In a Pinch: Why It Is So Hard To Find Backup Child Care

January 18, 2007 by Sue Shellenbarger, Wall Street Journal Work & Family Columnist

After raising two children and writing this column for 16 years, I thought I knew a little bit about child care. So I recently jumped at a chance to help my adult stepdaughter who lives in a distant state arrange a backup child-care plan -- a safety net if her two small children got sick and couldn't attend preschool.

Imagine my dismay when I came up empty-handed. After a frustrating search, I was embarrassed to tell my daughter the only backup care I had found was $160 a day, derailing the family budget. Only after further research, using a referral service made available to me as a reporter, was I able to find anything remotely useful and slightly more affordable -- a referral to a nanny agency that sometimes fills backup-care requests, albeit for about $100 a day.

Backup child and elder care as an employee benefit is on the rise. About 14% of employers are offering subsidized backup care to help employees when their usual setup breaks down, or a child is mildly ill and has to stay home. That is up from 6% in 2005, says a Society for Human Resource Management survey of 379 employers.

So why can't I get any for my daughter?

The answer lies in a Byzantine delivery system that divides the haves from the have-nots. Like health insurance, good backup care is so expensive that average families struggle to pay. To fill these brief, often unpredictable needs, skilled caregivers must be available to come to your home on short notice; in another option, some child-care centers charge a fee to set aside backup slots for children whose regular care isn't available.

Avoiding unscheduled employee absences is a mounting concern for employers, and child- and elder-care breakdowns are a leading cause, surveys show. Based on interviews with seven big providers of backup-care programs, employers are paying about $10 to $40 an employee a year for employee subsidies and support services. Prices vary based on the services and the size of the employer.

This safety net can be invaluable. When the wife of Microsoft engineer Hugh North was suddenly called away from their Seattle home to care for her father in California, Mr. North feared missing work to care for their toddler, Scott, and potentially derailing projects. Because Microsoft subsidizes backup care through Work Options Group, in Superior, Colo., Mr. North had several choices for his son. He picked a slot in a nearby child-care center, which cost him only $2 an hour out-of-pocket.

Providers of subsidized backup care together serve 9% of the U.S. work force. The other 91% had better plan ahead. On behalf of my daughter, I contacted Work Options and was politely told that its services are restricted to clients' employees. My call to the Visiting Nurse Association, one option for home care, netted referrals to three agencies. The only one I felt I could recommend would charge $160 a day. A call to the public resource-and-referral agency generated a referral to a parent network that doesn't provide child care. Fortunately, my daughter is able to rely on family members for help.

The bottom line: It is essential to start planning for backup care very, very early. If you are among the have-nots and don't have access to employer help, plan on paying roughly $18 to $25 an hour for in-home care, or $25 to $100 a day for a slot in a child-care center. Consider asking a relative, neighbor or friend for backup-care help, perhaps paying them or bartering services. Research providers in advance, including family child-care homes, child-care centers and nanny or in-home care agencies. Screen your options in advance, preregister and give your child a chance to try out the setup.

As burdensome as all this might seem, it can do much to ward off work-family crises in the future.