Childcare break down. It could happen to anyone. March break, Christmas break, snow days and PD days — it can be a working parents nightmare. Even if you have a reliable caregiver, what if they call in sick? What if you have to work late hours and your daycare is closed? With more and more parents choosing to juggle work and family and/or those relying on two incomes, finding childcare is at the top of the things to do list.
Corporations are paying attention to childcare issues and how they can effect their employees — they have no choice. Health Care Canada estimates one in four Canadians working at larger organizations experiences high levels of conflict between work and family — and that's the best case scenario. And so what's a business to do? They make it easier for employees to come to work, stay at work and worry less about how their child is taken care. One way to do that is to provide their families with dependable flexible and guaranteed childcare.
Kids & Company, which opens child-care centres on behalf of corporations, has just opened its third location in Nova Scotia, and it's 45th in Canada. It's selling point is the flexiblity and the guarantee.
"We can even guarantee a space for infants," said Kids & Company VP of operations Sue Purser. "That way the parent can enjoy their maternity leave knowing they have retention benefit"
Rebecca Rowe had heard good things about Kids & Company from friends in Toronto.
"For us it's the flexibility," said Rowe who will be going back to work full-time when her daughter turns one . "My husband is a pilot and we'll use it based around his schedule."
Kids & Company is unique in that it doesn't just offer 8 a.m. to 6 p.m care.
"We offer backup packages," said Purser. "Say a partner has an employee who already has childcare like a family member or a nanny, but they need an extra day. Or maybe they have camp days they need covered. All of those problems can be solved."
Because Kids & Company has locations across the country it can also be perfect for families that travel on a regular basis for work.
"We have one family that works two weeks in Calgary and two weeks in Vancouver so they use both facilities," said Purser
For Rowe she's just happy a place like this has opened near her home in Hammonds Plains.
"It's perfect for us," she said. "The location, the flexibility ... deciding to come here was a no brainer."
Local corporate partners include Halifax Regional Municipality, Dalhousie University, IWK Health Centre, Capital Health, Department of National Defence, CBC, Royal Bank, TD Bank, BMO and CIBC.
blhall@eastlink.ca
