The Peaceful Coexistence of Work and Parenting
Every parent wants the best for his or her child, in every possible aspect of life. The best experiences, whether purely exciting or exploratory and educational in nature. The best care, whether through emotional support or financial stability. And though it may not always be the logically sound thing to do, the deep instinct of a parent is often to want to shield their children from any and every type of harm or pain, even if that discomfort might lead to growth in the end. Being a good parent can be a difficult balance, and there is certainly a lot of trial and error that comes with the territory. But the kind of balance that should not be an issue is that of work time and family time.
Balancing work and family
It is often an issue that comes up, for both mothers and fathers, but not for lack of good intentions. The struggle to balance a career and a family is difficult. Most parents will be able to express the desire to spend more time with their families, but today’s society does not make it easy. To live comfortably in today’s society, to attempt to reach that American dream that is dangled just out of our reach for so much of our lives, many families must have at least two incomes, which usually means that both parents are working. It often also means that there are single parents with two jobs and very little free time. This not only causes issues for carving out quality family time, but also for finding time for quality early child education.
The importance of the right early learning center for children
If you have to look for daycare, you should probably be looking for a quality early learning center for children, as opposed to an understaffed play pen of chaos or a babysitter who will plop your child down in front of the television for the duration of your work day. In the first several years of your child’s life, he or she has the ability to absorb more information at one time than they ever will again in their lives. In fact already by the age of three, a child has already developed about 1,000 trillion connections from cell to cell to cell within his or her brain, and that is two times as many as an average adult. So if you have to be absent for large chunks of time while you are at work, it is vital that your child has those opportunities to learn and grow in the right early learning center for children.
Seeking an early learning center for children in the workplace
Many people identify the United States as the greatest country in the world, and with good reason, however one of those reasons is most assuredly not the focus on family and encouragement of a healthy family unit, at least in comparison to the pressure that is put on individuals to succeed in the workplace. Around 90% of the expenses for child care in the United States are placed on the parents, and often at outrageous rates. One report issued by Child Care Aware of America showed that putting two kids into child care costs more than the median rent payments made yearly in every single state. So it is no surprise that many parents are looking for corporate daycare solutions.
Why we need childcare in the workplace
The problem could be solved with the addition of early child care programs in the workplace, and indeed, there are companies that are working toward turning things around for working parents. There are companies that provide onsite child care, sometimes free, sometimes subsidized, and these are the companies that are flourishing. Employers who provide such a service have seen higher productivity in their employees, as well as increased retention of employees and decreased absenteeism. Parents can focus on their work with the peace of mind that their children are nearby, being well care for and educated. Hopefully these companies will be the pioneers that the rest of businesses across the country decide to follow and model, making work and family time more compatible.
