Military childcare staffing shortages leave families struggling to find care

A military childcare center is an employer-sponsored program operated by the Defense Department for children of service members and Defense Department civilian employees. It matters because reliable care lets military parents work, train and meet duty requirements. The department runs the nation’s largest employer-sponsored childcare system.

Staffing shortages reduce how many children centers can safely accept. At Camp Pendleton, one program had nearly twice its intended enrollment while remaining understaffed. Workers described the resulting pressure as mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting. Long hiring processes also leave vacancies open for months.

The result is not simply inconvenience. Families face waitlists and delays, while some parents cannot work. The department listed nearly 9,000 unmet childcare needs in 2025. Improving pay, speeding background checks and onboarding, and retaining trained workers could expand available spaces.

The Defense Department’s childcare system employed about 19,000 workers paid with nonappropriated funds in fiscal 2024. Those workers cared for nearly 172,000 children of service members and Defense Department civilian employees. These figures show the system’s large national reach and its dependence on a substantial workforce.

Demand still exceeded available care. The department’s list of unmet childcare needs included nearly 9,000 children in 2025. More than one-third of those needs were concentrated in Hawaii, the National Capital Region, Norfolk, San Antonio and San Diego. Army centers alone had nearly 3,000 children waiting when its new pay model launched.

The numbers reflect a capacity problem, not just a demand count. Centers need enough qualified workers to open spaces safely and consistently. Pay, hiring delays and retention problems therefore directly affect how many children the system can serve.

Military childcare programs compete with employers outside the gates for workers. Entry-level wages can be low compared with local alternatives, especially in expensive areas. Workers may also gain certifications and training that qualify them for better-paid jobs elsewhere. This makes recruitment and retention difficult even when the work is meaningful.

At Southern California installations, reported wages ranged from about $18 to $21 an hour. Tameeka Pethel said she earned more at Taco Bell than she could have as a childcare provider. At Camp Pendleton, Karen Cunningham described a program caring for nearly twice its intended enrollment while understaffed. The pressure became mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting.

Hiring can take one to six months. Background checks and other screening add time before applicants can start. Programs therefore lose potential workers during vacancies and struggle to replace departures. Higher pay, bonuses, discounts and faster onboarding are being used to improve staffing.

When dependable childcare is unavailable, military parents may be unable to work or return to the workforce. Care must also match duty schedules and remain available through military moves and changing requirements. A center with no space, limited availability or unsuitable hours cannot support a family’s employment needs.

Jessica Maloney, an Army spouse at Fort Campbell, is raising three children under 6. Her family depends on two incomes, but unreliable childcare has kept her from earning one. The family uses SNAP to help buy food, yet she said it is still not enough. She described returning to work as out of reach.

The effects extend beyond one household. Parents lose income, while centers’ staffing problems deepen unmet demand. The article shows that childcare access is tied to family financial stability and military readiness. More reliable staffing and care that fits schedules could help parents remain employed.

The Defense Department provides military childcare through programs at installations. Its childcare staff care for children of service members and Defense Department civilian employees. Installation officials manage local programs, while workers provide direct care. Military families depend on those centers to make employment and duty requirements possible.

Other people and organizations influence improvement. The Government Accountability Office documented staffing, hiring and unmet-need problems. The Army launched a pay model for its child development centers. The President’s Military Spouse Commission discussed wages and competition with civilian employers. Military spouses, including Andrea Ruiz and Kimberly Weimer, raised concerns about pay and retention.

Workers and families also describe the consequences. Karen Cunningham reported overcapacity and severe workplace strain, while Tameeka Pethel left because wages were not sustainable. The GAO identified recruitment bonuses, retention incentives, discounts and professional development as possible tools. Better implementation depends on military leadership, installation programs and sustained investment.

When a military-run center has no space, families generally may look beyond the installation. Options can include civilian childcare centers, licensed home-based providers, relatives or shared care. However, the provided excerpt does not identify specific alternatives or describe a civilian-provider program in detail. This limitation matters because the article focuses mainly on military-run care.

The barriers it does identify still apply. Care must be available, fit parents’ schedules and remain workable through moves and changing duty requirements. Families may also face local shortages or prices that make care unaffordable; these are established childcare barriers but are not detailed in this excerpt. Maloney’s experience shows the stakes when no dependable option works.

Civilian care can therefore provide another path, but it is not automatically a solution. Military programs compete with outside employers for workers, while families compete for available spaces. Without enough providers, suitable schedules and affordable care, parents may remain unable to work.

Childcare availability depends on more than the number of children needing care. Centers require enough qualified workers, safe staffing levels, buildings and operating resources. The Defense Department’s system is a major public and employer-sponsored investment, but its capacity falls when vacancies remain open or workers leave.

Labor-market competition makes this visible. Military childcare workers in Southern California reportedly earned about $18 to $21 an hour, while Tameeka Pethel said Taco Bell paid more than her provider job. Lengthy screening and onboarding further delay hiring. At Camp Pendleton, understaffing combined with nearly twice the intended enrollment, increasing pressure on workers.

Public investment can address these constraints through higher wages, incentives, discounts, training and faster hiring. The Army’s new pay model aimed to raise staffing above 90%, but only 22 of 68 installations had reached that level at the time. Demand must be matched with sustainable capacity.