ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- Ellsworth AFB families will have access to a new Department of Defense website Feb. 17 designed to simplify and improve the process of requesting child care.

MilitaryChildCare.com provides a single online gateway for families to access military- operated or military-subsidized child care options worldwide across all services. The site enables families to create a household profile, conduct child care searches, submit requests for care, and manage their requests at any time and from any location.

The new site - which is being introduced worldwide in phases - offers a streamlined approach to finding and requesting care, expedites placement through a standardized request process and waitlist management tools, and provides reports that help programs better plan for future placement needs.

Through MilitaryChildCare.com, eligible families with children, newborn through 12 years old, can search and request care for full-day and part-day options in facility-based and home-based programs. Families may remain on a preferred program's waitlist even after being offered care or enrolling in another program.

Families at Ellsworth who are currently on waitlists will automatically transition to the new web-based system and will retain the original date of their request(s) for care. Additionally, all program enrollment processes will remain the same.

For more information, visit MilitaryChildCare.com, call the help desk at (855) 696-2934, or email FamilySupport@MilitaryChildCare.com.