A Solution for Holiday Child Care

ByABC News
December 22, 2006, 6:36 PM

Dec. 22, 2006 — -- With the holiday break under way, school-age kids are likely cheering and ready to have some fun, but for some working parents, their children's winter break is less of a joy as they scramble to find child care.

Working mom Lisa Perez in Houston said her mother has agreed to watch her kids while she's at work. The arrangement includes two hours of shuffling each day.

"I'm either commuting, trying to get them to my mom's or trying to get to work on time," Perez said. "There's no time to shop, no time to enjoy the holidays."

"The holidays should be very happy and fun, but they never are," said Linda Mason of Bright Horizons Family Solutions. "Many parents get just a day or two off over the holidays, and if they have school-age children, what do they do?"

During holiday breaks, some parents leave their children home alone or try to sneak them into the office, but they don't have to if they work for a handful of companies that offer a simpler solution.

Perez's friend Christina Hernandez uses backup child care at her office, KPMG, which offers the service for weeks, like the time between Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Hernandez drops her two girls off in the morning at a day care center a few blocks from the office and picks them up on her way home, all at her employer's expense.

"I honestly don't know what I would do if I didn't have this benefit," Hernandez said.

The spaces go quickly at backup child care centers during the holidays. The one that Hernandez uses in Houston is fully enrolled and there's a waiting list.

Some companies, including Wyeth Labs and Price Waterhouse, get their workers through the holidays by simply shutting down between Christmas and New Year's. Others, like Texas Instruments, sponsor on-site holiday camps.