Workplace Solutions for Childcare

This book examines why workplaces around the world have become involved in childcare and the nature of the programs that have been implemented. It provides an overview of diverse workplace initiatives beyond traditional preschool care. Partnership is a key theme, and the authors highlight the fruitfulness of collaborations that combine the resources and capabilities of different actors.

Ten industrialized and developing countries are examined through a national overview on policies and facilities for childcare and the implications for working parents, followed by case studies of specific workplaces. The studies provide considerable detail on why the childcare support was started, how it is funded and managed, how various partners are involved, and the perspectives of workers and employers on the support provided.

The book shows how support for childcare has been organized and funded in a variety of workplaces and the diversity of the partnerships that have evolved in both developing and industrialized countries. It will be a useful resource for policymakers and workplace partners looking for practical ways to help working parents with their childcare needs.

For parents who work or would like to work, childcare is a problem that is almost universal. One way that workers can be supported is through assistance offered by their workplace. The focus of this book is on why workplace partners around the world have become involved in childcare and the nature of the programmes that have been implemented.

The book provides an overview of diverse workplace initiatives, beyond the traditional workplace crèche for pre-school children. Partnership is a key theme, and the authors highlight the fruitfulness of collaborations that combine the resources and capabilities of different actors. The book also draws heavily on concrete case studies, many of which were prepared specifically for this publication. Ten countries, industrialized and developing, are examined through a national overview on policies and facilities for childcare and the implications for working parents, followed by case studies of specific workplaces. The case studies provide considerable detail on why the childcare support was started, how it is funded and managed, how various partners are involved, and the perspectives of workers and employers on the support provided.

By showing how support for childcare has been organized and funded in a variety of workplaces and the diversity of the partnerships which have evolved in both developing and industrialized countries, as well as the limitations and challenges they face, this book should be helpful to policy-makers and workplace partners who are concerned to find practical solutions for helping working parents with their childcare needs.

Catherine Hein is senior adviser for the Conditions of Work and Employment Programme at ILO.