VideoTypical Models For Backup Child Care
Consortium.
A group of companies pools members' dollars to create and operate a center. Consortium members act as owners and collectively assume start-up and overhead costs as well as liability risks.
Managed.
A sponsoring company fully owns and manages the center, operating it internally or outsourcing it to a service provider. The sponsoring company may choose to sell membership spaces to other companies to offset operating costs.
Membership.
This is the most popular model. Companies purchase memberships from an external vendor, buying spaces for their employees in a center. The care provider—not the employer—retains profit-and-loss responsibility for the center. Contracts with vendors can often be adjusted from year to year to reflect the company's needs.
Flexible Or Mixed.
A combination of approaches, this model provides a tailored web of services for parents. For instance, a company may purchase a membership space in a local backup center, as well as offer access to child-care resource and referral hotlines and dependent-care tax-savings accounts. Employers may also partner with external services that offer in-home emergency care, such as Parents in a Pinch or Caregivers on Call.—M.H.
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