There is a system that is set in place by our society that promises a happy, fulfilling, wealthy lifestyle if you diligently follow a series of steps to get there. Get good grades in school, go to college, get a degree (or a few degrees), buy a car, buy a house, get a job that pays for everything and allows you to live comfortably. The problem is, the jobs that are attained don’t always end up being fulfilling enough to lead to happiness or lucrative enough to cover all of these expenses. Jobs become consuming careers that steal parents from their children, but without those careers, how would they support those children?
The aggravating cycle of never getting where society promised you would
For those who do have the house, car, and job they were always aiming for, they also often have significant amounts of debt and dwindling amounts of free time to spend with their families. In many cases, one income is no longer enough to support a household, and both parents have to be away from the house and kids for work. So where do the kids go as the parents scramble to provide the life that they were supposed to achieve after faithfully following those steps to supposed success? About 23% of parents who work need to use multiple different arrangements for childcare, which can be stressful for parents to arrange, and sometimes difficult for children to adjust to. And on top of that, around 90% of the cost of that childcare is taken on by the parents, potentially putting them even further behind financially.
Why we need more childcare in the workplace
Employers with onsite childcare tend to be viewed as progressive, more desirable to potential employees, and more likely to retain current employees. And there is a strong positive correlation between employers with onsite childcare and workplace productivity as well. When a company provides workplace childcare, employees are more likely to show a higher rate of productivity and they will be less likely to need so many days off. Being a parent is unpredictable, and sometimes there is no avoiding missing work when you need to take care of your child. But with the peace of mind that their child is being cared for nearby, and they can pop in to see him or her if necessary, absenteeism becomes less of an issue.
The financial and educational benefits of workplace childcare
Not only can parents avoid the scramble of finding someone to watch their little ones, they will usually end up saving money if they work for an employer with onsite childcare. Companies will often subsidize the cost of the childcare facility, helping mom and dad to pay for the childcare services. Parents won’t end up shelling out extra when one babysitter or daycare option falls through and they have to find another, and the financial assistance from the employer is a huge help. What’s more, many corporate childcare centers offer early child education programs that will help the child learn. Those very first few years of life, when a child is growing, developing, exploring the world around him or her, and taking everything in, he or she is capable of absorbing so much information, more than they ever will be capable of doing again in their lives! So the programs that offer enriching educational programs are an even bigger plus.
Hopefully there are more and more employers with onsite childcare as society begins to realize that the current setup just is not cutting it, for the parents or the children.
