Last night we had a very informative meeting about childcare in the work place. A group of parents at my place of business are banding together under the guidance of the amazing Myfawny to try and get a better childcare situation for our company's needs. It has always baffled me, even before becoming a parent, that a company of our size, with the wide range of schedule, and that actively recruits from all over the globe, not just the local region, would NOT have some system in place to help with childcare. We don't even have a resource sheet available. There is literally NO HELP from the company, other than fellow parents sharing the knowledge they have gained through independent research.
Come the fuck on.
Every department has people with children. And in today's society, almost all home have two working parents (or in my case one!!!). Even in the situation where there is a parent who stays home with the children, there are going to be times when childcare is needed. Bottom line: At some point, every single employee with children will need the services of a babysitter or daycare facility, why does the company have NO RESOURCES for this?
I'm not even talking about the grand dream of company assistance or even better an on-site childcare facility. I'm talking about starting with a damn piece of paper and an established relationship with some local care providers. One of the ideas brought up at the meeting was finding providers who would give a discount to our employees, like many of the other businesses in town.
I hear all the arguments: insurance, time, money, space, and I think- yeah... but... if other businesses can do it, why can't we?? I see the biggest obstacle being the show schedules and that many of us work late at night. But, why should we all be scrambling to nail down one of the same pool of young adults that cost $10/hr to watch our kids at night. Also, why the hell does it cost so much these days?? When I babysat as a teen, I was happy to get $10-20 for the NIGHT, 3-4 hrs, not just one hour with one (probably sleeping for most of the time) kid. It kills me. Not just from a financial perspective, but from a "what is this world coming to" perspective.
For the most part, I have to admit, I am not entirely affected by this drought. I have an amazing situation for which I am incredibly thankful. However, I do need a backup plan(s) for those times when my normal care is just not available. And it does happen, and in those moments I reach a low level of panic because I have no safety net. I have no reliable resources beyond my friends. This last offseason/early season, I did find two local providers who were wonderful and I know that I can always call them in a pinch. I'm more than happy to pay for good care, and I don't often have to, but I cannot imagine having to fork over the amount of money some other parents do on a regular basis. Seriously it would be close to my ENTIRE salary if Char was in full time care at a standard facility. I just don't even know how people do it. It blows my mind that we as a community cannot find a better way to meet this basic need.
Something that was brought up at the meeting was the attitude of some non-parents. It has been said that people with children would be getting special treatment if they got childcare assistance. To those people I say: Were you never a child? Were you never in daycare? Were you always in the arms of family? Did your parents never struggle to make sure you were properly cared for? Do you like to see your friends struggle? Do you want children to see their parents stressed out? Do you not care about the well being of your company-mates and the future of our world? Have you never been aware of the wonder that children hold, how fast they can internalize the struggles of adults, and how they are immensely affected by the attitude of the community around them? Are you so selfish and self centered that you cannot see that we as an entire company and community will MAKE BETTER ART if this one burden was taken away from some of us? OPEN YOUR EYES AND YOUR HEARTS!!! Be present. Be a part of a change for the better. Be part of a brighter future for the whole community.
I want my daughter to grow up without having to worry about who is taking care of her. I want her to always feel appreciated and loved and looked after no matter where she is. I don't want to have to stress out about money or time or who is taking care of her tonight while I'm at work til 11-12-1-2-whenever. And I want everyone with children to experience the same sense of calm over their childcare situation. I know that is not the case, and I want to change that.
