knox St. (near Parent Central Services)	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), Strong Beginnings Pre-K, NC Pre-K
Maholic CDC	Sicily Dr.	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), Strong Beginnings Pre-K
Prager CDC	Souter Place (North Post area)	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), Strong Beginnings Pre-K
Rodgers CDC	Souter Place (North Post area)	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), Strong Beginnings Pre-K, NC Pre-K
Rodriguez CDC	Sicily Dr.	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), Strong Beginnings Pre-K, NC Pre-K
Stout CDC	Sicily Dr.	Full-day care (6 weeks–5 years), Strong Beginnings Pre-K, NC Pre-K

Strong Beginnings Pre-K and NC Pre-K

For four-year-olds preparing for kindergarten, Fort Bragg CDCs offer Strong Beginnings, the Army's pre-kindergarten curriculum designed to bridge children into kindergarten at on-post DoDEA schools or off-post county schools. Several centers also participate in North Carolina's NC Pre-K program for eligible four-year-olds who turn four on or before August 31 of the program year. Ask Parent Central Services at (910) 396-8110 about current NC Pre-K classroom locations and income or military eligibility criteria.

Family Child Care (FCC), School Age Care, and Youth Centers

CDCs are only one part of the CYS network:

• Family Child Care (FCC) homes: CYS-certified providers care for small groups of children inside on-post Corvias quarters (and select off-post certified homes). FCC homes are often the best option for families who need flexible hours, evening or weekend care for shift workers, or sibling groups kept together. You request FCC spaces through MilitaryChildCare.com just like CDC care.
• School Age Centers (SAC): Before- and after-school care, teacher workday camps, and full-day summer camps for children in kindergarten through 5th grade. According to the Fort Bragg MWR School Age Centers directory, Fort Bragg operates three SAC facilities: Baez SAC, Morales SAC, and Wonderful World for Kids SAC.
• Middle School & Teen (MS&T) Youth Centers: Tolson Youth Center and Linden Oaks Youth Center run supervised after-school programs, homework labs, and summer activities for grades 6 through 12.

How Waitlist Priority and Fee Categories Work

DoD Childcare Priority Tiers

Spaces requested on MilitaryChildCare.com are offered by DoD family eligibility priority tier, then by the date you placed the request (MilitaryChildCare.com Family Eligibility & Priority Guidelines):

1. Priority 1A: Child Development Program (CDP) direct-care staff.
2. Priority 1B: Single Active Duty / Guard / Reserve military members on active orders, dual-military couples, and Active Duty military members with a full-time working spouse.
3. Priority 1C: Active Duty military members with a part-time working spouse or a spouse actively seeking employment.
4. Priority 1D: Active Duty military members with a spouse enrolled full-time in a postsecondary institution.
5. Priority 2: Single or dual DoD civilian employees, and DoD civilian employees with a full-time working spouse.
6. Priority 3: Space-available patrons, including Active Duty military with a non-working spouse, DoD or Coast Guard civilian employees with a spouse seeking employment, a full-time student spouse, a part-time working spouse, or a non-working spouse, Gold Star spouses, DoD contractors, and military retirees.

When a space opens and MCC emails or texts an offer, you have a strict response window—typically two business days—to accept or decline before the system moves to the next family. While you are on the waitlist, you must periodically log in to reconfirm your active interest so your request does not expire.

How CYS Calculates Your Fee Category

Army CYS fees are based on Total Family Income (TFI), not military rank. TFI counts basic pay, Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) at the NC182 rate (or the value of on-post quarters), and any spouse earned income (Fort Bragg BAH guide). Parent Central Services places your household into one of the DoD's income categories when you register and issues a Fee Schedule sheet for the current school year. Multi-child discounts (typically 15% for the second and subsequent children enrolled in regular full-day or before/after-school programs) apply automatically.

Hourly Care, Respite Care, and Deployment Support

Not every family needs 50 hours of care a week:

• Hourly Care: Designated CYS locations offer short-term hourly care by reservation for medical appointments, volunteer hours, or PCS errands. Your child must already be registered with Parent Central Services at Building 1-4157 Knox Street, and reservations can be booked in advance through WebTrac or by calling Parent Central Services at (910) 396-8110 to confirm current participating centers.
• Deployment & Onsite Respite Care: Families of deployed soldiers receive dedicated CYS respite care hours and deployment fee reductions. Check our deployment support services guide and bring a copy of deployment orders to Parent Central Services to activate your benefits.
• Parents Night Out / Special Openings: CYS schedules periodic Saturday openings so parents can catch up on errands or enjoy an evening downtown.

Off-Post Childcare and Fee Assistance

If you live off post in Hope Mills, Spring Lake, or Raeford, or if on-post CDC waitlists are full when you arrive, you have two main routes:

1. Army Fee Assistance via Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA): When on-post care is not available within a reasonable time, active-duty families can apply through Child Care Aware of America. Fee assistance helps bridge the gap between what you would pay on post and the tuition charged by an eligible, state-licensed off-post childcare center.
2. NC Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) Star-Rated License Search: North Carolina inspects and grades licensed childcare centers and family childcare homes on a 1-to-5-star rated license scale based on staff education and program standards. Use the state's DCDEE Child Care Facility Search to check inspection histories, star ratings, and complaint records for any off-post center in Cumberland, Hoke, Harnett, or Moore counties before you pay a deposit.

For older children transitioning into public elementary or middle schools, read our Cumberland County Schools enrollment guide.

Sources

• Fort Bragg MWR: Child Development Centers (CDC)
• Fort Bragg MWR: Parent Central Services Directory (1-4157 Knox St.)
• Fort Bragg MWR: Child & Youth Services (CYS)
• MilitaryChildCare.com (DoD Official Childcare Portal)
• Military OneSource: Fort Bragg Child Care Installation Overview
• Child Care Aware of America: Army Fee Assistance
• NC DHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education

Details checked November 1, 2026.