Along with two Athens area partners, Ohio University plans to lead an effort to address the lack of affordable local child care.
On Tuesday, the university released a report from a recent university-sponsored Child Care Task Force that stated that child care in the community is lacking and more communication on the topic is necessary.
The task force worked with the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce and the Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD) on the report.
“It was clear during the strategic planning process that access to child care in Athens is a significant challenge,” said Kathy Krendl, executive vice president and provost for OU in a press release announcing the report.
Krendl announced a series of actions the university plans to take, both in the short and long term, in addressing the issue.
The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce applauded the efforts of Krendl and the university.
“As the largest employer in the area, it’s a very, very positive step,” said Larry Payne, member services coordinator for the chamber.
“The quality of child care is hard to come by,” Payne said. “OU gets a lot of comments about it from their newly hired employees. That is the reason they did that survey.”
The survey conducted by the university task force, of which 94 percent of the respondents were OU faculty, staff, faculty or students, reported that 83 percent of those who responded believed that the lack of child care has interfered with their school or work.
Payne reported that child care is a major concern among its members, both large and small. “For any company, like Diagnostic Hybrids, it’s a big issue for them because it affects worker productivity,” he said.
Payne noted that the current lack of quality child care in the community indicates a potential for new businesses that specialize in such services. At least one new child care center is soon to open on West Union Street, Payne said. “A lot of related businesses for child care could be created,” he said.
With the development during the past few years of new businesses along East State Street, Payne said, the chamber estimates that more than 800 new jobs have been created. “You know a lot of those new employees need child care,” he said.
In the short term, Krendl announced, the university plans to fund development of a comprehensive child care Web site that links to a similar site operated by COAD, and to create new employee recruitment materials and republish a Guide to Child Care brochure for employees.
OU also will train supervisors to create a child-care friendly work environment in the application of policy, especially concerning sick leave and family and medical leave policies.
The university also plans to work with the chamber and COAD more closely to create a plan to increase availability of child care in the community. “With these groups working together, I am confident that the entire Athens community will be well-served,” Krendl said.
Full text available at The Athens Messenger