Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

‘If we don’t use this, it’s going to disappear.’ Bright Horizons and the perils of employer-sponsored, profit-driven childcare

fastcompany.com · 15dShare

By the time Katie returned to work after parental leave, her daughter had started attending a day care close to her apartment. But on days when the day care was closed or she needed childcare coverage, there was a childcare center conveniently located in her office. The center was run by Bright Horizons, one of the largest and best-known childcare providers in the country. Because the center was accessible only to employees of the financial services company where she worked, availability was rarely an issue, and the cost of care was heavily subsidized. On days when her baby was at the center, she could drop by to breastfeed her, instead of pumping at the office as usual. When Katie unexpectedly had to move her daughter to a new day care, this access to backup care—those alternate arrangements parents seek out when their usual childcare falls through—turned out to be essential. “They didn’t have a spot for her until she was officially 1, and we were having some issues with our regular d

First report: Childcare at Seattle senior centers offers full-circle care — seattletimes.com, 15d