The proposal would launch a pilot program to help child care providers near military installations train and hire staff. The goal would be to increase the availability of childcare facilities, for both military and civilians, by utilizing existing resources from the Department of Defense.
“We have a manpower shortage and when people look at the challenges of family life in the military, childcare is one of them. That deters people from joining the armed forces. Anything we can do to solve this problem is very important, said Jeanne Shaheen. “As a mother and new grandmother, I know that it takes a village to raise a child and that our military needs child care that is high quality and affordable.’ The Rochester Child Care Center serves five to 10 military families and receives military subsidies to help with expenses. The center's owner said budget constraints and high operating costs recently caused him to have to lay off a quarter of his staff. "There is no room for maneuver, absolutely none. I'm in class constantly. I have workers who call me because they have sick children. Everything is overwhelmed," the owner said. "We have to be flexible in thinking about how we respond to families' child care needs. We have to offer options. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and I think this is especially true for military families.'" The pilot program is scheduled to begin in the fall.