Military and state leaders gathered Thursday at Fayetteville Technical Community College to confront an issue many families said continues to disrupt careers, education, and military readiness: access to reliable, affordable child care.
The second annual “North Carolina Military Community Childcare Roundtable 2026,” hosted by the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, brought together installation leaders, policymakers, nonprofit organizations, and child care providers to discuss persistent gaps in care for military families across the state.
North Carolina is home to the fourth-largest military population in the country, with more than 63,300 children of active-duty service members statewide. Nearly half are under age 5, and roughly 20,000 are between ages 6 and 11—a scale that experts said continues to strain child care systems on and near military installations.
The discussion comes months after Fort Bragg broke ground in September on its largest child development center. The 338-child facility is under construction and expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027.
At the time, installation leaders said the new center would help reduce a waitlist that then stood at roughly 600 to 700 children—a backlog that military and state officials said Thursday still exists.
Why Child Care Is Mission-Critical
Jocelyn Mitnaul Mallette, secretary of the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, framed the issue as both a family and readiness concern, noting that military duty does not pause when child care falls through.
“For many families, finding reliable, affordable childcare is not just difficult—it sometimes feels impossible,” Mallette said. “When child care falls through, everything else can fall apart: careers, education and even the ability to focus on the mission.”
“These numbers remind us that child care is not a luxury,” she added. “It is a necessity, and it is mission-critical.”
Waitlists, Capacity Remain Biggest Barriers
Kimberly Gipson, family care program manager at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, said on-base child care capacity has not kept pace with demand.
Camp Lejeune, located in Jacksonville, North Carolina, currently operates 152 classrooms across 11 programs, serving approximately 1,900 children. About 14% of those slots are for infants, while roughly 20% serve toddlers and 34% serve preschool-aged children.
“Once families get into care, they don’t leave unless they relocate as part of a Permanent Change of Station or another transition,” Gipson said. “That’s why the waitlist continues to be such a challenge.”
Gipson said staffing shortages further complicate the lack of capacity. While employees in child and youth programs receive childcare discounts as part of their benefits, high turnover remains a major issue.
“Our turnover rate is about 40%,” she said. “And as more service members come in to work in these programs, they’re also bringing their children, which adds to the demand.”
Margaret Lilly, chief of child and youth services at Fort Bragg, said childcare fees are set by the U.S. Department of Defense and standardized across military installations.
“It’s not as though a junior enlisted service member is paying the same rate as someone earning significantly more,” Lilly said. “The policy takes total household income into account.”
While fees are designed to remain affordable, Lilly said cost is not the primary obstacle families face.
“The real issue is capacity,” she said. “We simply don’t have enough available spots to meet demand.”
Infant Care Is Hardest to Secure
Samantha Sliney, the Defense Department Southeast regional liaison, said the child care shortage is most severe for infants and young toddlers.
“Finding a spot for an infant in this area is like an act of Congress,” Sliney said. “I know because I’ve tried to do it myself.”
Sliney said many families are forced to rely on nannies or temporary care arrangements because licensed infant slots are unavailable, particularly for children under age 2.
“Just because there’s availability of centers doesn’t mean there’s availability of spots,” she said.
New Facilities Are Coming
Lilly said Fort Bragg’s new child development center remains under construction. The installation is also exploring additional facilities to expand capacity.
“These projects take time, but the need is real,” she said. “We need the data, the voices, and the continued advocacy so this doesn’t remain just a conversation.”
During public comment at the event, Keith Williams, chief growth officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina, emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between military installations and civilian providers.
“If we’re not coming together to create solutions, then we’re part of the problem,” Williams said.
Sliney urged leaders to rethink how child care is framed altogether.
“This isn’t daycare. We’re not babysitting,” she said. “This is early learning—early development. Those early years are when children learn foundational life skills that set them up for success.”
While Thursday’s roundtable highlighted a range of strategies and partnerships, participants acknowledged that no single solution will fully resolve the childcare shortage facing military families.
For now, families continue to navigate long waitlists, limited infant care options, and staffing shortages—even as new facilities and policies move forward.