The Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act would establish a pilot program to provide child care services for police officers to accommodate their work hours and enhance officer recruitment and retention
Today, standing with law enforcement officials, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called for the passage of the Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act. The bipartisan bill would provide $24 million in federal funding for each of the next 5 fiscal years to establish a pilot child care services program to support law enforcement families.
“Law enforcement is one of the most critical components of keeping communities safe, and police officers should not have to choose between taking care of their children and staying in the police force,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Providing child care options will open the professional door to aspiring police officers who do not want to worry about child care while also providing stability to current officers struggling to find child care options.”
The Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act would establish a grant pilot program to provide child care services for the children of police officers to accommodate the shift work and abnormal work hours of the officers, and to enhance recruitment and retention of the workforce. Specifically, the bill authorizes $24 million in funding for each of the next 5 fiscal years and allows for grants of up to $3 million to individual law enforcement agencies or consortia to establish child care programs for their police personnel. In addition, to ensure parents employed by smaller police departments receive support, 20% of the total grant funding will be set aside for law enforcement agencies employing fewer than 200 officers.
Police officers often work extended hours on a nontraditional schedule. In a recent survey, more than 70% of law enforcement agencies reported that recruitment is more difficult now than five years ago, and at one major metropolitan police department, more than half of officers reported having to leave or miss work due to child care issues. This issue disproportionately impacts women, who make up less than 14% of sworn officers and 4% of police chiefs. Senator Gillibrand’s bill would help increase public safety by reducing barriers to a career in law enforcement and by ensuring the best talent is recruited into our police departments.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) cosponsors this bill in the Senate and Representative Scott Peters (D-CA-50) leads the bill in the House of Representatives.
“I thank Senator Gillibrand on her efforts to reintroduce this legislation,” said Mayor Dan Mandell of Elmira. “If passed, this legislation would immensely benefit those police officers with children who struggle to find child care due to their diverse work hours.”
“Funding for law enforcement child care ensures that whatever the circumstance — but especially in the most dire of circumstance — they can protect and defend without the distraction of concern for the wellness of their own children moment to moment, and fully concentrate on providing the utmost safety for all of the community, secure in the knowledge that their own family is safe and being well cared for,” said Chemung County Legislator Brent Stermer.
This legislation is supported by the following organizations: 30×30, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), International Union of Police Associations (IUPA), National Asian Peace Officers Association (NAPOA), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA), International Association of Chiefs of Police, Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police, New York State Association of Chief of Police, AFSCME, and Third Way.
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