Having a baby is one thing — when you’re in the afterglow of having that first baby, anything seems possible. The fact is that going back to work and regular life in general is another thing entirely. One of the biggest issues new parents struggle with is finding a daycare that will suit their child’s needs while at the same time suiting their own. Many parents struggle with the idea of sending their child to daycare in the first place. Often, daycare presents the first time that a parent is “separated” from their child for an extended period of time, and this is difficult to get used to. For that matter, many parents and mothers in particular have it in their minds that not staying home with the children makes them bad parents. This is obviously not the case, as many parents not only do send their children to daycare every year, but must. National statistics have indicated that about 80% of children have spent some time in daycare by age four. But childcare isn’t something to be taken lightly. Finding a daycare that is right for your child is a major undertaking. By preparing for this task, you find that choosing a daycare center that is right for you and your child could be easier than it at first seemed — and the right child care program could be closer than you’d think.
The Issues Surrounding Daycare
There are many reasons why finding a daycare is so difficult for many parents. Many of them have to do with logistics and money. While a daycare that is cheap and close to your home may be easy to get to, it won’t necessarily provide the environment you want for your child. Parents don’t just want their children given the bare minimum of attention — they want them stimulated and played with, and genuinely cared for. With American parents assuming about 90% of their child’s daycare costs, a long list of requirements for a daycare can equal a high bill. A nice daycare could be very expensive — or perhaps very far away. A long commute between a daycare center and home or school means a longer day for the parent and child alike, and more money spent on gas. Finding a daycare might start to seem impossible for some parents. Really, the right daycare could be right under their noses — workplace-funded childcare is a solution for thousands of parents each year.
What Is Workplace-Funded Childcare?
As the name suggests, this refers to daycare at one or both of the parents’ workplaces. Daycare at work comes with many different advantages to the parent and the child. For one thing, companies with onsite childcare make it easier for the parent to go to work without making that extra stop. We’ll explore the other benefits below, but a major one that many people are unaware of is that this form of childcare is often at least partially subsidized by the company. By subsidizing corporate childcare facilities, companies eliminate many of the costs associated with daycare for the parents. Whether or not you have children when you get hired, this daycare option could have been a part of your benefits package when you were first hired. If that’s the case, you should certainly take advantage of it — you are by no means settling for less.
What Are The Benefits Of Workplace-Funded Childcare?
The benefits of onsite childcare are manifold, both for the parent and their employer. For one thing, it’s important to remember that these daycare programs are often “outsourced” in a sense. Childcare professionals are caring for your children — not receptionists. The parent is able to quickly be at their child’s side in case of emergency, and for that matter they are able to communicate more directly with the daycare. The company benefits too — such programs have been shown to increase productivity in parent employees. With everyone gaining, what do you have to lose by looking into it?
