SOLVING THE CHILDCARE PUZZLE CONTINUED...
OPERATIONS
But there are facets of the issue that can be addressed short-term. A key part of the challenge for par- ents is access—having enough care facilities with the capacity to handle more tykes. About 51% of Amer- icans live in “childcare deserts” where they couldn’t find childcare even if cost wasn’t a factor, accord- ing to the National Child Care Asso- ciation. Ironically, given the impor- tance childcare holds for boosting restaurant employment, a big part of the problem is a shortage of la- bor within the childcare industry. Regulations set strict ratios of how many certified adults are required per specified number of young- sters, and those care providers are in short supply. And a big part of the issue there is pay. Yet increasing compensation would aggravate the cost compo- nent of the challenge. The federal recommendation is that a fami- ly spend no more than 7% of its household income on childcare. The average pay of a restaurant server is $13,200 a year, according to the placement service Indeed. If every penny of that income went to childcare, it still likely would be in- sufficient to cover the cost. For the benefit to ever catch hold in the restaurant business, the cost would clearly have to be shared. Streufert believes the TRA’s group “We all focus on the money piece, but there are also other issues, other challenges, that can be addressed.” —KELSEY STREUFERT, CHIEF OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR THE TEXAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION BY MIDJOURNEY/DIMITRI MORSON
ployee asks for help in finding child- care. They’re not familiar with the options. Nor are they invariably up to speed on tax benefits and other forms of government assistance that might be available to working parents or could be offered if pres- sure was directed at the right place. She notes that Texas has money from the federal government that could be channeled toward the is- sue in the form of grants or subsi- dies. HOMEGROWN HALF-REMEDIES Meanwhile, operators are finding half-remedies that they can extend to employees. The First Watch day- time dining chain, for instance, of- fers employees a solution for the frequent instances where their babysitters call out on short notice. Instead of canceling their shifts, crewmembers can drop the kids off at a childcare facility run by Bright Horizons, a leader in the field, for a charge of $10 a day for one young- ster and $15 for two or more. Or, the employee can select a caregiver from Bright Horizons’ roster to come to their homes for $4 an hour. The workers can use the stopgap measures up to seven times a year. Similarly, Starbucks offers each
has found a framework for spread- ing the cost in a program the state of Kentucky is currently piloting. Part of its appeal is the simplicity: Em- ployers pay a third, the government pays a third and the remaining third is picked up by employees. But the cost will likely still be be- yond the reach of most restaurant workers, Streufert notes. “Is there a sliding scale we could use?” she asks. Streufert hears loud and clear from TRA members that restaurant employers can ill-afford the burden that’d be foisted on them. Ways would need to be identified for tem- pering the impact, like tax breaks or other government incentives. In the meantime, she said, steps can be taken to ease the situation while the Employers for Childcare Initiative continues to forge lon- ger-term ways of delivering relief. “We all focus on the money piece, but there are also other issues, other challenges, that can be addressed,” she says. A good place to start, she con- tinues, would be obtaining and dis- tributing more information about childcare access and ways employ- ees can soften the cost. For instance, Streufert says, many restaurant employers don’t know how to respond when an em-
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RESTAURANT BUSINESS OCTOBER 2024
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