Today’s employment market is more volatile than it has been since 2008. Companies are drowning in employee absenteeism and stress-related issues for parents with school closures and general inconsistencies related to child care as well as education support. Children are having an emotionally challenging time feeling disconnected at home from school, sports, and activities.
While services such as Crunch Care have primarily focused on child care related staffing, during this time we have expanded our offering for clients related to educational support. We find in today’s climate, families and companies need options. We have put together some definitions for companies to consider when navigating this climate.
- Traditional Backup Care-Offers Employers the ability to allocate a specific number of in-home child care days to their employees mainly intended for emergency use. Today companies are hoping to not only use this service for traditional infant and child care but also educational support. Working with a backup care company that is flexible to provide these options is important to consider. Companies vary in the number of days they offer and solutions are completely customizable. In-home child care providers and educators are heavily vetted and are traditionally the employees of the backup provider (or a subcontractor to that company). This is an extremely applicable service outside of the Pandemic where health protocols are standard and schools are open, typically used for “backup”. During this time Employers are offering a significant amount of additional backup care hours/days to use over the next few months, and Companies are buying more days than ever to support a complicated time, retain their employees, and show support.
- Group Referral Discount Programs Inclusive of Employee Paid Backup Care and Long Term Search Services-Employers who are not able to subsidize care options at the time yet want resources for their Employees can offer reliable, trusted child care resources. Prioritizing, doing the research, and being willing to help educate them on existing choices for childcare and education show your Employees they are valued. Discount programs are offered in a few different formats which can include a flat annual fee to the company then which is applied to the Employee costs creating a discount when they utilize services. No-cost options exist for a more modest discount and group referral program.
Regardless of what your company chooses, programs such as this need to be promoted internally to your employees so they are aware of their choices along with the effort. For more information about how you can support your employees’ contact Crunch Care at www.crunchcare.com or by calling us at 877-553-4231. Our reach extends in all major metropolitan cities in the country through the One to One Campaign, www.onetoonechildcare.com.
