---Erin Williams, an Army officer serving at Fort Campbell, Ky., with her three children. Tamara Reynolds for NBC News

NBC NEWS

This was originally published on May 27, 2024

A shortage of child care providers has left around 9,000 children waiting months for spots at one of the military’s child care centers.

Erin Williams has jumped out of airplanes, led a platoon in Afghanistan and earned an Ivy League degree with three young children at home. But the hardest thing to navigate in her military career is finding child care.

“Child care is the only thing that has made me consider leaving military service,” said Williams, an Army officer who is currently serving at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. “I’ve worked for awesome leaders, and I think I’ve done a good job leading, but the logistics and constant stress that come from child care is truly the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with.”

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Child Care Aware® of America Survey Shows a 3.7% Bump in Average Child Care Prices

More than 4,400 actions taken to celebrate child care providers across the country on May 10 
 

ARLINGTON, VA, May 10, 2024 – Child Care Aware^® of America (CCAoA) today celebrates Provider Appreciation Day^® alongside states and communities across the country. More than 4,400 actions have been taken by CCAoA members and partners through our online action center to declare May 10 as Provider Appreciation Day. The observance acknowledges the essential role child care providers, teachers and other educators of young children play in supporting young children's social, emotional and physical well-being.  

For more than a decade, Erin Farias has watched the low-income families who send children to the day cares she runs navigate America’s broken child care system. Many of those parents had government assistance for school tuition, but half the time, Farias couldn’t count on them to make their co-payments. They were still too high. 

Child Care Aware® of America applauds bipartisan FY 2024 bill positioned to  
support and sustain child care across the country  

Child Care Aware of America applauds ACF efforts to lower costs and improve provider payment practices. 

Staffing shortages and a lack of facilities have contributed to the long waits for childcare, though the situation has improved somewhat since the pandemic. 

Experts say the supply-and-demand mismatch limits opportunities for families and communities alike: Without reliable and affordable child care, parents can’t join the workforce, stunting household financial stability and regional economies. 

ARLINGTON, VA, December 11, 2023 – Child Care Aware of America is pleased to welcome four new members to its Board of Directors. These new leaders will assume their positions in January 2024.  

ARLINGTON, VA, December 7, 2023 – Child Care Aware® of America today announced that they have been recognized by one of the country’s largest charitable organizations, Yield Giving. Founded by MacKenzie Scott, Yield is named after the belief in adding value by giving up control. The fund aims to grant money to nonprofits to allocate where they believe is most needed, which is a philosophy now known as trust-based philanthropy. CCAoA is honored to join the ranks of these prestigious organizations as a grantee of $5 million.