James G. Beierlein / James E. Van Horn
Professor of Agricultural Economics / Professor of Family Sociology
Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
Penn State University
Copyright/Access Information
School-age child care programs are designed to serve children
between the ages of 5 and 14 during times when school is not in
session. They provide supervision before school, after school,
and during school holidays and vacations, including summer vacations,
in some cases.
These programs can be housed in school buildings, recreation facilities,
religious institutions, social or community service facilities,
and existing day care centers. Options for enrollment may be limited
to school-age children only, or may include a combination of school-age
and younger children.
Well-planned activities are essential. The program should be organized
so that children view it as distinctly different from the regular
school day. The developmental needs of the children should be
kept in mind as well.
Activities should include different forms of physical exercise
(since the children have been sitting in school much of the day)
as well as time for homework and other quiet activities. The range
of activities can encompass science experiments, art projects,
games, playground time, and the like.
Nutritious snacks for after school are important; some before-school
programs offer breakfast.
"Phonefriend" - In many cities across the country,
organizations have developed Phonefriend for school-age children
who care for themselves ("latchkey" children) after
school and during school vacations while parents are working .
Phonefriend is a program of volunteers who can
provide, via the telephone, comfort and support to children who
are at home without adult supervision. Several television stations
have provided publicity and funding for the development of community
Phonefriend programs. Phonefriend is particularly helpful to parents
whose work
environment is not conducive to their receiving phone calls from
their children who are at home alone.
Summer camp programs - Camp programs are another form of
school-age child care and can be developed to operate for the
full working day instead of just from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., as in
a usual school day. Some corporations have leased space just for
the summer months in order to run day camp programs for their
employees' children. Other programs, particularly those with modest
space, utilize public parks and pools for sports and recreation
activities for the children of workers.
Employers who are considering this option might work with existing
summer camp programs to create extended day sessions suitable
to the needs of working parents. Or an employer might contract
with a local community agency (such as 4-H, YMCA, or YWCA) to
provide summer care or work with such agencies to develop a program
within their own offerings that addresses the needs of the employer's
work force. This arrangement could include convenient hours for
employees and require only a modest investment by the employer.
- Addresses one of the most critical child care shortages.
- Provides comfort to children and reduces their anxiety.
- Improves morale and reduces stress on parents; contributes to
lower absenteeism and higher productivity.
- Requires transportation if the programs are not housed at
schools.
- Programs for older children may be hard to develop since these
children sometimes feel that they are too old for child care.
Many of the steps discussed below are relevant only to the establishment of onsite school-age child care programs. Employers will find that coordination with already existing resources, such as the public school district, may make this a relatively easy and inexpensive option to implement.
A needs assessment should be conducted among employees to determine the interest in this type of assistance. A sample needs assessment with suggested questions can be found in this file under "Questionnaire." This questionnaire may be copied and distributed among employees as it is written, or changes may be made to reflect the needs and interests of a business.
A joint management-employee committee may be useful in developing the program. It can foster a sense of program ownership among employees and provide a forum for them to give input into design features of the program or service.
An analysis should be made of community programs to determine what school-age programs are available and how the employer can best interface with the existing services. An extension home economist may be helpful in determining whether existing services can be accessed or if a new program will have to be started.
Budgets must be drawn up that include figures for start-up
costs, monthly operating budgets, and annual expenditures. A system
of ongoing financial management that ensures quality control and
accurate reporting must be developed.
A cost-benefit analysis should be conducted that compares short-term
start-up costs and long-term operating costs with the productivity,
absenteeism, and turnover of employees. This information should
be analyzed in terms of the advantages or disadvantages of different
school-age programs. Start-up costs may include renovation of
facilities, purchase of equipment and supplies, staff training,
and transportation. Operating costs include costs for staff, food,
space, and insurance.
After conducting a cost-benefit analysis, decisions need to
be made about what type of service will be provided, who will
provide it (schools, community agencies, other), and the number
of sites at which the service will be offered.
If the employer is to provide the school-age child care service,
decisions must be made concerning how many staff members will
be hired, in what capacities they will serve, and how staff supervision
and accountability will be handled.
Necessary decisions at this step are: the number and ages of children to be served; days and hours of operation; whether meals/snacks will be offered and if so, what types; whether transportation will be provided; and program curriculum.
These issues include approval from local authorities, licensing
of the program, insurance and liability questions, tax benefits,
and agreements between the employer and the service provider,
if appropriate. A lawyer or legal consultant would be able to
provide an employer with the necessary
advice.
Publicity of the program can be accomplished through lunchtime seminars or meetings, information flyers, notices on bulletin boards, and articles in employee newsletters. The employer should also ensure that company benefits personnel are knowledgeable enough about the program to answer questions.
Once the program is in place, a mechanism should be developed so that the employer can evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of the program. Such evaluation may include a monthly review of the budget, enrollment figures, quality control standards and measures, and an annual program review.
A lawyer or legal consultant can provide advice on a variety
of legal issues, including licensing, insurance and liability,
and tax matters.
You may want to consult with your local Cooperative Extension
Service to help determine child care needs. The Cooperative Extension
Service could also present educational programs on child care,
parenting, and other work/family-related concerns.
Other people in your community may be consulted in planning a
child care assistance option. You should consider: nursery school
teachers, director or staff of day care centers, child care Resource
and Referral agencies, local Cooperative Extension 4-H agents,
retired persons with child development backgrounds, vocational
technical schools with child care curriculum, community colleges,
and local child care sponsoring agencies (such as a child care
council or community action agency).