County Issue / Child Care :...

Dawn McKee, Child care program manager, Patagonia

As a working mom, the biggest issue is trying to find quality day care. If we’re going to be competitive as a country or a business, we will need children who are self-confident, and that’s not going to happen if babies aren’t well taken care of from the start. I don’t think all companies should necessarily provide on-site child care. I know it’s awfully expensive to set up. Instead, they can create a family day-care network. We have a network of child-care providers that we refer employees to after an extensive screening process. We monitor the homes, and provide them with training and resources. Other viable options for companies include educating parents on how to find quality day care and having a coordinator to assist working parents. Children are our most precious natural resource, and we need to start taking care of them. Otherwise, we’re going to have to take care of the problems later on.

Evie Bystrom-Herrera, Executive director, Camarillo Chamber of Commerce

Providing child care for employees’ children attracts a longer-term employee. It is a real benefit in this day and age, and it shows that employers are thinking of their workers. But the tendency to legislate child care is a mistake. It’s been proven that employers who offer child care have fewer absences in their company, longer-term employees and better attitudes among their employees. The concept of job sharing is a valuable thing employers can look at. But I hesitate to see child care mandated by government. There are ways employers can be encouraged by government to provide child care, for example, through tax incentives. I’d like to see child care provided as an incentive program for the employers so it would be a benefit to them, and maybe there would be certain requirements on employees, such as a long-term commitment.

Larry Mortensen, State manager of human resources, GTE California

In my opinion, the most important thing for companies to do is develop a corporate culture that provides employees the flexibility necessary to balance their work and family obligations. We are implementing policies and taking advantage of programs to ensure flexibility, which includes flex time, telecommuting, compressed work schedules, flexible holiday and vacation scheduling, temporary shift trades and family-care leaves. We encourage at-work phone contact with latchkey children, and we accept part-time work requests for parents. In our case, being a multi-site business, we provide resource and referral services for both child and elder care in place of an on-site child-care facility. We want to remain competitive by retaining the best-quality employees possible, and many such employees are parents. We see it not only as an ethical issue but a good business practice.

Maggie Erickson Kildee, Ventura County supervisor

For a number of years, the county of Ventura has encouraged employers to provide child care for their employees. The Ventura County Commission for Women did a study several years ago, and one of the key points of the study was that employers would save money in the long run by providing child care in some fashion, either through an on-site child-care center or nearby child care. The key seemed to be the ability of employees to work better. Their minds were clearer, and they were able to be at work instead of at home with their child. The county of Ventura has attempted to provide child-care resources for its employees, including a child-care center for children with mild illnesses. As we move into the ‘90s, I believe this is an issue employers will need to face in attracting employees into their work force.

Brian Kearsey, Teacher, G. T. Water Products’ company-run school

Our main thrust is with improving the educational system. We were finding that the public schools weren’t taking the initiative to change the old methods, and we had to take things into our own hands to help the kids build a better world. Our nation was built on individual liberties and creativity. The very word “educate” means to draw out, not to stuff in, and we feel the workplace is the ideal place for a school. We start with basic reading and arithmetic and won’t compromise on the basics, but we go way beyond that. It’s definitely a win-win situation for everyone involved once the commitment is made. I think more companies should establish company-run schools. The kids love it, the parents love it, and productivity is up. People are happier. There is a sense of community and family at the workplace. We’ve done some research on the cost of establishing a school, and if anyone is interested, they can feel free to contact us.