Skimm Money: Free Coffee, Child Care, and Boy Math

Get answers straight from the career and finance pros.

At the end of this month, the American Rescue Plan is set to expire. As a result, one in three child care programs around the country could close its doors, and about 3.2 million children could be affected. Some parents may have to make the tough call to either find new child care or leave their jobs to take care of their children full-time.

What child care accommodations can I ask for from my employer, and what can I say to my manager to get that support?

FEATURED EXPERT:

Bonnie Dilber

Recruiting manager at Zapier and creator of the career and job search newsletter Landed!

This may vary based on your workplace culture, work hours, and relationship with your manager. But I would suggest letting your manager and/or HR know if you have challenges with navigating child care, and come ready with solutions or options to navigate your challenges. Some of the accommodations that most corporate workplaces should be able to provide would be hybrid/remote work or flexibility around hours. You can also inquire about child care assistance, backup care programs, child care FSAs, etc. 

I would say something like, "Unfortunately, I've had some changes to my child care availability. I want to ensure that this doesn't impact my work, and wanted to discuss potential accommodations to help me manage my responsibilities as a parent with my responsibilities at work. I have some ideas and am committed to finding a mutually beneficial solution."

You could then propose some ideas, for example:

"Our daycare closed and I was only able to find a program for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I should be able to get a solid work day in with my kids at home given their nap schedules so I'd like to work from home on Tuesday and Thursday. I can also put in longer days while they are in daycare."

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My husband and I had been looking for a new mattress for a few months, trying to find the perfect combination of supportive, soft, and cooling. I came across the Tuft & Needle Mint Hybrid Mattress and decided to give it a shot since it also came with a 100-night sleep trial. After the first night, we were both super impressed and agreed it was one of the best nights of sleep we had ever had! And after a few months, I'm still impressed with the level of support and comfort.

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