Lessons Learned

	Wisconsin CCR&R Network, Inc. "Making Child Care Work"	Lessons Learned

(From "Child Care Options for Employers," Wisconsin Child Care Resource & Referral Network)

A Summary of Lessons Learned from Successful "Family Friendly" Corporations
Chip Donohue, Donohue & Associates

Companies that have been successful at creating a "family friendly" workplace share certain characteristics. These companies:

Have good economic health.
Have perceived the labor shortage as a threat to their long term success.
Have an in-house "champion" for family friendly policies.
View work/family issues as business issues.
Have a mission statement that clearly articulated the vision for a family friendly workplace.
Have a commitment to excel in work/family issues.
Enlist the help of the best consultants to try to better understand how these issues affect the families and the workplace.
Base their decision on what employees need as learned from needs assessment surveys, employee forums, and focus groups.
Work with the community to tie into existing services.
Recognize their work isn't finished - they know how much more there is to do.
Recognize that communication was critical to their success.
Acknowledge the need for ongoing problem-solving, not a one-time solution.
Make a long-term commitment to being family responsive.

The trends are clear: employers of all sizes and their employees are interested in a focus on child care in the workplace, and implementing more than one option often speaks for the family-sensitive policies of the corporation. Some sources divide the employer options into "Direct Services" (on- or near-site centers, consortium centers, care for sick children, school-age care, sponsoring family child care networks, and back-up/emergency care) and "Indirect Services" (child care resource and referral services, seminars, flexible work schedules, and financial supports like vouchers or discounts).

Child Care Options for Employers | Lessons Learned