Corporate child care

Corporate child care is a specific form of child care sponsored or managed by an employer.^[1] It may be a perk or a part of the corporate social responsibility policy of the company. It can provide the working parents with an opportunity to find work-life balance. The corporations sponsor child care as it may increase employee loyalty, decrease maternity leaves and improve on-job concentration.^[2]

Scope

Companies have started corporate child care schemes for the young Generation Y employees, many of whom aspire to establish a work-life balance while pursuing a career and gaining money. Many working parents face challenges such as lack of free places in public pre-schools, inappropriate schedule, expensive services of private child care and preschools, low quality of services or little time spending with a child. The corporate child care programs intend to address these issues. Such a program may cover the following:

• The company provides new child care places for children
• Timetable is adjusted to parents working hours
• The company can cover all the expenses or share them with parents
• Better quality (due to recruitment system, ongoing education, teachers’ development)
• More time to spend with children (during the transfer time)

Realization Model

Each program provides children with appropriative development environment and education model designed by high-qualified teachers

• Nido environment from 0 up to 1 year old
• Corporate child center for children 0–3 years old
• Corporate kindergarten/center for children 3–6 years old
• Back-up care for children 0–3 и 3–6 years old
• Corporate children camp for children of different ages (from 3 up to 14) for holidays

Possible benefits

• Increased loyalty of all employees
• Qualification maintenance of employees during the maternity leave
• Reduced employee absenteeism
• Decreased healthcare costs
• Increased employee productivity
• Strengthened image of caring and responsible employer
• Developed family-oriented corporate culture
• Cost saved on recruiting and training new employees

References

1. John Hoops; Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency; Policy/Action Institute (1986). Corporate child care initiatives: the potential for employer involvement in child care programs. TEE, Inc. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
2. Janet Rosenstock; Eva M. Rosenstock (1985). Child Care. Methuen. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-458-99650-6. Retrieved 13 December 2012.