19,000   

The approximate number of child care workers employed by he Department of Defense (DOD), according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) -- Military Child Care: Services’ Use of Worker Recruitment and Retention Incentives.

These workers care for nearly 172,000 children of service members and DOD civilian employees (as of fiscal year 2024). The military services face challenges recruiting and retaining child care workers, contributing to lengthy waitlists and wait times for child care.