CREATIVE DAYCARE SOLUTIONS

August 17, 1998

Nation's Cities Weekly

Cities move to make 'day care' a night-time option

Rosenblum, Susan B.

Local officials are looking for ways to make child care more available to low-income parents who need to work nights and weekends. Two Illinois cities--Chicago and Rolling Meadows--are among those leading the way.

In Chicago, child care centers may now legally operate after 9:00 p.m. Last fall, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance introduced by Alderman Helen Shiller that lifted the ban on child care centers staying open beyond 9 p.m. The new ordinance took effect in February 1998.

Alderman Shiller introduced the ordinance to help parents making the transition from welfare to work. Despite record job growth, many entry-level jobs continue to pay low wages and offer few if any benefits. Better paying jobs may be located outside the city. This requires parents to travel long distances or work nonstandard hours. The ordinance will make it easier for parents to work late night or overnight jobs, on weekends, or attend night classes in hopes of improving their job skills.

In Rolling Meadows, located just northwest of Chicago, Mayor Thomas Menzel is working with business and community leaders to make 24-hour child care a reality. "We have to collaborate and share resources from different venues," says Mayor Menzel, describing the city's partnership with groups that include the Chamber of Commerce, the Park District, Northwest Community Hospital, and area school districts.

The mayor notes that longer hours in the service industry, including jobs at nearby Chicago O'Hare Airport, increase the need for child care during evenings and weekends. The city hopes to open a 24-hour, 7day-a week center, operated by the school district, across from Rolling Meadows High School. High school students, with an interest in child development, may have opportunities to intern at the center.

Despite efforts by cities like Chicago and Rolling Meadows to offer parents extended hours, child care costs remain unaffordable for many parents. Full-time child care in major cities costs from $4,000 to $10,000 a year. Yet two parents working full-time minimum wage jobs earn only $21,400. State and federal child care subsidies may help some parents leaving welfare for work, but low-income working parents also need assistance.

Mayor Menzel and Alderman Shiller are hoping that local businesses will see the benefits of employer-provided child care and share the cost with their workers.

Today's labor market highlights the need for evening and weekend child care. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (1995) 65 percent of mothers with children under age 6 work, and less a third of American workers hold traditional 95 jobs (1991).

Last year, the General Accounting Office (GAO) reported that limited formal education and lack of work experience may force many parents moving from welfare to work into entry-level jobs with rotating shifts or weekend hours. These may be low-skill jobs that operate on nonstandard schedules, such as janitor or cashier. However, the GAO's study of four cities found few providers (12 to 35 percent) that offered child care outside the traditional "9 to 5" work schedule.

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