Employers are searching for alternative ways to assist their workforce’s caregiving needs—and distinguish their talent pool—as paid maternity leave and backup daycare become more common. Programs for autistic children and other special needs, as well as services for older school-age children, are becoming increasingly common.
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So how can a working mother reap the benefits brought about by this service? This article discusses tips for the modern day working mother in navigating such a system. Do read on to find out more.
Core Challenges of a Working Mom
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When you’re coping with the stresses of working parenting, ask yourself, “What sort of problem am I facing?” Either one of the following is most likely the case.
Transition.
When your status quo is upended and you’re rushing to adapt, you’re faced with this issue. The traditional, conspicuous example is returning to work after family leave. Working-parent adjustments, on the other hand, happen all the time, usually because you have to go from professional to caring mode as soon as you step in the door after a business trip or work.
Practicalities.
This task entails all of the to-dos and logistical issues, big and little, that take up so much of your time during the day—and night. Including tasks such as feeding the kids.
Communication.
When you have working-parent issues to address and are at a loss for words or fear of being misinterpreted, you encounter this problem. This may include announcing a pregnancy at work, or asking for flexible work hours.
Loss.
This assignment necessitates some somberness. Perhaps the baby took her first steps while you’re at work, or you were unable to staff a profession-advancing project because you chose to work less hours.
Identity.
When dealing with the unavoidable either/or mentality and personal turmoil that comes with working motherhood, you face this problem.
Childcare Options for Working Moms
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Currently, most families have three alternatives for child care. To begin with, parents may prefer to stay at home and look after the children. However, as most families now depend on two wage earners to remain afloat, this is becoming increasingly challenging. Furthermore, moms are more likely than dads to take time off work to care for a kid, which might worsen the wage difference between mothers and fathers over time.
Second, parents can pay for their children’s care themselves. However, this strategy is prohibitively expensive for families, accounting for 35.9% of a low-income family’s monthly budget. Families can use federal or state-supported child care as a third alternative, but availability of any publicly financed program, much alone a high-quality one, is extremely limited.
Understanding On-site Childcare at Work
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For decades, great firms have offered child care assistance to aid working parents. However, in recent years, a number of companies have devised novel techniques to ensure that parents know their children are having fun while they work.
Since corporations recognize that employees and their children have a wide range of preferences and requirements when it comes to keeping youngsters engaged and happy during the workplace, corporate childcare choices have expanded beyond on-site daycare. Putting your child in a day care at work may appear to be the ideal scenario. On-site day care, on the other hand, has both benefits and drawbacks for both businesses and employees.
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
| Companies that offer on-site child care may have a greater chance of expanding their application pools. | It might be tough to keep track of licensing procedures and employer sponsorship for licensed professions. |
| When working mothers know their children are close by, their duties become less burdensome. | Employers who provide on-site child care should have someone on staff who is familiar with the issues that on-site day care offers to both employers and employees. |
| Despite the fact that on-site child care facilities follow some of the same laws as off-site child care centers when it comes to sick children and infectious illnesses, parents who have unreliable caregivers benefit greatly from having an on-site provider. | On-site child care is definitely handy, and individuals taking advantage of company child care benefits in the workplace generally compare on-site child care to other childcare workers to evaluate whether it is cost efficient. On-site child care is, however, not always affordable. |
How Can you Leverage these Services
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As a working mom, there are companies that have transitioned into offering on-site child care as mentioned above. What you could consider is finding one that allows you to bring your child to work everyday. And if you do not get such an opportunity, consider getting into remote-first careers/freelance jobs that offer flexible work hours allowing you to get the best of both worlds.
For home office set-ups, practice some DIY or get yourself the proper office equipment. Your purchases may include a desk, laptop/desktop computer, pen, paper(books), and proper LED lighting in the case that you need to do some online conferencing. Remember to get yourself some face masks and any other necessary work-related PPE as you ready yourself for work.
The Bottom Line
That’s just about all you need to know on the topic of navigating child care as a working mother. With these tips, we believe you are all set for getting to work from the office or at home. While at home, we know that you need to store as much food as possible for the week to remain more productive, hence we recommend that you get packaging supplies from frozen food packaging companies that pass health and quality standards. Other than that, all the best and happy parenting!
Related Posts:
- Understanding Childcare Provisions for Working Moms
- 6 Reasons Why Every Childcare Center Must-Have Childcare Compliance
- 5 Ways to Save Money On Childcare & Other Kid Costs
- 5 Best Ways to Smoothly Transition Into Childcare
- Everything You Need to Know About Childcare — But are Afraid to Ask
- 5 Steps To Choosing A Daycare For Your Child
