The COVID-19 pandemic changed how we work and, consequently, the way that we need childcare. Daycare prices eat into a sizable portion of American families’ income. A viable solution to this childcare problem seems far away.
Parents are in dire need of childcare, as they unpredictably switch between working from home and working at the office. Many people turn to their employers to find solutions to this problem.
These companies are at the top of numerous childcare benefit lists (Forbes and The PennyHoarder to name a few), which makes them the crème de la creme for supporting employees’ personal lives. These companies also excelled in helping employees during difficult times like the pandemic.
Salesforce
Salesforce financially supported its workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also provided six weeks of additional paid time off to parents and reimbursed $500 per month for childcare. Salesforce recently allowed employees to work remotely for a permanent position, allowing them to balance work and personal life.
Intuit
Intuit provided support to their employees during the pandemic by guaranteeing workers’ pay even when they were closed. There are a few options for childcare. Intuit is ahead of the rest with their unlimited sick days and subsidized childcare. Intuit also offers employees Dependent Care FSA, Backup Care, and many other benefits.
Wegman's
When the pandemic struck, grocery store workers were transformed into everyday heroes. Wegman’s did everything it could to make sure that their workers felt safe. The company offered unpaid, job-protected leave for workers who were unable to work in person and a month’s fully paid parental leave.
Best Buy
Best Buy offers many benefits, including Caregiver Payment for up to 4 weeks during child bonding or family care, backup childcare for when you need it, reimbursement for surrogacy or adoption-related expenses, discounts on education and tutoring costs.
Best Buy
Best Buy offers many benefits, including Caregiver Payment for up to 4 weeks during child bonding or family care, backup childcare for when you need it, reimbursement for surrogacy or adoption-related expenses, discounts on education and tutoring costs.
PWC
PWC’s pandemic efforts were led by Wellbeing, which promised people that they would keep their jobs. PWC also increased their childcare benefits by allowing parents to receive six months of leave with 20% pay, promising them a return to work when they return. PWC also offers Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Backup Childrencare Centers, as well as helping parents find the right nanny.
The Unexpected Benefits For Parents Of Young Children
People often think about the challenges associated with having young children, but there are lots of benefits too! Children aren’t just little people – they’re also little balls of creativity and little bundles of joy. Parenting a young child has lots of unexpected benefits, even if you don’t have any yourself. In fact, taking care of children is such hard work that it can actually make you healthier!
It’s Easier To Stick To A Budget
When you have kids, you tend to develop an eagle eye for sales and discounts and know just where to find them. You become an expert at stretching every dollar. When they’re small they can’t tell the difference between an expensive toy and one that takes three batteries and breaks in five minutes. As they get older, they want expensive things but don’t need them. Either way, this is a skill that will serve you well throughout your life.
You’ll Become More Creative
If you think back to your pre-kid days, you may have been a very creative person. Maybe you dabbled in watercolors on the weekends or had a side hustle creating jewelry. Perhaps you knitted scarves or even made movies.
Then, children arrived and the creative juices stopped flowing. You didn’t have time to paint, knit, or make jewelry anymore. Those creative parts of life fell by the wayside and became a memory of things past.
In fact, children are often more willing to think outside of the box than adults are. They have no problem creating new games or activities out of existing materials. Because they have no limit on what they can do with their imagination, they are able to create something amazing out of nothing at all.
Children can also be extremely innovative in their approach to solving problems. When my son was learning how to tie his shoes, he would not let anyone help him — not even me! Instead, he invented his own way of tying his shoes by looping one string around the other until it looked “good enough” for him to go on with his day.
You’ll Be More Efficient At Time Management And Organization
The demands of managing a family and home can feel overwhelming at times so learning how to properly manage your time is essential in order to survive (and even thrive) as a parent. This usually comes down to learning how to prioritize tasks and getting good at delegating responsibilities. By taking on such a big role and managing it successfully, parents learn valuable time management skills that can transfer to any responsibilities.
You'll Lose A Few Pounds – And Not From Stress Eating!
Having a baby is like having an incredibly tiny, demanding roommate who lives in your body…for 9 months. Your body becomes the home and lifeline of this new little person. While you’re pregnant, your body will go through some changes. You’ll have a bigger appetite and gain weight. While it’s true that some women lose all of the weight they gained during pregnancy right after having their babies, most parents find themselves still carrying around a few extra pounds after giving birth.
And then something amazing happens. Once your baby arrives, you will likely find yourself wanting to eat healthier food to give you the energy to keep up with those demands. You’ll find yourself moving more just out of necessity—pushing a stroller or carrying a car seat help to get you back into shape (and help you get rid of that extra weight).
Also if you’re breastfeeding, it can burn an additional 300-500 calories a day. So yes, as crazy as it sounds, having a baby may make you healthier!
You'll Have So Much To Look Forward To Every Day!
When life gets hectic, it can be difficult for working parents to stop and appreciate all the wonderful things that happen on a daily basis. After all, parents often don’t have time for themselves, let alone time to hang out with friends or see a movie regularly as they did before having kids. But as mundane as your life may seem at times if you have kids you likely have something exciting ahead every single day — even if it’s just getting through another bedtime routine.