Childcare is a significant barrier to recruiting and retaining an elite, reliable, resilient, and community-oriented law enforcement workforce. Let's fix that together.
Donatechildcare for law enforcement
The National Law Enforcement Foundation (NLEF) collaborates across philanthropy and government to streamline childcare funding bureaucracy—delivering the targeted support agencies need to recruit and retain officers in the face of a national workforce crisis.
The staffing challenges facing law enforcement today are not just persistent—they’re escalating. According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)’s 2024–2025 Workforce Survey, more than 78% of law enforcement agencies report that recruiting is significantly harder today than it was just five years ago. Agencies are, on average, operating at only 91% of their authorized strength—with midsize and large departments facing the most serious shortages. Despite increased investments in recruitment, the number of qualified applicants remains steady. Nearly 50% of agencies report that their candidate pools have decreased in both size and quality. Over 65% of departments have had to scale back community services or disband specialized units due to inadequate staffing.
PERF’s most recent data reinforces the trend: although hiring has modestly rebounded since 2023, overall staffing remains well below pre-pandemic levels—and the losses from 2020 to 2022 continue to impact operational capacity nationwide. Meanwhile, FOP surveys confirm what officers have long known: staffing shortages and family-life strain rank among the top stressors driving officers to leave the profession early.One of the most overlooked factors contributing to this crisis is childcare. In a major metropolitan police department, 59% of officers reported missing work or being forced to leave a shift due to a childcare conflict. One in five said they had seriously considered leaving the profession altogether because of it.
NLEF is the only organization in the country solely focused on addressing this challenge—by designing, funding, and implementing childcare and early education centers specifically tailored for the law enforcement workforce. With extended hours, discounted tuition, and above-market staff pay, our centers are built around the realities of the job—and proven to increase both retention and recruiting ROI.
We don’t just make the case for childcare—we deliver it as a frontline solution to one of the most urgent workforce crises in public safety. The future of law enforcement depends on clearing these barriers—and NLEF is leading the way.
PERF’s most recent data reinforces the trend: although hiring has modestly rebounded since 2023, overall staffing remains well below pre-pandemic levels—and the losses from 2020 to 2022 continue to impact operational capacity nationwide. Meanwhile, FOP surveys confirm what officers have long known: staffing shortages and family-life strain rank among the top stressors driving officers to leave the profession early.One of the most overlooked factors contributing to this crisis is childcare. In a major metropolitan police department, 59% of officers reported missing work or being forced to leave a shift due to a childcare conflict. One in five said they had seriously considered leaving the profession altogether because of it.
NLEF is the only organization in the country solely focused on addressing this challenge—by designing, funding, and implementing childcare and early education centers specifically tailored for the law enforcement workforce. With extended hours, discounted tuition, and above-market staff pay, our centers are built around the realities of the job—and proven to increase both retention and recruiting ROI.
We don’t just make the case for childcare—we deliver it as a frontline solution to one of the most urgent workforce crises in public safety. The future of law enforcement depends on clearing these barriers—and NLEF is leading the way.
Child care in law enforcement must be a priority to make policing accessible to all.
law enforcement is in crisis
America’s traditional childcare services need to meet the needs of the modern workforce and the unique needs of law enforcement.
Current accessibility and affordability obstruct law enforcement families from utilizing traditional childcare centers. The lack of affordable, flexible, and quality childcare impacts our economy and society. And when it keeps cops off the streets, it even affects our safety.
78%
of agencies reported having difficulty in recruiting qualified candidates
65%
of agencies reported having too few candidates applying to be law enforcement officers
75%
of agencies reported that recruiting is more difficult today than it was five years ago
50%
of agencies reported having to change agency policies in order to increase the chances of gaining qualified applicants
25%
of agencies reported having to reduce or eliminate certain agency services, units, or positions because of staffing difficulties
Less than
13%
of full-time police officers in the U.S. are women.
1 in 5
officers consider leaving their jobs altogether because of childcare stresses.
59%
of officers reported leaving or missing work because of childcare concerns.
Restoring Respect for Law Enforcement: A Bold Plan to Strengthen America's Police
For too long, policing has been demoralized, defunded, and disrespected, and the result has been nothing short of a national crisis. Morale has plummeted, retirements and resignations have skyrocketed, and strong, capable officers—both men and women—can't be promoted. Recruitment and retention numbers are in freefall, which means our communities are less safe.
NLEF is taking action. We recognize the tremendous challenges facing modern police agencies, and we're launching unprecedented initiatives to restore pride in the profession, rebuild our workforce, and give officers the tools they need to succeed. We must recruit and retain the best men and women in uniform to keep America safe. But that won't happen if we keep doing things the old, broken way.
That's why we're implementing fundamental, measurable, police-led reforms not weak, feel-good policies, but bold, results-driven strategies. We need to cut through red tape, eliminate barriers, and make policing a career that top talent aspires to once again.
One major issue we are tackling head-on is childcare. Officers should never have to choose between protecting their communities and taking care of their families. Childcare must be a priority not an afterthought so that policing is accessible, sustainable, and a profession of strength
Learn more about the issuesFor too long, policing has been demoralized, defunded, and disrespected, and the result has been nothing short of a national crisis. Morale has plummeted, retirements and resignations have skyrocketed, and strong, capable officers—both men and women—can't be promoted. Recruitment and retention numbers are in freefall, which means our communities are less safe.
NLEF is taking action. We recognize the tremendous challenges facing modern police agencies, and we're launching unprecedented initiatives to restore pride in the profession, rebuild our workforce, and give officers the tools they need to succeed. We must recruit and retain the best men and women in uniform to keep America safe. But that won't happen if we keep doing things the old, broken way.
That's why we're implementing fundamental, measurable, police-led reforms not weak, feel-good policies, but bold, results-driven strategies. We need to cut through red tape, eliminate barriers, and make policing a career that top talent aspires to once again.
One major issue we are tackling head-on is childcare. Officers should never have to choose between protecting their communities and taking care of their families. Childcare must be a priority not an afterthought so that policing is accessible, sustainable, and a profession of strength
who we are and what we do
We are not simply providing childcare or tax credits. We are overhauling the accessibility and affordability of childcare through representation, legislation, and fundraising.
Accessibility
Childcare facilities exclusively for law enforcement with extended hours that supports shift work and holidays
Affordability
Half the market-rate of tuition and 20% pay increase for teachers
partnership
A coalition of philanthropic, corporate, and public leaders aligned to support and improve law enforcement
success stories
The National Law Enforcement Foundation cuts through the childcare funding bureaucracy to assist agencies in accessing the resources to create their childcare program to address the recruiting and retention crisis impacting every city and state in the country.
Learn about our national effortsWe're bringing childcare to law enforcement all across the nation.
Click on a location to learn more about our efforts to create coalitions and educate law enforcement leaders and elected officials that there is a model that NLEF customizes to bring childcare and early childhood education funding to law enforcement agencies.
