Backup Child Care Policy
Caroliso
352 Posts
Does anyone have, or have a reference for, a "backup child care policy"?
We are an education research and development organization that as a small division that has created a workshop for teachers out of its work. We conduct these workshops for school districtions around the country. The workshop leaders are usually hired on a contract basis. From time to time an emergency surfaces and a workshop leader cannot go. If we can find no other contract person to fill in, a staff member who was in on the design, knows how to lead workshops and supervises the workshop leaders but does not have conducting them him/herself as a primary job function, is our only alternative to cancelling the week-long workshop for which people have already paid and materials been sent out.
Now for the part that relates to my question. Every now and then, a supervising person who has to fill in in an emergency will have to hire child care so they can go fill in. it does not happen often enough to make employment contingent on being available to travel, as we might do if the workshop leaders were employees.
We get asked to cover child care for this individual because they have to pay child care costs out of pocket in order to fill in for an emergency, which doesn't quite seem fair for them to do. I have been very reluctant to institute any regular child care reimbursement policy because of the can of worms it might open (what if I want to go to a conference and have to pay for child care? what about if I have to come into the office and my child care falls through, or I'm part time and I'm required to come in on an off day? what about if I have options.... my husband/wife can stay home but has to use vacation time, etc. don't i get something? etc.)
If anyone can point me in the direction of a solution to this dilemma or a policy, I'd greatly appreciate it.
We are an education research and development organization that as a small division that has created a workshop for teachers out of its work. We conduct these workshops for school districtions around the country. The workshop leaders are usually hired on a contract basis. From time to time an emergency surfaces and a workshop leader cannot go. If we can find no other contract person to fill in, a staff member who was in on the design, knows how to lead workshops and supervises the workshop leaders but does not have conducting them him/herself as a primary job function, is our only alternative to cancelling the week-long workshop for which people have already paid and materials been sent out.
Now for the part that relates to my question. Every now and then, a supervising person who has to fill in in an emergency will have to hire child care so they can go fill in. it does not happen often enough to make employment contingent on being available to travel, as we might do if the workshop leaders were employees.
We get asked to cover child care for this individual because they have to pay child care costs out of pocket in order to fill in for an emergency, which doesn't quite seem fair for them to do. I have been very reluctant to institute any regular child care reimbursement policy because of the can of worms it might open (what if I want to go to a conference and have to pay for child care? what about if I have to come into the office and my child care falls through, or I'm part time and I'm required to come in on an off day? what about if I have options.... my husband/wife can stay home but has to use vacation time, etc. don't i get something? etc.)
If anyone can point me in the direction of a solution to this dilemma or a policy, I'd greatly appreciate it.
