Among the membership the Association for Health Professionals, the majority of us must juggle the complicated balance between work and our families. If you are not included, then you are probably in the planning stages of starting a family or have a close friend or family member with the same struggles. In fact, there are currently 30 million working families in the United States (Stoltzfus, 2015). While significant strides have been made in fostering a more diverse family friendly environment, many employers of those we represent are still lagging strongly behind. Only 39 percent of workers have access to employer-sponsored dependent care reimbursement accounts, and only 11 percent have access to workplace-funded childcare (Stoltzfus, 2015). …show more content…
While one could argue that offering child care is a socially responsible policy (Watterson, 2017), companies only worried about the bottom-line have plenty rationale to implement child care benefits. First, employer-sponsored child care reduces employee absences by 20-30 percent and reduce turnover by nearly two-thirds. These absences are as high as 13 days a year for a parent of an elementary aged child. Consequently, a business with 250 employees can save roughly $75,000 a year by providing child care benefits. Overall, U.S. companies lose $3 billion annually due to child care related absences (Why Should Employers Care, n.d.). The benefits of child care do not just stop at decreasing absences. Child care issues are a major stressor on employees and decreases productivity. In fact, 49 percent of employers that offered child care benefits reported boosted employee productivity (Why Should Employers Care, …show more content…
So, what is holding companies back from providing this seemingly no-brainer service? Unfortunately, companies that attempt to provide in-house child care services run into obstacles including local regulations, hiring child care providers, and increased liability with subsequent higher insurance premiums (Moran, 2016). Fortunately, there are several solutions employers can utilize to mitigate these issues. There are several tax credits that include up to 25 percent of the child care facility’s expenditures and 10 percent off resources up to $150,000. Companies also do not have to enter in-house child care on their own. Companies can contract with child care service providers that handle all operation and compliance issues (Moran, 2016). In-house child care is not the only solution. Employers also have the option of negotiating special rates with independent child care centers. Additionally, employers can contribute pre-tax child care subsidies per child up to $5000 for their employees. Providing in-house child care has the further benefit of causing very little change in an organization’s business and internal structure. However, organizations that are in a position to do so can alter their organizational structure to better accommodate a family friendly work place. Companies can allow flexible
Some families are not able to provide childcare when they need it for their kid(s). “The cost and the scarcity of day care have helped create what sociologist Joya Misra calls “the motherhood penalty”” (Quart). Some families have to have only one income so that one parent could stay home to watch the kid(s). Single parents have to move in with their parents for help because they can not afford the care. People should not have to quit their jobs to take care of their kids when there are multiple daycare facilities.
The Kaiser Child Care Centers were established during the World War II by the Kaiser company for their female workers and were operated 24 hours a day. The Kaiser Company built these facilities in the shipyards so that the working mothers wouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their children and would be motivated to work more. Not only did these centers provide care for the children, they also provided the children with medical attention, and hot meals. We currently have centers like these now. Most centers now a days take care of children day-to-day so their parents can go to work and sustain their families without having to worry about their safety and well-being. These centers left an enormous legacy and demonstration of quality child
Over the past five to six decades women have been entering the workforce in ever increasing numbers. Some enter because of financial need and others for professional and career goals. Whatever the reason, the result for the children is the same; they are in daycare. Many
An increase in baby booming makes it tougher for working parents to find daycare. The facts prove that having children come with a true price. Even so it doesn’t change the issues of finding child care or makes them go away. When parents work, quality child care is a necessity. And it does not come cheap. For families with more than one child, child care can eat up one salary, leaving parents wondering both working is worth it. When thinking of child care there are some options to consider like choosing a child care center, the costs of child care centers, and waiting lists.
In fact, recent studies have shown that the cost of daycare in some states has exceeded the average tuition and fees of a public college. The cost per week per child is at its all-time high for childcare and that it’s making it hard for parents. Paying $100-$350 a week for childcare sounds outrageous. The cost of having an infant child in most states is higher than having a 6 year old. Most childcare facilities charge families by the kids’ ages, the younger the child, the higher the cost. Honestly, daycare facilities are making a killing because people are having babies that need care, but they have to go back to work to support their family. Some parents are concerned about their kids spending so much time in daycare “on average, children spend over 35 hours a week in child care (Aguliar).” People may argue that 35 hours a week is too long for a child to be in care, but honestly it isn’t, as long as the kids are all
Also, companies save $150,000 to $250,000 in wages after a study was conducted between two companies (Employer-sponsored day care can be profitable, new study shows). In addition, corporations can us flex spending accounts to manage the cost of onsite childcare facilities by using pre-tax dollars for the child care (Offering child care as benefit?: pros and cons). There is a program by Congress called the “Childcare Credit” better known today as the “Right Start Child Care,” which provides employers a credit of 25% of the employers qualified child care expenses. It also guarantees the employer 10% credit of qualified child referral cost. The cost covers building or operating expenses, training of child care facility; and an outside day care facility to the company’s employees (Connell,
On-Site daycares would also be more time efficient for employees as they and their children will be going to one destination, opposed to travelling a further distance to drop of their kids before arriving at work. Dually this also compliments time effectiveness because employees can work later hours without the inconvenience of having to leave early to retrieve their child from a further daycare facility. In cases such as illness for the child, it also saves time for the company and the worker for the employee to be able to take their child from work to a hospital or other destination without the extra travelling.
The costs of this expansion will mostly go toward labor, as labor is the single largest component of costs for early infant and toddler care centers (Marshall et al., 2004). For teachers to stay invested in the children they teach and care for, they must be fairly compensated to maintain the high quality of care. According to a study in Massachusetts, 72 percent of typical full-time, full-year center expenditures go toward labor (Marshall, et al., 2004). In dollar amounts, “average expenditures per child care hour were $4.42 for centers serving infants and $4.28 for centers serving toddlers. These correspond to full-time care expenditures of $10,343 and $10,015 for the two groups of centers [infants and toddlers, respectively]”
The on-site after school care program could be expanded to accept children from a younger age. These benefits can produce a win-win solution resulting in loyal, satisfied employees that will improve the company’s
Americans that work too many long shifts affect the lives of the people around them too. For instance, one statistic from a Family Matters Survey done by The National Partnership for Women & Families in 1998 found that, “70% of working fathers and working mothers report they don’t have enough time for their children”.Another statistic from this survey reported that over 80% of Americans found it diffcult to balance their work life and their personal life. In fact, it is estimated that around 11 million children age 5 and under spend time in a form child care facility every week(Child Care Aware of America). It is also estimated that children whose
It is becoming more common for corporations to provide daycare facilities as a fringe benefit for their employees. What has evaluative research found regarding the costs and benefits of these facilities?
The Urban Institute published a case study that promotes the creation of national paid family leave policy in the United States. In the study, it is shown that this issue has been debated countless times in the past. George H.W. Bush even vetoed an unpaid family leave act during his presidency. This displays the struggles of enacting policy relating to this issue. The lack of a national paid family leave program in the US has left working mothers with three options: “return to work immediately after childbirth, quit employment, or take unpaid leave” (Urban Institute, 2017, p.3). The issue with these options include, loss of pay, unemployment, or the lack of parental presence in a child’s early development. Moreover, although some private companies offer paid leave, less educated and lower income mother have little access to this paid leave, which exacerbates their financial instability, keeping them in a lower societal class. This study found that not only is the current system is inadequate, but it is also inequitable, which causes financial hardships across the nation. According to the study, there has even been a 32% decrease in income after childbirth. Although this is the current situation, some states have enacted a statewide paid family leave program, which displays
Goodnight told Russo, “We can’t lose those people; we’re too small a company.” At a time when the mere notion of a day-care center at work seemed silly, and when many huge companies would have considered the idea frivolous at best, Jim Goodnight decided that his tiny company was too small not to have a day care. If
While there are some caregiver’s that are only in the human service field to earn a paycheck and with the lack of parental involvement in their child’s life, it can make a caregiver’s job more challenging. Daycare centers serve as a stepping stone for a child’s future that will teach them how to establish appropriate skills and aid in the development of their cognitive abilities. Positive child interactions not only aid in the development of social and cognitive development, but also in the child’s self-esteem and it lets them know they are important and loved.
When families need child care for their children, it is important they get the child care that they need. Children who have spent more time in a child care have results from their experience. They will more likely show results including better math and reading scores, and social skills as well.