Child care center brings family-friendly benefits onsite

Published June 26, 2006

by JOANNE WOJCIK

jwojcik@BusinessInsurance.com

Our Place, the San Mateo County, Calif., child care center, is always a whirlwind of activity.

The cacophony of playful screams and laughter emanating from the three gated playgrounds lets passersby know there are children in their midst. In fact, because of its proximity to county offices, some of the employees whose children are enrolled in the center stop by during lunch breaks. There's also a lactation room available for new mothers.

"We actually have quite a few parents who come over on their breaks and at lunchtime to nurse because they're right here" at the county offices, said Kerri Martinez, site director. The center is operated by Marin Day Schools, a subsidiary of Bright Horizons Family Solutions of Watertown, Mass.

"We welcome parents all day long, any day, anytime they want to come over. It's always nice for the older children as well to have parents come and have lunch with them or take them over to their office for an hour," she said.

As San Mateo County's benefits manager, Paul Hackleman helped develop plans for the center, was involved in construction oversight and continues to manage the contract with the child care center operator. He serves as a liaison between the county and Marin Day Schools, which Bright Horizons acquired recently.

Opened in October 1993, Our Place was one of the Marin Day Schools' first sites designed as a child care center. Most of the other sites the company operates are housed in converted office buildings, church basements or other existing facilities, according to Ms. Martinez.

Mr. Hackleman also was instrumental in expanding the county's scholarship program for lower-paid county workers who might not otherwise be able to afford the center's tuition, which ranges from $287 a month for two half days a week to $1,260 for five full days a week. There is also a $50 registration fee.

"It came from a board member who speculated during a day care contract renewal that we were not doing enough outreach to lower-wage earners," Mr. Hackleman explained. "So I got together with Pat Burns, who was one of the directors of Marin Day, and developed a program targeting the lowest 10% earning individuals with children. We stepped up communications reminding employees about the availability of scholarships."

The scholarship fund, established in 2004, largely comprises the savings on Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes that the county does not have to pay on pretax contributions employees make to dependent care spending accounts.

Scholarships range from 10% to 50% of the total tuition and are based on family income and size, and the application fee is waived for employees who are eligible to receive the subsidies.

In 2004, the first year that scholarships were made available, 17 employees qualified to receive them. This year, 20 low-salaried employees are receiving child care assistance via the scholarship program. The current scholarship fund balance is $65,000.

In addition to tuition payments, Our Place receives $100,000 from the county to offset overhead expenses. The sum is derived from rent the county receives from another, unrelated, child care center on county-owned property. Our Place is open to children of other members of the community as well, but county employees get priority on openings. In addition, tuition rates are slightly higher for those who don't work for the county.

The minimum age for children to attend is two months, and they can stay until they start kindergarten, usually at age 51/2.

The children who attend Our Place are divided into groups by age, and each group is identified by a different species of birds: infants are called The Hummingbirds, while the oldest children are The Eagles. In between are Sparrows, Robins, Doves and Owls.

In addition to their class bird themes, each group receives instruction on topics such as insects and gardening, rocks and caves, and even weather in a safe, county-sanctioned environment. For example, the center has lots of toys and colorful playground equipment--all without sharp edges. Teachers encourage the children to brush their teeth after eating, and each child has a "cubby"--a cube in a shelving unit to store personal belongings. At Christmas, the children sing carols at the county offices nearby.

"The neat thing about the curriculum is that so much of it comes from the children. They vote on what they want to study," Ms. Martinez said.

For example, the children chose various aspects of weather they wanted to study. They made water tornadoes in plastic bottles and painted and hung paper storm clouds and a rainbow from the ceiling.

"So the children come up with the ideas and the teachers just make it work," she said.

"A lot of times, child care is not like this. This is an incredibly rich environment, and I really love that the county right from the very top and from the very start was really concerned about the environment that they create," Mr. Hackleman said during a recent tour of the center. He was greeted with hugs and kisses by many of the children, most of whom he knew him by name.

"Paul has always been interactive," said Ms. Martinez.

At the center's 10th anniversary, Mr. Hackleman donned a chef's hat and manned the barbecue, she added.

Our Place, which operates between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily, is licensed to provide care to 92 children at any one time. It has 109 children enrolled, which is permitted because many are there only part-time, Ms. Martinez said. It employs 30 teachers--all trained in early childhood education. Teacher-to-student ratios range from 1:3 for infants to 1:10 for preschoolers.