Working Mothers

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Working Mothers

• Americas Real Top Model The Working Mom

Amy Booth, Child Resource and Referral Services,
Program Manager Kentucky Partnership for Early
Childhood Services
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Working Mothers Need Child Care

• The last 30 years have shown a significant
  increase in labor force participation by women
  with children
• Only 23 of families with children younger than 6
  have a parent who is not in the work force
• Currently 70.5 of women with children are in the
  work force
• Between 1970 and 1990, the number of single
  parent families in the United States doubled,
  creating a greater demand for child care -
  NACCRRA

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Types of Programs

• Licensed Child Care Facility (Type I)
• A program where 13 or more children are provided
  care
• Licensed Child Care Facility (Type II)
• 7 12 children in a providers home
• Certified Family Child Care Homes
• Is a dwelling in which the provider cares for 4
  6 unrelated children

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Child Care Resource and Referral Services

• Begin your search by calling your local CCRR
  agency
• The CCRR can give you facts about child care and
  a list of child care options in your area that
  may meet your needs

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Visit Child Care Programs

• Look for
• Children are supervised at all times, even during
  naptime
• Caregivers and children wash their hands often,
  especially before and after eating and using the
  bathroom and changing diapers

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Check

• Current license
• Are there deficiencies posted?
• Safe playground equipment has no sharp edges and
  is kept in good shape
• First aid kits available
• Medication is out of reach
• Participation in STARS?

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Ask Questions

• What is the teacher to child ratio and group
  size?
• Training and experience of all the adults who
  will be with your child
• Are the discipline policies compatible with your
  philosophy?
• Is there a daily schedule and activities posted?

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Make a choice

• Using a checklist think about the visit and
  observations you made
• What was your childs reaction to the visit?
• Your childs personal style to the right child
  care setting

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• Is your child adaptable, cautious, or feisty?
• How does your child react to the world?
• How social is your child?
• How active is your child?
• Is your child tolerant of changes and challenges?
• What are your childs unique needs?

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Stay involved

• Communicate with your childs caregiver during
  drop-off and pick up times
• Offer to volunteer when possible for field trips,
  special events
• Attend parent meetings
• Parent conferences

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Child Care Resources

• Kentucky Partnership for Early Childhood Services
  www.KentuckyPartnership.org
• Child Care Council of Kentucky www.childcarecounci
  lofky.com
• Licensing/Certification Information
  http//chfs.ky.gov/oig/drcc/htm

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Quality care last a lifetime
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Common Pitfalls of New Working Moms (how to avoid
them)

• 1. Waiting to line up child care
• 2. Being passive about child care
• 3. Going back in full steam
• 4. Going it alone
• 5. Imagining child miserable
• 6. Apologizing
• 7. Expecting no bumps
• 8. Sticking to your guns blindly

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Learning through play
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Communicating with your supervisor

• Before meeting with your supervisor, know your
  child care centers policy on sick children
• What is the turnaround time for getting children
  in and out of the office for both sick and well
  children
• Talk to your supervisor about how they handle
  sick days for well child appointments or sick
  children.
• Have back up child care in case of illness

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Balancing Act

• Unfortunately, many women feel additional stress
  when they must decide what they feel is best for
  their families or what is best for their career
• According to the Center for Work-Life Policy, if
  a woman takes time off to care for children or an
  older parent, employers tend to see these people
  as less than full committed

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Work-Life Balance

• The expression "work-life balance" was first used
  in the late 1970s to describe the balance between
  an individual's work and personal life. (New Ways
  to Work and the Working Mother's Association in
  the United Kingdom).
• In the United States, this phrase was first used
  in 1986. As the separation between work and home
  life has diminished, this concept has become more
  relevant than ever before.

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Outcomes

• Employees who were more favorable toward their
  organizations efforts to support work-life
  balance also indicated a much lower intent to
  leave the organization
• Employers can offer a range of different programs
  and initiatives, such as flexible working
  arrangements in the form of part time, job
  sharing and telecommuting work

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Telecommuting

• Telecommuting, e-commuting, e-work, telework,
  working at home (WAH), or working from home (WFH)
  is a work arrangement in which employees enjoy
  flexibility in working location and hours. In
  other words, the daily commute to a central place
  of work is replaced by telecommunication links
• In 2006, more than 12 million Americans were
  telecommuting full-time according to the
  Dieringer Research Group

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Pros of Telecommuting

• Allows your company to cut overhead expenses
• Likely to have increased efficiency because you
  are able to work at your most productive times
• Working from home will reduce auto emissions and
  gas use
• You may have a renewed loyalty and encourage you
  to keep up your high performance

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Obstacles

• Telecommuting is not possible with every career
• Some jobs you simply need to be onsite
• Do you need a certain amount of face to face
  time with your supervisor and co-workers?
• Is there specific hardware, software, file access
  or equipment that you need to do your job that
  would be difficult to do at home?
• Do you deal with sensitive or confidential
  information on a daily basis?

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Tips for talking with your supervisor

• Schedule a meeting in advance
• Be prepared with your research and ready to
  answer questions
• Present your case in writing by giving your boss
  a proposal that he/she can read through
• Be enthusiastic, not desperate
• Spend time discussing your office setup at home
• Give your supervisor time to process everything

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Getting Ahead by Slowing Down

• Assess you risk Consider your personal
  obligations as well as how much risk you really
  need to take to reach your career goals
• Ignite your passions Pursue your passions at
  work
• Under-schedule yourself Rushing through your
  days and nights with little down time wont help
  you get ahead. Pause to review your weekly
  calendar and make sure you are not too overbooked
  to leave room for the unexpected

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Getting Ahead by Slowing Down

• Be fully engaged Focus on what you are doing at
  the moment rather that on what you will be eating
  for lunch in an hour whats going on at home
• Leave your mark Stand out from the crowd by
  showcasing your distinctive approach at work
• Learn your way Knowing how you learn best will
  give you an edge. Youll will absorb and
  integrate new idea faster and deeper

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Getting Ahead by Slowing Down

• Track all trends Notice how you could
  incorporate trends about when, where, and how
  people work into your career to better serve your
  clients and better balance your work and personal
  lives
• Play at work Decide what the most fun activities
  in you work and family lived and transfer the
  best ones to each work
• Reflect every day Review your performance as a
  working mom on a regular basis

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Getting Ahead by Slowing Down

• Keep It Fresh Rotate your work projects, leisure
  activities, and family rituals to keep you
  interest and energy levels high. Shake up parts
  of you daily routine
• Marci Taub, M.A. And author of Interview
  Yourself for Working Moms A Guided Journal

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For years, the conventional wisdom for working
mothers has been, "You cant have your cake and
eat it too." In other words, you can be there for
your children, or you can advance in your career,
but not both. "Only Clark Kent has to be
Superman, but every working mother has had to be
Superwoman," says Ellen Bravo, director of 9to5,
National Association of Working Women. To succeed
both at home and at work, "women need the right
amount of support." Fortunately, the prevailing
winds are beginning to change, and women are
finding they can balance work and family.
http//www.9to5.org/