A large percentage of the employees are spouses of military members or retirees, Thompson said. They're the people who make sure those babies are cuddled and talked to. The shortage of workers is negatively affecting the availability of child care at a time when officials are trying to increase the number of spaces, Thompson said. The services are now able to meet about 58 percent of the child-care need. Defense officials say their goal is to meet 65 percent of the need in fiscal year 2003, and 80 percent of the need by 2005.
Taxpayers shoulder about half the cost of military child care.
But if an attempt is made to reduce child-care fees, which would lower revenue, and increase workers' salaries, which would increase costs, the money to operate the centers has to come from somewhere. All these questions are on the table, Thompson said. President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton have both praised the military child-care program as a model for the nation, as has the National Women's Law Center in a study released this year. So defense officials want to tread carefully.