In summers past families would rely on daycare nurseries and summer camps, but this year more working parents are choosing regular help from nannies and sitters to make it through the summer holidays. With so few nurseries and camps able to reopen and many having to send exposed children home to self-isolate, more working parents than ever are turning to at-home help. Here’s how it can benefit busy parents:
1. Flexible Scheduling
Summer camps operate on fixed hours with mid-afternoon pickups, which interfere with many parents’ working schedules. Coordinating childcare with work can be comparatively less stressful.
2. Focussing
Having a babysitter or nanny manage childcare during the workday allows working parents to stay present and focus on work priorities with limited distractions.
3. Recharging
Working parents are regularly torn in a million different directions. Taking a break with the help of a babysitter enables them to better handle parenting challenges, which can be relentless and overwhelming.
4. Reliability
For parents working from home or travelling to work, at-home help can be more reliable given the risk of self-isolation disruptions. Having a nanny at home reduces the risk of catching covid and many other child sicknesses, which often spread at summer camps and daycares.
5. Affordability
For parents with more than one child, hiring a nanny or sitter can be a surprisingly more affordable option. Many sitters have experience with the arts, sports and athletics, baking, teaching and other skills that come in handy to keep the kids entertained over the summer break.
How will you help working parents?
The pandemic continues to be a difficult moment for us all, parents especially, with plenty of problem-solving involved. Business leaders have the opportunity to grow from this moment, by providing better family support and flexible childcare options for working parents. Childcare is a key driver of the economy—without it, and the working parents who depend on it, businesses would not be able to function. The fact of the matter is businesses can, and should, do more to support this sizeable population of the workforce.
