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By Ellen Keelan, in collaboration with Windham Child Care Association Permission for publication elsewhere is freely granted, so long as credit is given to Ellen Keelan, Windham Child Care Association, and the Brattleboro Reformer. 4. Child Care in Crisis: Employers increase efforts to keep parents on the job Melissa Herriot has all the tools she needs to keep the clients she serves at Windham Insurance satisfied. Her networked computer ensures that the information she provides is up-to-the-minute. Her private phone line gives customers instant access to her specialized attention. And, inspired by the technology at her fingertips, she's even managing to get around to a few extra projects in her free moments. A typical day at the office? Not quite. Melissa just had her first baby. She's working at home. "It's just as if she's sitting at her desk," says Joyce Morin, the company's owner. "It's been nothing but a win-win situation." As low unemployment forces businesses to scramble for qualified workers, employers are increasingly eager to accommodate the needs of working parents. "Workforce issues are currently the biggest issue for employers -- bigger than taxes or obtaining new customers," says Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Kevin McElhinney. "There are a lot of good employees available who haven't been able to take positions due to child care issues. They may have the skills and desire, but if you can't make good child care arrangements, you can't take the job. And how productive are you going to be sitting at a desk or working on a production line when you're worrying about your children?" McElhinney has reason to be concerned. Vermont has a higher percentage of women with youngest children under six in its workforce than any other state in the country -- 75% at last count -- and in Windham County, as throughout the nation, the demand for child care far outstrips supply. Employers are recognizing that helping parents isn't just a good deed -- it's good business. "Employees often don't feel that it's professional to talk with their boss or their human resources director about their child care problems," says Windham Child Care Association's Advocacy Initiative Coordinator, Kim Friedman, who has been working with McElhinney to build a link between employers and local child care resources. "And we never know to what extent people turn down jobs because they haven't been able to find a reasonable child care arrangement. We need to do more work with employers, especially CEOs, so that they understand the connection between a strong early childhood education system and healthy economic development." That connection is starting to be made, thanks to the Small Steps Campaign, a cooperative effort of the Chamber and Windham Child Care Association. Beginning this fall, the campaign will honor local employers who support parents' needs. McElhinney hopes to encourage businesses to come up with innovative solutions that will keep working parents on the job. "Businesses are looking at job share programs, flexible benefit plans, and options for employees to use their own sick days to stay home with a sick child," says McElhinney. "These are the small steps we want to recognize." One such local business is the Mary Meyer corporation, whose offices and warehouse are often filled with children coloring quietly in the corner or reading in the employee cafeteria "A couple of times a year we send out a note reminding employees that if there's an overlap between the time school gets out and they get out of work, they can have their child come here," says Vicki Dunn, director of operations. "You look out of the window in the afternoon when the school bus stops out front, and a whole pile of kids get out at Mary Meyer." Unplanned child care needs, such as snow days, illnesses, or changes in schedules are accommodated informally. "One employee is working three days here and two days at home. When she had child care problems and needed to bring her baby here, we had a crib set up." Flexible scheduling helps. "Some people come in a little bit late to accommodate child care schedules. And people know that it's acceptable to take vacation, personal or unpaid time for child-related activities, so they don't have to cheat or sneak." Helping families comes naturally to Mary Meyer, whose president, Kevin Meyer, is a father of five. In fact, more and more businesses are run by people who understand the demands of child-rearing firsthand. "The CEOs are slowly becoming aware of these issues because many of them are parents themselves," says McElhinney. "That's how it came onto the radar screen at the Chamber -- we're all parents, so it's an issue we can relate to." But, despite their willingness, some businesses just can't afford to work around parents' schedules, says McElhinney. "The time comes when you need that person on the job at that time, and that's hard to get around." For those companies, financial assistance programs such as flexible spending accounts and tax-free dependent care assistance help employees cover child care costs. For large companies, there's yet another option. Though costly, on-site child care remains a surefire way for employees to streamline work and parenting. "The greatest thing about on-site care is having the parents right there," says Mary Field, director of Mulberry Bush, an early education center at the Brattleboro Retreat. "Parents can drop in during the day and eat lunch with their children. Mothers of infants can come in and nurse. If a child doesn't feel well, we can contact a parent and they can be here in a minute. And parents don't have to extend their day another two hours to drop off and pick up their children." Because the Retreat offers its benefits package to Mulberry Bush employees, Field has an edge when it comes to recruiting and retaining teachers -- a big plus in an understaffed field. It's another advantage that translates into better services for employees and their children -- and another way that family-friendly policies enhance much more than the bottom line. "One of the problems with the business community is that it doesn't tell its own story well enough," says McElhinney. "When people come up with answers, we encourage them to share them, and we'll do our best to tell their story to as wide an audience as possible." | |||
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