Fortunately, Kai’s mom works for a Federal agency that offers WorkLife4You, an FOH program that can help working parents find local before– and after– school care for their children.

What Is Before– And After–School Care?

Before– and after–school care refers to care options for school-aged children who need supervision outside of regular school hours. In today’s age of dual-income and single parent families, many parents need to find safe, reliable care during the hours when their child is out of school and they are at work. Before– and after– school programs are often run by schools; nonprofit groups (such as the YMCA, and Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs), religious groups, community centers; traditional child care providers, family child care providers, and in-home caregivers (nannies, au pairs and baby sitters).

The Challenge of Finding Suitable Care

Finding suitable before– and after– school care can be difficult for parents who don’t have the support of their employers. It can take them hours, days, or even weeks to research programs suit their child’s interests and preferences as well as meet their scheduling needs, budget, transportation requirements, program requirements (academics, sports, arts, etc), and special needs (handicap-accessible facilities, special instruction, etc.). Without the support of FOH’s WorkLife4You program—which provides personalized referrals to programs with confirmed availability—even the most productive workers are at risk of losing focus, calling in sick, or even quitting their jobs as a result of frustrations associated with searching for child programs —and that means reduced productivity levels and unnecessary expenses for managers.

How Can WorkLife4You Help?

WorkLife4You’s child care specialists offer 24/7 web and telephonic counseling, education, and referrals to help employees find before– and after–school care programs that meet their specific needs in terms of availability, scheduling, budget, location, program activities, and more. WorkLife4You also provides evaluation checklists as well as information on how to help children adjust to new caregivers. WorkLife4You does more than simply generating provider lists or basic contact information, WorkLife4You prescreens every provider before they are referred and they generate detailed, personalized referrals—literally saving employees hours of wasted time.

Plus, employees can log on to the WorkLife4You web site to:

• Read helpful articles on before– and after–school care as well as other child care and parenting issues.
• Download helpful guides: A LifeCare Guide: Before– And After– School Care, A LifeCare Guide to Helping Children Adjust to New Caregivers, and a variety of other helpful child care guides.
• Search for child care resources (by zip code, name, etc.).
• Access a child care provider evaluation checklist.
• Participate in online seminars on topics such as child care options, protecting children, before– and after– school care, reducing child care costs, the adoption process, positive parenting, and more!
• Access interactive health tools, including 3-D medical animations and a comprehensive health encyclopedia that contains a symptom checker, a drug database, a medical test reference, and more.

Problem Solved!

With the help of FOH’s WorkLife4You program, Kai and Tina’s parents were able to enroll their children in an after–school program that is run by their local community center. Kai and Tina are picked up after school by the community center, and their time is divided into homework assistance and organized sporting activities. Kai and Tina are happy, they’re meeting new friends, and the homework isn’t piling up so much anymore. And their parents are happy too, now that they have found a safe, reliable, and stimulating after-school option.