While I’m busily working at my office Monday through Friday, my kid is a few blocks away at his daycare. I’ve always felt that this is typical for us working moms. I don’t know of any company in downtown Seattle (or outside Seattle) that has on-site daycare.
Last week my sister, who doesn’t live in Washington, told me that the women in her office are constantly complaining to their Human Resources department that their company doesn’t offer on-site daycare. She said the women are up in arms about not having this option. The cherry on top is that they want the company to provide this luxury at no cost to the mothers.
Hold up.
Is this an option? Do places really offer on-site daycare for free?! And if so, where do I sign up?
When thinking of on-site daycare I instantly think of movies from the 1980’s that show a high-powered business woman, wearing a gray skirt suit, her blazer bulging from the height of her shoulder pads and her hair even higher. I picture her forcing her way up the corporate ladder, all the while her kids are stuck in the company’s daycare, never to be heard from again.
Maybe corporate daycare was a thing of the 80’s. You know, just like cocaine and crimping irons.
Or maybe, just maybe, we’ll be lucky enough to see a resurgence due to all the working mothers that are out there.
Heck, maybe all of us should go to our HR departments and also demand on-site daycares. Although I don’t think we can expect it to be free. While it is 2008, I just don’t see that happening anytime soon.
So tell, what are your thought on on-site daycare? Do you have it? Do you know of anyone that does? I’d love to hear how it works.
Isabel is a pseudonym for this Seattle-based blogger. She’s been working since the day she realized soda and lip gloss weren’t free. Isabel became a mom in 2006 and continues to work full time, outside the home, since diapers and mortgages aren’t free either. You can read far too much about her personal life at hola,isabel.
If you have questions, anecdotes, or topics for “Double duty. One paycheck.”, email Isabel at holaisabel [at] gmail.com.
6 responses so far ↓
1 CPA Mom // Jan 17, 2008 at 9:11 am
We don’t have it but a VERY LARGE insurance company in town has it. They have an entire building on site just for daycare. They charge but not much. Of course, they also offer a full cafeteria for take home dinner, pick up and deliver dry-cleaning, etc. How I would love to work there! You get to eat with your child at lunch!
2 May // Jan 17, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Dude, I need on-site daycare for my home office. I guess that’s called a nanny. But that wouldn’t be very free…
3 hola, isabel » Blog Archive » With or without cream? // Jan 17, 2008 at 1:51 pm
[...] is Wednesday Thursday (dude, I can’t believe I as a DAY OFF!). Which means I posted over at SeattleMomBlogs. This week’s topic; is on-site daycare a thing of the 80’s? Come on over and discuss. [...]
4 Carrie // Jan 17, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I think you should definitely push for that. If it matters to you, and your company values you (or ALL women for that matter), than they should definitely consider the pros and cons to providing this service to their awesome employees.
I would go for it.
5 Carrie // Jan 18, 2008 at 11:09 am
My coworkers wife works for the local mega-coffee company, and they have on-site daycare. But they have to pay for it and it has a LONG wait list.
6 Moira // Jan 21, 2008 at 9:01 am
My husband works for the huge (9000 employees) university hospital here. They have a daycare for infants - school age kids. The state offers a similar one for state employees. It is not discounted; not the cheapest or the most expensive in town. The waiting list is LONG (took us 11 months, and that was lucky!). Since it’s a hospital, they offer night time, weekend, holiday care. So far it’s great (my 4 month old has been there about 6 weeks). Very close to both of our offices, and my older daughter is in daycare next door to my office (not part of my company, just in the church next door). I think the best part of all this is that I believe daycare close to work is so much better than daycare close to home. Sometimes my commute is 20 minutes, sometimes it’s 45, but I get to spend that time my kid(s)! And it makes stopping by to check in/nurse/have lunch/bring forgotten items, so much easier!
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