EASY TO IMPLEMENT OPTIONS |
| Offer resource and referral services |
Educate employees about their child care choices in the community
and provide referrals to programs with openings. |
| Parenting seminars |
Organize informational meetings on parenting issues and child care
concerns. |
| Caregiver fairs |
Arrange for local service providers to distribute information about
their programs. |
| Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAPs) |
A mechanism that allows for employees to pay for their child care
with pre-tax dollars. There is a savings to the employer, although
the subsidy is actually paid for by the government. |
| In-kind contributions |
With the donation of equipment, supplies or expertise from the
company, local child care services can receive needed support. |
| Public awareness |
The use of corporate involvement can help bring attention to
important child care issues. Employer representatives can serve
on community-wide
task forces, testify at hearings and publicize child care issues
at professional meetings. |
MID-RANGE OPTIONS |
| Vouchers |
The employer pays for a portion of child care expenses. |
| Discounts |
The employer arranges for employees to be charged a reduced rate
at programs of the employer's choosing. |
| Corporate Funds |
A corporate set-aside for making grants to local organizations
that agree to provide access to employees. These are not philanthropic
dollars. |
| Corporate Contributions |
Grants to local organizations to generally improve the supply or
quality of child care at the local, state, or national level. |
| Support a local child care center |
Through a grant or contract, a local child care center can accept
funds from a company or a group of companies (as in a consortium
arrangement) in exchange for priority enrollment/reduced fees for
employees of the contributing company. |
| Create or support a family child care network |
Provide funds to a body representing a group of family child care
homes who will provide slots to employees' children. This is particularly
helpful to firms whose employees work evenings or weekends, or who
have infants. |
| Create or support after-school care |
An employer can help start a program in the community or schools
to serve the needs of 6 - 13 year olds before and after-school. |
| Create or support a vacation/holiday program |
Make a program available that serves children when school is out,
including summer vacations. |
MORE COMPLEX OPTIONS |
| Sponsor near or on-site child care center(s) |
A center can be owned or operated by the company, owned by the
company and managed by a third party, or owned and operated by a
subcontractor or grantee. The center is primarily for the employees
of the sponsoring company. |
| Create or support backup or emergency care |
Make a program available that serves children when their regular
care arrangements have fallen through or when there is an emergency. |
| Create or support a sick child care program |
Make a program available for mildly-ill children, either as part
of an existing child care center, a hospital, a free-standing program
near work or in the community, or as an in-home program where qualified
people are sent into the child's home. |
Developed by the Families and Work Institute, 330 Seventh
Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001, (212) 465 2044.
