60 Part One The Children and You
A company-owned, on-site child
care center is one option. Such a
center may be located at or near
the work site. With this type of
program, the company may hire a
director to run the program. Other
companies contract with child care
chains or firms specializing in child fi
care to operate the center.
There are advantages and
disadvantages to an on-site child
care facility. One advantage is that
parents can spend breaks and lunch
hours with their children. In large
cities, however, this model may not
work. Employees who commute
long distances to work may find it fi
diffi to travel with children on ficult
public transportation or in car pools.
The off-site center is another
option. This model is often used
when several companies form a
group. Each company may not have
enough need for their own child
care center. By sharing a facility, the
costs and risks are shared by all the
companies in the group.
The off-site location may
be closer to the parents’ homes.
Therefore, transportation times are
shorter. If space is available, this
type of model may also serve other
children from the community.
The vendor model allows
companies to purchase space
in a child care center or several
centers. This model is ideal for
small companies. It is not as costly
as opening a center. There are no
costs for start-up, investment in a
building, or center administration.
Companies respect parental
choice when the voucher model is
provided. Parents receive a voucher
or coupon worth a certain amount
of money from the company. Some
companies will pay for all child care
costs, while others pay only a portion.
This model may be preferred by
parents who do not live close to the
work site. Thus, it is a useful model
for companies in large cities.
One disadvantage of the voucher
model is that the money received must
be declared as income on tax returns.
However, the employee can deduct
the cost of child care from federal taxes
(and state taxes where allowed).
Child care for ill children is
provided by some companies. This
benefi can take two forms. A center fit
may provide services for children who
are ill and cannot attend school. When
this is done, the health department
as well as the state licensing agency
must be notified. This works best for fi
children who are recovering from
an illness, but are not well enough
to return to school. The second form
allows for a nurse to be sent to a sick
child’s home to provide care. This
allows the parent to go to work.
Finding a quality child care
program near home is a problem for
many parents. To assist parents in
this process, some companies provide
a referral service that matches the
parents’ needs with centers. The
References and
Background Checks
In order to keep children safe from
abuse, all early childhood providers must
submit to reference and background checks
before starting employment at a child care
facility. This may include fi ngerprinting and
checking state social service records for
previous child abuse convictions. People
who are known sex offenders or who
acknowledge sexual attraction to children
will not be allowed to work in child care.
R f d
Safety First Safety First
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