The Determinants of Child Care Use and Retention in the U.S. Army

This report examines the use of Army child care facilities and their impact on spouses desire for retention and career plans of soldiers. Data from the Annual Survey of Army Families, 1987, for officers and enlisted spouses are analyzed. The results reveal that child care use increases with an increase in spouse employment, soldier rank, volunteer time spent in military or civilian organizations, and number of months spent at a location. Enlisted soldiers use more informal care, such as baby sitting, and officers use more formal care, such as child development centers (CDCs), perhaps because the former cannot afford to pay the fees for the CDCs. The spouses' desire for soldiers' retention increases with an increase in child care used, spouses' satisfaction with Army life, number of dependent children, soldier's age, number of months at current location, and soldier's total years of service.