Child care is getting more support from some private companies – NPR
By Camila Beiner
Kayley Wolf is considering switching employers. But before leaving any job, she has to look at her child care benefits that help provide for her 6-month-old son.
"Child care benefits are important to me and can cause issues to future employment," Wolf says. "Child care in the United States is not cheap and not readily available."
In the midst of the pandemic, some in private industry have stepped up their child care benefits.
Companies started to provide on-site or near-site centers, expanded backup care, and provided flexible work schedules.
Wolf works at a biotechnology company. Her employer provides paid maternity leave, flexible work schedules, and a monthly maximum of $650 for up to two children in child care subsidies. During the pandemic, they expanded the subsidy from daycare services to in-home nannies. The company's headquarters are in Thousand Oaks, Ca., and Wolf is based in its Cambridge, Ma., office. Wolf does not want to identify the company.