BBF Regional Voice: Non-Traditional Child Care For ELDC-May 2016
Examples of non-traditional childcare
Have providers in your area tried (successfully or unsuccessfully) offering non-traditional hours, or are interested in exploring this?
Attempts at Centers but none running currently (Chittenden)
Families turn to family, friends and neighbors to cover these times
Shirley Masure (Springfield): Consistently offer care until 9:30pm and some weekends. Contact: 886-1448 or
Sheila Quenneville in South Burlington offers weekend care for guard families- ,
I heard from one mom who got a job at Twincraft Soap in Winooski that started at5:30am. In order to get there, she and her kids would sleep at her mother's so she could get up and go to work without disrupting the kids. Otherwise she would need to get her 2 kids up and to her mother's so early in the am. She eventually left that job because the infeasibility to maintain this arrangement. –Chittenden County
I knew of a single parent who had a Reach-up job at the Penguin Mart in Springfield. The parent was working part time on second shift, finishing at 11 pm or later. Several times friends who had promised to provide child care backed out at the last minute and he had to call in sick and loose pay. There are other jobs that require starting at 3 or 5 am that are also in Springfield that also require non-traditional hours. These hours eliminate single parents from taking these good paying jobs.
Types of non-traditional hour populations
- Military
- Farm Workers
- Hospitalincluding environmental services and other rolesand other Nursing/Healthcare
- Industrial/Factory shift work
- Commercial
- Refugee population
- Service Industry
- Tourism and Hospitality
- Retail (Grocery/box stores)
- Teachers working afterschool
- drivers (UPS/etc)
- Teachers working afterschool hours
- Respite for foster care
- Respite for Birth – 6 weeks postpartum
Challenges:
Subsidy: Screening process does not consider non-traditional hours/ family needs
Sustainability: Programs close non-traditional hours due to lack of use
Logistics: transportation, getting children up at odd hours, sustainability of running programs
ANYT articlestates that nearly 40% of America's workforce work some type of irregular schedule.
Irregular schedulingof the work force is a huge issue, which of course has implications for the child care system.
If a family has 2 working parents; one 1st shift and one 2nd shift; I have heard of families getting denied for subsidy because it is deemed they don't need it and can each watch children disregarding any time to sleep.
Possible areas for research or expansion
Data Collection: Let’s Grow Kids, Permanent Fund, United Way, Building Bright Futures, and other partners are conducting employee surveys regarding childcare
Business-Supported Childcare on site for employees: ex. Stowe Mountain Resort and Smugglers Notch
Contracting through centers for evening/weekend: Stowe Mountain Resort contracts with Apple Tree Learning Centers for child care staff during evening events, or during overflow time periods.
VT Women's Commission
VDH Financial Assistance for Respite...Subsidies provided to the family for child care. The providers do go through a screening process, but (to my knowledge) are not required to have the same types of educational/regulatory credentials as licensed/regulated early care & education providers. Could be a good model to look at for non-traditional hour needs.
This study was done in Cook County, Illinois, to assess the number of Families seeking non-traditional care.
This brief was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation through the Urban Institute’s Low Income Working Families initiative- a multi-year effort that focuses on the private and public sectors for families’ well-being. Source for link:
This source lists example of innovative solutions from across the country.
Example of non-traditional center hours
Resources for non-traditional care for families
Babies to Boomers VT
VT Nanny Connection
Care.com
Au Pair
Resource & Referral Agencies