24 -hour daycare centers

[ceejay]

articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-21/parenting/28355727_1_child-care-radhika-young-parents

For young parents working graveyard shifts, 24x7 creches are proving to be a boon. Now, there is someone to put the child to bed with a lullaby and a goodnight hug.

Radhika is barely three, but she's out most of the time. Not out with anybody, not even her parents - just out of her house and in a round-the-clock creche of sorts. Child of a single parent, her mother works in the UK and has left Radhika under the care of Esperanza, a 24-hour care centre in Hyderabad, where the little girl can be found five days of the week. For Radhika, who loves to play in the sandpit and watch Power Puff girls on television, Esperanza is her home, the staff and her tiny friends her first impressions of a family. So when her grandparents - a working couple - take her to their place over the weekend, she soon starts missing her first home, the creche.

Radhika is not alone. In today's 24x7 world, a majority of young parents spend more than 12 hours at the workplace, leaving their kids with no option but to spend an equal amount of time, if not more, outside the warmth and comfort of their home - at full-time day-care centres.

While Radhika's is an extreme and rare example of life in the super-fast lane where responsibilities - including parental - can effectively be outsourced, there is a growing number of parents seeking safe and professional child care that stretches late into the night. Sometimes overnight. As those in the child care business highlight, there's a great demand for centres that stay open till 9 pm, or slightly later, as overworked parents grapple with unrealistic deadlines that often go post midnight.

"We also get requests for weekend care in case both the parents have to travel," says Seena Edvin, director (operations), Tom & Jerry Creche, Bangalore. The cr?che has not yet officially announced its night-time care facilities but it does extend the service to its regular clients on special request.

Simi Geo, who works for Wipro, has availed the facility at Tom & Jerry Creche for her two-year-old son George. "I usually leave him there from 9 am to 9 pm. But on some days, if I get late at work, he stays there till 10 pm or even later," says Geo. For this young working mother, leaving her only child at a daycare centre is a much safer option than leaving him home with a nanny. "Ayahs are neither trust-worthy nor hygienic," she explains. "On the other hand, a good daycare provides the child with security and clean nutritious food. It also fills up his time with interesting activities."

Geo's trust in daycares, as they are sometimes called, is not exaggerated. The new centres that look after kids all through the day and night are well-equipped with gadgets like CCTV so that the mother can actually see on her computer what her child is doing at any given point of time. "We provide live updates on our website, just like a news ticker on a news website. The service can be availed on a cell phone as well. The parent can keep a tab on what the child has been doing every hour," says Raj, business development and branch head at Esperanza. These new-age care centres are a far cry from the garage-creches run by bored housewives who wouldn't care if a child was splashing around in muck or eating from the dustbin.

Hiring nannies is something many these days don't want to do. The recent case of a nanny in Bangalore renting out the child of an IT couple to a begging cartel shocked the city. "It is extremely difficult to find a person who you can trust your newborn with," says Anisha Mitra, a Hyderabad-based call centre executive who ended up sending her child to a 24-hour daycare after trying out four nannies.

For young parents, there is nothing more important than the security of their child. That is where 24-hour creches score over full-time ayahs. The centres maintain emergency services like night-transport, first-aid kits, chef-on-call and round-the-clock security. The staff is trained to look after children, including babies under the age of one, and know how to hold them, bathe them and feed them. They are also equipped to handle medical emergencies. "If we have an infant over for the night we even maintain a diaper-change chart and update the mother with the information," says Edvin.

The food menu at these daycares is put together by registered dieticians who take care to include different food groups to ensure that the child receives adequate nutrition. "We give parents a daily break-up of nutrients consumed by their child and access to detailed graphical analysis of nutrition over a period of time," says Raj. After a day of fun in the pool and classroom activities, kids often get cranky by night and create a fuss while eating. But the carers are taught to deal with such situations. "They tell them stories with animated expressions, chase them around, sit with them in front of the television...cajole the kid to eat somehow, just like a parent would," says Kalpana Anil, principal, Careplus World, a 24-hour cr?che in Delhi where the youngest child is just three months old and stays on campus till 9 pm.

Similarly, when putting them to bed attention is paid to every minute detail. "We use tiny tot beds decorated with cut-outs of flowers and animals in soothing linen with cartoon prints and play soft music. To help the child fall asleep, we consult parents to understand his/her bed-time habits," adds Anil. As some kids like to cuddle with a particular teddy or a doll while going to sleep, the parents send the toy along with their ward. "Quite a few want to hear their favourite bedtime stories or lullabies and songs," says Edvin.

Of course, the attention and security comes with a price tag. Usually, a 12-hour care for kids below the age of two would cost upwards of Rs 5,000 per month. For those above the age of two, it could be Rs 4,000. However, the cost goes up with the frills provided. At Esperanza, the monthly bill comes to Rs 4,000 for employees of Nasscom as they have a tie-up. It is double this for other parents. But no one's complaining.

With the women workforce in the IT industry - currently at 45 per cent - set to increase, the 'early childhood' industry is bracing itself up for a fillip. Because, as Western figures indicate, every $1 spent on child care results in a saving of $10 as employee benefit. However, the need does not stem only from working mothers. "There are many women who stay at home but are unable to take care of their children full-time because they are ill, or are already caring for an ailing parent. They have as much right to professional child care as anyone else. Plus, young parents need a safe child-caring option in case they plan a trip alone or have a late night," says Ipsita Dasgupta, a mother of two who is in the process of setting up her own 24-hour daycare in Gurgaon.

[pamela]

I'm curious what your view was on posting this article? Sad that they're needed? Interesting what services they provide?

I wish we had more 24-hour options (or at least late night). I'm getting more stressed by the day as our outage approaches and DH and I will be working 13 hour shifts (including turnover time) and haven't figured out how we will handle childcare. I agree with the interviewee about it being hard to find a trustworthy individual (I had one who after she picked him up from daycare, the daycare called and asked me where I found her because of some things she did). And we've managed to make it work so far with business travel, but I know we're going to end up in a bind at some point.

[dulcemariamar]

I think it would be great if there were more 24-hour daycare centers especially for people who have to work the night shift.

However, I think this all boils down to a work/family balance. What happened to the traditional 8 hour work day? How is working 12 hours a day becoming the new norm? Is it really necessary for people to stay this late? I understand in some sectors you cant avoid it but I think they are the exception rather than the norm.

At least where I live (Spain) people will stay late not because they have work but because they want to look good. They dont want their boss to see them leaving at a decent time because they are afraid their boss will think that they are not a good worker. Even if it means that they are just surfing the Internet.

[mrshandy]

Maybe I'll get flamed for this, but if my work schedule required me to have a child in overnight care or daycare until like 10PM, I probably wouldn't have kids.

Kids need stability, routine, and to be at home at night.

[Deleted]

One of my friends is a sheriff's deputy and works 6am-6pm shifts and has a horrible time trying to find childcare, since most daycares around here are only open at 7am and want to close right at 6.

[dulcemariamar]

Some people have to work long hours to support their family. I am not going to judge them when they are doing everything they can to take care of their kids.

I understand happy mom = happy family. A lot of women have worked and studied really hard to get where they are so I understand that their career is really important to them.

However, what drives me crazy is when some people I know complain about their life. I am talking about people who if they wanted to could stay at home because their partner makes enough money for both of them. However. with the extra salary they can do fun things like fancy holidays, shopping trips and eating out all the time. I dont understand people who complain about not seeing their kids but they dont want to give up their jobs because it would mean they would have to cut things out. Most people cant have it all. So you really just have to own your decision and live with it.

[dulcemariamar]

[/quote]
What can you do if everyone is staying late to look good? If you leave, you will look bad and could lose your job. This actually happened to me. None of us had work; 2 out of the 4 people in my year in my department left at 5:30 when the work day ended and the other 2 of us stayed an extra 1.5 hours even if we had nothing to do.

2 people were fired 9 months later - guess which two?

I agree that work/life balance is important, but it's always hard to be the one to stand up for that option. I think that's why it has to be a push from the government or the company (yeah right that companies will push for this, though).
[/quote]

Yeah, it sucks that people have this type of mentality. However, would it have been possible to have reached some sort of agreement with your coworkers? If you all left al the same time, then your company couldnt really do anything about it.

[pamela]

May 14, 2012 8:41:49 GMT -5 @mrdobalina said:

I thought 12+ hours of care per day were bad for kids? At the daycares I looked into 10 hours was the max. Studies? anyone?

No studies and no one is arguing it's ideal. But sometimes it's reality.

Apparently a large percentage of people think the 4-10 work schedule (which for us is 4 10.5 hour days) is great for work/life/family balance. I highly disagree because it really limits your time with the kids and makes for an insanely/impossibly long day at daycare/aftercare if you ever get held up. 10.5 + walk to the car + average 30 minute commute each way makes it close to 12 hours just on a good day.

[thejackpot]

I think it is available in some areas like Las Vegas, where the scheduling is much different than traditional. I am not a fan of leaving children in care for 12 hours but I am sure that there are some parents who need this type of option. I would like a little more flexibility with time since so many places open at 7 and I teach hs and my day starts at 7.
Daycare is such a pain!

[NitaX]

May 14, 2012 8:14:42 GMT -5 dulcemariamar said:

I think it would be great if there were more 24-hour daycare centers especially for people who have to work the night shift.

However, I think this all boils down to a work/family balance. What happened to the traditional 8 hour work day? How is working 12 hours a day becoming the new norm? Is it really necessary for people to stay this late? I understand in some sectors you cant avoid it but I think they are the exception rather than the norm.

It depends. for my job there are certainly days when I can find myself having to stay for a meeting that lasts until well after 10pm. At a previous job, I was once at work for from 8am until 12am. It's not the not the norm, but if your job can frequently have shifts like that, then yes 24 hour daycare would be a huge plus. I would think that this could mostly benefit people in the medical field.

[racegrrl714]

Our daycare center is open 5 am to 1 am, covering three shifts, but it's mostly for those that do 8 hour/day shift work, as our state has a 9 hour limit on how long you can leave a kid in daycare. I wish that limit were higher, by at least a little bit, because that barely covers my 8 hour day, my lunch and my commute time to and from the daycare. If I need to be early or stay late, or even pick up something from the store on my way home, then I'm over the allotted time.

[ering1115]

May 14, 2012 9:32:05 GMT -5 racegrrl714 said:

Our daycare center is open 5 am to 1 am, covering three shifts, but it's mostly for those that do 8 hour/day shift work, as our state has a 9 hour limit on how long you can leave a kid in daycare. I wish that limit were higher, by at least a little bit, because that barely covers my 8 hour day, my lunch and my commute time to and from the daycare. If I need to be early or stay late, or even pick up something from the store on my way home, then I'm over the allotted time.

this would be my concern. is there a limit on how long a child can be in the 24 hour day care? i mean, it says they can be there for a full weekend if the parents need it. how many consecutive hours can the child be in daycare? can the parents just leave the kid for a week and go on vacation?

[racegrrl714]

May 14, 2012 9:36:56 GMT -5 ering1115 said:

May 14, 2012 9:32:05 GMT -5 racegrrl714 said:

Our daycare center is open 5 am to 1 am, covering three shifts, but it's mostly for those that do 8 hour/day shift work, as our state has a 9 hour limit on how long you can leave a kid in daycare. I wish that limit were higher, by at least a little bit, because that barely covers my 8 hour day, my lunch and my commute time to and from the daycare. If I need to be early or stay late, or even pick up something from the store on my way home, then I'm over the allotted time.

this would be my concern. is there a limit on how long a child can be in the 24 hour day care? i mean, it says they can be there for a full weekend if the parents need it. how many consecutive hours can the child be in daycare? can the parents just leave the kid for a week and go on vacation?

Not in my state. That would be MO. Our DC has weekend hours, but again, the time limit applies. And I believe it's only for those parents that WORK weekend hours, not those that just want to drop 'em off to go shopping, etc.

[meshaliuknits]

May 14, 2012 8:23:22 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Maybe I'll get flamed for this, but if my work schedule required me to have a child in overnight care or daycare until like 10PM, I probably wouldn't have kids.

Kids need stability, routine, and to be at home at night.

I agree with routine and stability, but meh on home at night. And you can absolutely have the two former without the latter.

For my totally proves it anecdote: When my sisters and I were short, both of my parents worked grave. We came home from school, did our homework, at dinner and went to the babysitter's house for the night. They got us bathed and ready for bed. In the morning we had breakfast, got up and our parents picked us up and dropped us off at school. That's what we did Mon-Fri. So we absolutely had routine and stability.

Best part was Saturday mornings because breakfast was usually fried bananas and black beans. Those breakfasts are one of my fondest childhood memories (neither of my parents could cook for squat). I still try to recreate it. To no avail.

I actually thought it was kind of ideal as far as these things go, though I suspect they lucked into such an awesome babysitter. They were always there during the day when we were off, my mother got to go on field trips and do girl scouts with me.

[Melissa W.]

I know I've mentioned how wacky my DH schedule is before but it is a 5 week rotation.
It goes like this:
-Week 1- M/T/W off- T/F/S/S Nights- 6pm to 6am
-Week 2- M/T/W off- T/F/S/S Days- 6am to 6pm
-Week 3- Monday off, T-F Training 7-3
-Week 4-M/T/W- Nights- 6pm to 6am T/F/S/S-off
-Week 5-M/T/W- Days- 6am-6pm- T/F/S/S-off
There are seven days off and then he goes back on nights.


Even with 3 weeks vacation, it can be a bitch to get time off due to licensing requirements and who is eligible to work overtime.

Due to his schedule, I changed jobs from public accounting to a local finance position to cut my commute time from 1 hour to 25 minutes. I don't get paid as much as I would like but they are VERY good to me on work/life balance. It is a balancing act. While I hate that it feels like sometimes, his career takes precedence, it is what it is. I am the consistency in picking the girls up from daycare and general care.

We have some round the clock centers in the area but I've found they don't meet our needs/standards.

[Deleted]

May 14, 2012 8:23:22 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Maybe I'll get flamed for this, but if my work schedule required me to have a child in overnight care or daycare until like 10PM, I probably wouldn't have kids.

Kids need stability, routine, and to be at home at night.

Oh yeah, because people totally have kids knowing full well they'll be working until 10pm.

Don't be a chode, yo!

I used to wait tables right after I got divorced and I often worked until 10pm or midnight but on those days, I didn't go to work until 3 or 5pm. So actually, I spent more waking time with my kid, hanging out, doing stuff with them than your average 9-5 parent.

[cookiemdough]

It seems like we are only critical of this as it relates to working class families. What about financially secure families that have au pairs? Somehow they escape the scorn of having the nerve to need nighttime care.

[pamela]

Actually, au pairs can't legally work that many hours, although they could do night duty while day care does the day.

I don't see the critical responses being limited to one s-e group.

[GailGoldie]

May 14, 2012 10:58:22 GMT -5 cookiemdough said:

It seems like we are only critical of this as it relates to working class families. What about financially secure families that have au pairs? Somehow they escape the scorn of having the nerve to need nighttime care.

haha! I have a friend with an au pair... her kids are now in school and she still has one - it's ilke she's afraid to be a parent without one.... it's quite sad. She only works part time- only b/c she likes to work - doesn't need to. (not saying all au pair situations are sad - just this one friend).

[cookiemdough]

May 14, 2012 11:04:41 GMT -5 pamela said:

Actually, au pairs can't legally work that many hours, although they could do night duty while day care does the day.

I don't see the critical responses being limited to one s-e group.

Based on the posts in here, it looks like daycares with longer hours have a limit as well. My understanding is that au pairs can't work more than 10 hours per day which is longer than some of the time limits in the post regarding extended hour daycare centers. What happens in India in general is not going to be comparable. As far as criticism I guess I will anxiously await the next article coming out about how harmful au pairs are to kids which will probably be...never.

[Deleted]

Au pairs have limits, yes but nannies don't.

I regularly worked from 8am to 11pm or longer when I was nanny to a pair of clingy ass badly AP'd kids who couldn't sleep without being in mom's bed and on her tit so until she came home, I was on full duty.

And I agree with cookie. No one has shit to say about parents who hire a nanny to take care of their kids at all hours of the day and night but stick your kid in day care too long and some hussy has to be all, OMG, why have kids at all??

[bugandbibs]

MH's work is essentially open 24hrs/day. It's why he works there, so he can work second shift after I get home.

I know that the time difference is an issue for some of his co-workers. I think the concept of 24 daycare is good. Not that you should have your kiddo there for that long, but so that you can choose the hours that work best for your family. Honestly, your kids can be on any schedule you want them to be until they are in school.

[chichimi]

May 14, 2012 11:22:58 GMT -5 @habbsies said:

And I agree with cookie. No one has shit to say about parents who hire a nanny to take care of their kids at all hours of the day and night but stick your kid in day care too long and some hussy has to be all, OMG, why have kids at all??

I actually made that statement as a result of my own nanny experience. Its not a class issue. I didnt and still dont see the point in creating a child that you cant spend adequate time with but that is my own personal choice and I realize many people have very different priorities than I.

[cookiemdough]

May 14, 2012 14:32:47 GMT -5 @chichimi said:

May 14, 2012 11:22:58 GMT -5 @habbsies said:

And I agree with cookie. No one has shit to say about parents who hire a nanny to take care of their kids at all hours of the day and night but stick your kid in day care too long and some hussy has to be all, OMG, why have kids at all??

I actually made that statement as a result of my own nanny experience. Its not a class issue. I didnt and still dont see the point in creating a child that you cant spend adequate time with but that is my own personal choice and I realize many people have very different priorities than I.

How much time is adequate?

[Deleted]

Yeah, I'd like to know what's adequate as well.

[Melissa W.]

May 14, 2012 14:50:37 GMT -5 cookiemdough said:

May 14, 2012 14:32:47 GMT -5 @chichimi said:

I actually made that statement as a result of my own nanny experience. Its not a class issue. I didnt and still dont see the point in creating a child that you cant spend adequate time with but that is my own personal choice and I realize many people have very different priorities than I.

How much time is adequate?

This. My DH may not get as much time with my kids but the time he is with them is quality time. There is no magic number of hours spent.

[basilosaurus]

All those nurses working 12 hour shifts must be awful uncaring people. That's a profession that should really never breed.

But, really, what do they do in a state that has a 9 hour max? Most nurses work 3 12s, and they like that schedule as it lets them spend lots of time with their kids. Are hospital daycares exempt? Are there simply no single parent nurses in those states?

[chichimi]

I wouldnt have children unless the father or I could stay home with them until they are in school. Does this mean I judge anyone who has someone else watch their kids? No, I dont think so just that its not a choice I would make. I dont tell other people what to do with their children because they are the ones that have to live with the decision, not me.

[Deleted]

The thing is you might not know or have expected your employment situation to be such when you made the decision to have children.

I'm not sure why this is difficult to understand.

[Melissa W.]

May 14, 2012 15:02:35 GMT -5 @chichimi said:

I wouldnt have children unless the father or I could stay home with them until they are in school. Does this mean I judge anyone who has someone else watch their kids? No, I dont think so just that its not a choice I would make. I dont tell other people what to do with their children because they are the ones that have to live with the decision, not me.

This doesn't come off as judging at all.....