“Refers to a situation in which an employer, a group of employers, or a labor union takes some initiative in meeting employees’ child care needs and bears some or all of the cost.” (Govenor’s Advisory Committee on Child Development, 1981, p. 4).
“This definition encompasses several types of programs, which fall into four general categories. First there are direct services, which provide actual spaces, such as on- or off site day care centers, consortium centers, family day care networks, after school programs, and summer camps. The second category of employer-supported child care is information; it includes information and referral services, employee assistance programs, and parent education.The third type of employer-supported child-care program is financial assistance, which includes all of the following: vendor arrangements, vouchers, flexible benefits, and corporate contributions to existing child-care agencies and programs. The fourth type of program is alternative work scheduling, which includes flextime, part time, job sharing, and flexible parental-leave policies. ( Auerbach, 1990, p. 385)