Child Care is a Readiness Issue

Military families commonly struggle to find high quality, affordable child care. While a lack of affordable child care is a national issue, the problem is even more acute for service members, who move frequently, often work irregular hours, or live far from extended family.

Here’s What We Know

• Thirty-four percent of active duty service members have children.
• The largest cohort of military children (41%) is five years old or younger.
• More than 73% of children of active duty service members are under the age of 12.

Source: 2024 Demographics Profile of the Military Community

No Access Means Difficult Choices

The service member parent may have to miss work, threatening the readiness of an entire unit. For many military members, however, that simply isn’t an option. More often, the burden falls on military spouses.

How it affects military families

Service member may be stressed or unfocused at work / on mission

The Burden Falls On Military Families

Finding employment is already a challenge for military spouses, who move every two to three years. A lack of affordable child care makes that challenge even greater. Many military spouses report that they have left the workforce because child care was unavailable or too expensive. At a time when most families rely on two incomes to make ends meet, a military spouse’s inability to work due to a lack of child care can have a significant impact on a family’s financial well-being.