Helping Business Address Child Care Needs of Employees
One of Dubuque County Empowerment's goals is to facilitate quality, affordable, and accessible child care for all who live in Dubuque County. We have convened and are coordinating a group of area employers who are examining child care benefits for their employees. It is called the Human Resources/Business Links Consortium. It has been in existence for over three years and includes representatives from Finley, John Deere, Dubuque Greyhound Park and Casino, Diamond Jo Casino, McGraw-Hill, Honkamp & Krueger, and Woodward Communications. The consortium is working together to identify child care needs for their employees and to pursue solutions through existing child care centers and new projects. It is open to any employers in the area, and guests are welcome at any meeting.
Other proactive steps business can take to address child care needs:
• Understand the importance of child care benefits. Surveys find businesses that address employee’s child care needs show improvements in recruitment, turnover, absenteeism, productivity, and business image. In addition, quality child care not only helps parents and caregivers to find and keep jobs, but it provides optimal learning experiences for the workforce of the future. Quality child care enhances continuing community and economic development.
Source: Child Care Partnership Project, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, http://www.nccic.org/
• Consider the needs of employees at individual businesses and then investigate different types of child care benefits and supports. Some can be implemented at little or no cost. Examples include the following:
-- Supporting community initiatives (e.g., Dubuque County Empowerment, Mississippi Valley’s Promise)
-- Providing information (e.g., through resource and referral services or child care seminars; DHS for child care subsidies for income eligible families; AEA for special needs child care)
-- Establishing flex-time and leave policies (e.g., flexible scheduling, job sharing, part-time options, extended parental leave, use of sick leave for family illness)
-- Providing financial assistance to employees (e.g., flexible benefit plans, child care vouchers or reimbursements, child care vendor plan)
-- Creating and supporting child care services (e.g., on- or near-site child care center, partnering with other employers, family child care network, back-up or emergency care, sick child care, odd hour care, before/after school programs)
Source: Child Care Partnership Project, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, http://www.nccic.org/
• Again, consider joining the local Human Resources/Business Links Consortium, an initiative of the Dubuque County Empowerment Board. The consortium includes employers from the greater Dubuque area whose common goal is to improve linkage between businesses and child care centers and work together to address child care concerns for employees. Many partnerships are under development through this initiative; each is customized to the unique needs of each business and their employees. The consortium meets quarterly. For more information, contact Sherri Edwards, P.O. Box 3039, Dubuque, IA, 52004-3039, (563) 583-1037.
