Is your workplace considering a crèche?

[DBML]

My brother called me for a chat this evening. He was very relieved as his place of employment have decided to open a crèche for employees children. They will use a space within the offices; hire child minders; have asked for donations of toys, books; arts and crafts materials and cushions etc. Children up to 12 will be catered for from the next few weeks until schools open fully.

I know many employers won’t be able to run such a provision, but I thought this was such a great temporary idea.

I wondered if anyone else’s employer was doing anything similar?

[MaverickSnoopy]

@alanna1 that's correct in normal times but not at the moment. Current govt guidance supersedes what is normally allowed and govt have said a select few providers may open. Have you noticed that so far sainsburys have not been advertising their usual active kids summer holiday club, just as one example.

PP is correct, this is what is happening because govt are not being realistic to working parents. Go back to work but there's none or limited childcare options. So people take it into their own hands.

This is largely because govt did not adequately fund the childcare sector when we went into lockdown. Many nurseries and childminder businesses have had to close permanently. Insurance did not pay out as although it was a notifiable illness, they got around it by saying it wasn't notifiable in their policy. The govt promised funding and then withdrew some of it. The sector spoke out and the govt did not listen. Many providers tried to ask for retainers from their customers to that their businesses could be sustainable and reopen after lockdown, but were then told they were not legally allowed to do so. They are now crumbling and there is not enough childcare. Even being fully funded there would not have been enough childcare with so many children out of school. Boris said that anyone who has children without childcare should be kept on furlough. Not always that cut and dry though as we all know.

[Barbie222]

@linelgreen what an unhelpful and smug post. Presumably you didn't see the long term gains in maintaining a career while you could, and relied on someone else to pay your way while you didn't work? Newsflash - lots of us manage our kids and a full time job very well out of a pandemic situation, thanks very much.

[MaverickSnoopy]

@linelgreen I really don't think it's realistic to expect people to just leave their jobs to look after thei children. If everyone did this there wouldn't be many people left to sustain businesses. Suggesting that people plan their lives accordingly because they have children is also more than a bit silly. This is a pandemic. All sense of planning goes out the window. You can't tell me that a single parent or a family on a tight budget can just magic up a solution. The reality is for many parents, that they rely upon family for childcare or schools. Rightly or wrongly that's just the way it is and they shouldn't be judged for doing so. Yes parents should be expected to cover summer holidays, inset days etc but 6 months off school is a little different. How would the bills be paid if everyone voluntarily left work? Don't forget there are benefit sanctions for resigning. Parents are faced with the impossible right now.