"Everett was thrilled when she became pregnant with her first child after undergoing IVF in 2022. The first thing she and her husband did was get on the wait list for Siemens Child Development Center (CDC), the popular and highly regarded on-site childcare center on the sprawling 53-acre Oregon campus of Siemens. The center, which serves as on-site childcare for Siemens employees as well the local community, cares for about 70 children from infant to pre-K and was built in 1992 to serve employees of Mentor Graphics (which was acquired by Siemens in 2017)."
"The high curriculum standards and low student-to-teacher ratio meant that even though Everett's husband was a Siemens employee who got priority enrollment, they were still on the waitlist for nearly two years. City reports from 2020 describe a "severe shortage" of childcare spots especially for infants and toddlers in Wilsonville, Oregon where the Siemens campus sits. Everett now has two children (a three and one year old) who attend the CDC. They love the center so much, it's one of the main reasons her husband makes the 30 minute commute to the office."
"But on March 10th, she received an automated message saying that the CDC would be closing at the end of June. Everett was devastated. Childcare costs in the U.S. have increased by over 32% since 2019. Yet, childcare is still in short supply. This has ramifications that go beyond parents and children. For example, in a recent national poll of working parents of young children, more than 60% reported that child care struggles led them to leave work early, be late for work, or miss work."
"As a result of lack of affordable and reliable childcare, families lose $134 billion per year in forgone earnings and employers lose $38 billion annually due to child care challenges faced by their workforce. The idea of private companies investing in"
A parent who used IVF to conceive enrolled her children in an on-site Siemens Child Development Center on the company’s Oregon campus. The center serves about 70 children from infancy through pre-K and has high curriculum standards and a low student-to-teacher ratio, yet enrollment required nearly two years of waiting due to a severe local shortage, especially for infants and toddlers. After the family grew to two children attending the center, an automated notice announced the center would close at the end of June. Childcare costs have risen sharply since 2019 while supply remains limited, leading many working parents to miss work and causing large losses in earnings and employer productivity.
Read at Fast Company
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