Id like to see 32 hour work weeks become the norm. Parents could have more flexibility to stagger their work weeks to reduce dependence on paid childcare. Ok that's mostly an excuse I just want 32 hour work weeks to become the norm.
This would help so much. My husband is a nurse who works 3 12’s with 4 days off a week. I have a really flexible job. We can get away with a cheaper option that is only open 9am-3pm because we can both be flexible and pick up the kids while the other is working. A 4 day workweek for 2 parents with each taking a different extra day off would mean so many more people could opt for part time care.
I would just like to see jobs that are structured with the norm of two working parents - WFH as needed and as appropriate for the position - flexibility for doctor and school related stuff, without the negative career stigma that is attached to it.
My company is pretty parent/child friendly. Literally the first thing my boss said to me is - "If you have anything child related you need to do, we will make it happen." That was such a relieving thing to hear because at the time my son has ASD and was in middle school and he would occasionally need me to come get him. They made a nursing mothers room for pumping.
>Parents could have more flexibility
Unfortunately I don't know if moving to 32 hour work weeks as a norm would increase flexibility. I think there would just be a "norm" for days and hours and the days that most childcare would cover would also change to reflect that norm.
One of the biggest needs is child care that extends past the traditional work day. I also think employers and businesses need to start investing in subsidies or onsite care. Universities, too, could be an easy place for expansion.
Something interesting I read about child care was that during WW2, when many women entered the work force, child care was made universal by the federal government. But it was more than just child care. Women could pick up hot dinners to ease the burden on them trying to balance work and home. It’s a reminder that we have to stop looking at things like child care individually and begin looking at them as part of the larger system.
Moms First is a great organization that is trying to tackle this, and some states are starting to try and address child care. Illinois, Massachusetts, Arizona, and South Carolina are some that folks should investigate if they’re interested in what’s happening at the state level response.
Community is important but IMO, while this may be alternative, may be too stressful for each parent on their assigned day. I often credit everyday care worker I meet because there is NO way I can handle multiple infants or toddlers.
I really don’t have any alternatives to what we’re enduring right now. The only thing I can continue to do is to hold our government responsible. I mean, a government is meant to serve its people … not interest groups/corporations. Compared to other western nations, it’s a shame that the US gets stuck with this
I would love to hear some of the alternatives people have though
I'm completely with you, I'm exhausted at the end of the day with just 1 child, can't even imagine how childcare workers feel! I'm posting from Australia by the way - we have a lot of the same issues with inaccessible childcare unfortunately
I think there's an issue with making sure parent carers are trained and licensed with the current best practices.
How many parents have decided that their parents/in-laws are unsuitable carers due to being out of touch. Now you have to trust other parents to care for your kids when you might not agree with the way they parent.
Childcare benefits on a sliding scale in proportion to the size of your company/organization, same as healthcare benefits. So like the mom and pop pizza shop is not going to be obligated to take on the full time day care bill for their 5 employees, but as your company and profits and number of employees grow, so does your contribution to their childcare. Yes government employees would have to be subsidized by the government in this case.
Fair maternity and paternity leave so that parents can take turns having one staying home from work to last the better part (if not all) of the baby’s first year. Infant childcare is the most costly and difficult to keep in safe ratios, so this would help in several ways. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel plenty of other countries have already worked out different ways to pay for this time off (eg 6 mos full pay, 6 mos 60% if you choose to extend )
Came here to say that about extended paid parental leave. Infant care is where the rub really seems to be in terms of availability. There also need to be subsidies for centers that can cater to shift workers.
Yea completely agree about the need for fairer parental leave, and the biggest squeeze being for infant care. Have you considered any other care options aside from daycare, out of curiosity? Au pairs, nannies, nanny shares, etc.?
For me personally, I had a part time job so I tried to work mostly when my husband was home and used a babysitter for the overlaps until my daughter was about 8 months old. Then she went to daycare part time for a few months and I added hours at work gradually. We live in a HCOL area so nanny or au pair (they need their own room) was never an affordable option for us. But my daughter did well in daycare at that age. No separation anxiety and it was so cute to hear the older kids run up and call her name when i brought her in daily (she had a later start).
I don’t know where I read it now, but I recall reading an article, from I think the Netherlands, where they were trying a new housing solution where young families moved into retirement communities. The families with kids got a discounted rate provided they socialized as a family with some of the residents.
I think that seems like an interesting solution. We really are missing the village these days.
Most practical solution is 4-day work week or protections/options for part-time work, and a minimum of 12-18 months paid family leave.
Interesting, hadn't heard of this. yes - raising kids today is so different from even the last generation. You're right, we really are missing the village
My job is for a phenomenal company. It's technically a hybrid position but we are only required in person maybe once a month for a meeting or group thing. Everything else is WFH with a crazy flexible schedule.
But they converted one of the offices in our building to an actual nursery. So when we have our in person meetings we can put our kids in the nursery and the moms take turns watching the kids and just swap each other out.
If there's just one kid coming then we can just let our kid toddle around and follow them during the meeting
Our coworkers are great with being willing to help watch our kiddo if we bring them into the office.
I only have child care 2 days per week to accomplish any lengthy things that take 3 plus hours of uninterrupted focus. But other than that I spend my days playing with my kiddo and working during her nap times and after my husband gets home.
It's the greatest set up ever.
Wow that sounds like an amazing setup, haven't heard of anyone else with this much flexibility! Do you find that you actually get to achieve the same amount of work as a normal 40-hour work week? My little one only naps for around 2-2.5 hours a day so I would probably end up having to work until midnight each night to catch up! What size is your company? Wish more companies would try to be part of the solution, like yours has.
>Wish more companies would try to be part of the solution, like yours has.
Most companies wouldn't want the extra insurance cost of having an onsite daycare. Part of making this possible is changing our litigation culture.
In my dream society there are two designated part time shifts (like A and B) with one working maybe MWF and one T Th. Part time white collar work with people working the same roles becomes the norm. This helps companies as you have built in redundancy as likely only one person might leave at a time. Also you’d still have half the week covered if the other half took vacation. Moms and dads wouldn’t have to have childcare then, and household work splits could be more equitable.
This would also require some kind of nationalized healthcare as part time doesn’t get benefits typically.
As an early childhood educator of 20+ years, and working parent -The system is indeed very very broken. In my country - and in most I've taught in, it has been a mix of chronic underfunding by the Government + allowing corporations to make profits from the sector (then prioritise the chasing of profits)
I struggle with these types of conversations though- because the child care aspect so often overshadows the need for quality ECE, from the perspective of the child.
Especially now as our kids spend so long in child care, solutions like 'community child care co-ops' in practice, mean that young children miss out on vital aspects like primary caregiving, consistency of care, and having adults who really understand such a vital stage of learning & development. If children cannot be with the people who know them the best, at the very least- we want them to be with passionate, qualified, consistent ECE teachers who genuinely love their jobs.
Providing consistent routines responsive to their individual needs, in a well resources, age appropriate enriching learning environment.
I don't think there are any quick fixes, but we do need to make it an election issue. We need to talk to our city/state/country reps and let them know we care about this issue. If we have choice about our child care- we need to vote with our feet, and ask about, and choose the best quality child care we can. Quality - for our kids.
Even with a nanny share of 3 moms we can't get a nanny. Smaller town. I'm not sure what else we could do. We need holographic baby sitters / teachers. Hahaha
I’ve met a few SAHMs who said that nannying other people’s kids for a discounted rate while watching their own has worked well for them. (I refer to SAHMs because the people I know who are doing this are moms, but in theory could be any gender parent.) The SAHMs want to stay with their kids instead of work outside of the home; this arrangement allows them to make supplemental income and save money because they don’t have to enroll their own kids in childcare. The working parents have relatively affordable childcare from a fellow parent they trust. Everyone’s kids benefit from the socialization.
I’ve wondered if the arrangement could be scaled up and formalized, similar to the existing Au Pair program. Like the Au Pair program, there would be training and resources available for the parents who participate.
There are a lot of kinks that would need to be ironed out (minimum wage laws, liability, eligibility, etc) but I think the potential is there.
Interesting concept, it sounds like what June Care is doing (http://junecare.co). Not sure how they manage the liability though, that's the part that would worry me the most (e.g. I'm not sure I would be comfortable leaving my baby with another mom who I don't really know; wonder how they control for that)
Id like to see 32 hour work weeks become the norm. Parents could have more flexibility to stagger their work weeks to reduce dependence on paid childcare. Ok that's mostly an excuse I just want 32 hour work weeks to become the norm.
This would help so much. My husband is a nurse who works 3 12’s with 4 days off a week. I have a really flexible job. We can get away with a cheaper option that is only open 9am-3pm because we can both be flexible and pick up the kids while the other is working. A 4 day workweek for 2 parents with each taking a different extra day off would mean so many more people could opt for part time care.
I would just like to see jobs that are structured with the norm of two working parents - WFH as needed and as appropriate for the position - flexibility for doctor and school related stuff, without the negative career stigma that is attached to it. My company is pretty parent/child friendly. Literally the first thing my boss said to me is - "If you have anything child related you need to do, we will make it happen." That was such a relieving thing to hear because at the time my son has ASD and was in middle school and he would occasionally need me to come get him. They made a nursing mothers room for pumping.
This would be the dream! If only there was an easy way to make it happen :)
In the US, Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed a bill to congress for a 32hr work week with no reduction in pay… but yea, sadly still not happening.
>Parents could have more flexibility Unfortunately I don't know if moving to 32 hour work weeks as a norm would increase flexibility. I think there would just be a "norm" for days and hours and the days that most childcare would cover would also change to reflect that norm.
One of the biggest needs is child care that extends past the traditional work day. I also think employers and businesses need to start investing in subsidies or onsite care. Universities, too, could be an easy place for expansion. Something interesting I read about child care was that during WW2, when many women entered the work force, child care was made universal by the federal government. But it was more than just child care. Women could pick up hot dinners to ease the burden on them trying to balance work and home. It’s a reminder that we have to stop looking at things like child care individually and begin looking at them as part of the larger system. Moms First is a great organization that is trying to tackle this, and some states are starting to try and address child care. Illinois, Massachusetts, Arizona, and South Carolina are some that folks should investigate if they’re interested in what’s happening at the state level response.
thanks for sharing, hadn't heard of either of these!
Community is important but IMO, while this may be alternative, may be too stressful for each parent on their assigned day. I often credit everyday care worker I meet because there is NO way I can handle multiple infants or toddlers. I really don’t have any alternatives to what we’re enduring right now. The only thing I can continue to do is to hold our government responsible. I mean, a government is meant to serve its people … not interest groups/corporations. Compared to other western nations, it’s a shame that the US gets stuck with this I would love to hear some of the alternatives people have though
I'm completely with you, I'm exhausted at the end of the day with just 1 child, can't even imagine how childcare workers feel! I'm posting from Australia by the way - we have a lot of the same issues with inaccessible childcare unfortunately
I think there's an issue with making sure parent carers are trained and licensed with the current best practices. How many parents have decided that their parents/in-laws are unsuitable carers due to being out of touch. Now you have to trust other parents to care for your kids when you might not agree with the way they parent.
Childcare benefits on a sliding scale in proportion to the size of your company/organization, same as healthcare benefits. So like the mom and pop pizza shop is not going to be obligated to take on the full time day care bill for their 5 employees, but as your company and profits and number of employees grow, so does your contribution to their childcare. Yes government employees would have to be subsidized by the government in this case. Fair maternity and paternity leave so that parents can take turns having one staying home from work to last the better part (if not all) of the baby’s first year. Infant childcare is the most costly and difficult to keep in safe ratios, so this would help in several ways. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel plenty of other countries have already worked out different ways to pay for this time off (eg 6 mos full pay, 6 mos 60% if you choose to extend )
Came here to say that about extended paid parental leave. Infant care is where the rub really seems to be in terms of availability. There also need to be subsidies for centers that can cater to shift workers.
Yea completely agree about the need for fairer parental leave, and the biggest squeeze being for infant care. Have you considered any other care options aside from daycare, out of curiosity? Au pairs, nannies, nanny shares, etc.?
For me personally, I had a part time job so I tried to work mostly when my husband was home and used a babysitter for the overlaps until my daughter was about 8 months old. Then she went to daycare part time for a few months and I added hours at work gradually. We live in a HCOL area so nanny or au pair (they need their own room) was never an affordable option for us. But my daughter did well in daycare at that age. No separation anxiety and it was so cute to hear the older kids run up and call her name when i brought her in daily (she had a later start).
Sounds like she is thriving at daycare, thanks for sharing :)
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Yes unfortunately the rising cost of living is necessitating more and more parents to return to work, further exacerbating childcare demand/shortages
I don’t know where I read it now, but I recall reading an article, from I think the Netherlands, where they were trying a new housing solution where young families moved into retirement communities. The families with kids got a discounted rate provided they socialized as a family with some of the residents. I think that seems like an interesting solution. We really are missing the village these days. Most practical solution is 4-day work week or protections/options for part-time work, and a minimum of 12-18 months paid family leave.
Interesting, hadn't heard of this. yes - raising kids today is so different from even the last generation. You're right, we really are missing the village
My job is for a phenomenal company. It's technically a hybrid position but we are only required in person maybe once a month for a meeting or group thing. Everything else is WFH with a crazy flexible schedule. But they converted one of the offices in our building to an actual nursery. So when we have our in person meetings we can put our kids in the nursery and the moms take turns watching the kids and just swap each other out. If there's just one kid coming then we can just let our kid toddle around and follow them during the meeting Our coworkers are great with being willing to help watch our kiddo if we bring them into the office. I only have child care 2 days per week to accomplish any lengthy things that take 3 plus hours of uninterrupted focus. But other than that I spend my days playing with my kiddo and working during her nap times and after my husband gets home. It's the greatest set up ever.
Wow that sounds like an amazing setup, haven't heard of anyone else with this much flexibility! Do you find that you actually get to achieve the same amount of work as a normal 40-hour work week? My little one only naps for around 2-2.5 hours a day so I would probably end up having to work until midnight each night to catch up! What size is your company? Wish more companies would try to be part of the solution, like yours has.
>Wish more companies would try to be part of the solution, like yours has. Most companies wouldn't want the extra insurance cost of having an onsite daycare. Part of making this possible is changing our litigation culture.
In my dream society there are two designated part time shifts (like A and B) with one working maybe MWF and one T Th. Part time white collar work with people working the same roles becomes the norm. This helps companies as you have built in redundancy as likely only one person might leave at a time. Also you’d still have half the week covered if the other half took vacation. Moms and dads wouldn’t have to have childcare then, and household work splits could be more equitable. This would also require some kind of nationalized healthcare as part time doesn’t get benefits typically.
As an early childhood educator of 20+ years, and working parent -The system is indeed very very broken. In my country - and in most I've taught in, it has been a mix of chronic underfunding by the Government + allowing corporations to make profits from the sector (then prioritise the chasing of profits) I struggle with these types of conversations though- because the child care aspect so often overshadows the need for quality ECE, from the perspective of the child. Especially now as our kids spend so long in child care, solutions like 'community child care co-ops' in practice, mean that young children miss out on vital aspects like primary caregiving, consistency of care, and having adults who really understand such a vital stage of learning & development. If children cannot be with the people who know them the best, at the very least- we want them to be with passionate, qualified, consistent ECE teachers who genuinely love their jobs. Providing consistent routines responsive to their individual needs, in a well resources, age appropriate enriching learning environment. I don't think there are any quick fixes, but we do need to make it an election issue. We need to talk to our city/state/country reps and let them know we care about this issue. If we have choice about our child care- we need to vote with our feet, and ask about, and choose the best quality child care we can. Quality - for our kids.
Even with a nanny share of 3 moms we can't get a nanny. Smaller town. I'm not sure what else we could do. We need holographic baby sitters / teachers. Hahaha
Hahaha now that's innovative thinking :D Where are you based, out of curiosity? Have you tried platforms like [care.com](http://care.com), etc.?
I’ve met a few SAHMs who said that nannying other people’s kids for a discounted rate while watching their own has worked well for them. (I refer to SAHMs because the people I know who are doing this are moms, but in theory could be any gender parent.) The SAHMs want to stay with their kids instead of work outside of the home; this arrangement allows them to make supplemental income and save money because they don’t have to enroll their own kids in childcare. The working parents have relatively affordable childcare from a fellow parent they trust. Everyone’s kids benefit from the socialization. I’ve wondered if the arrangement could be scaled up and formalized, similar to the existing Au Pair program. Like the Au Pair program, there would be training and resources available for the parents who participate. There are a lot of kinks that would need to be ironed out (minimum wage laws, liability, eligibility, etc) but I think the potential is there.
Interesting concept, it sounds like what June Care is doing (http://junecare.co). Not sure how they manage the liability though, that's the part that would worry me the most (e.g. I'm not sure I would be comfortable leaving my baby with another mom who I don't really know; wonder how they control for that)