Contracting Child Care: A Case Study of the Military Child Care Act and Camp Adventure Youth Service

The Department of Defense is the single largest
provider of employer-sponsored child care in the U.S.
The 1989 Military Child Care Act (MCCA) is the legal
authority for the military s child care system. This
study explores the dynamics of child care delivery
between a contractor, Camp Adventure Youth Services,
a program in the Department of the Army, and their
agreement to provide programs to school-age children
during the summer. A detailed description of the
origins of Camp Adventure, its operations and growth,
all dependent on its contracts with the military is
outlined. Findings suggest a good fit between Camp
Adventure and military child care programs. Programs
delivered by Camp Adventure appear to be well aligned
with contract specifications, program goals, and the
expectations of the MCCA. There is a co-dependent
relationship between Camp Adventure and military
child care programs with the military exerting
somewhat greater leverage. This case study describes
how two organizations, grounded in different
cultures, with different goals, form a beneficial
relationship, bounded by the regulations of policy
and contracting, that meets the needs of both.