What Role Should Childcare Play in Your Ontario Business?

Few families have the ability to have a full-time stay-at-home parent. Most families in Ontario are comprised of two working parents, and that means an increased need for affordable, accessible, quality daycare.

Parents who don’t have to worry about their children while they’re on the job are genuinely happier and more productive in the workplace.

The recent throne speech stressed the importance of the need for child care in Ontario. To ensure every child has the best possible start in life, they recently banned child care waitlist fees, improving childcare accessibility. The province is also:

  • Working to create 100,000 new child care spaces by 2017
  • Investing $269 million over the next three years to help raise the wages of early childhood educators
  • Creating a new cabinet portfolio specifically to address early years and child care

The Real Cost of Child Care 

A parent without access to regular daycare can affect workplace productivity. It can mean unexpected absences in the workplace, or an inability to accept advancement or increased responsibilities due to child care restrictions. And employees who can’t fully contribute or commit to your company can have a very real impact on your bottom line.

On-Site Child Care

Having a licensed on-site child care facility in your company means employees can concentrate on their work while on the job, and that translates into:

  • Improved employee morale
  • Lower absenteeism
  • Reduced tardiness
  • Higher employee retention/lower turnover
  • Increased productivity

And on-site child care is also a great incentive for recruitment of top professionals who have young children.

Childcare in Ontario

In Ontario, and across the country, the burden of childcare falls disproportionately on women, who make up the lion’s share of the workforce. By providing financial assistance to help cover the cost of off-site daycare, or by providing on-site daycare facilities, you’ll be giving valued staff a top reason to stay with you.

A company is only as good as the people it employs. And a company committed to its employees reaps the benefits of that commitment in the form of quality workplace performance by employees who show up for regularly scheduled shifts on time and ready to work.

If you’re searching for ways to optimize parents on your staff, reach out to the staffing specialists at Employment Professionals Canada today.