Daycare Takes Action for Late-Working Parents
By: Eugene Daniel
Updated: October 1, 2012
PEORIA - Early Learning Center in Peoria says most of its parents were having trouble finding care to match their work schedules.
Director Dennis Didesch says most of the parents at his center do not work traditional hours and need more flexibility. It's a trend that's changed since he opened the day care 17 years ago.
"There were a lot of traditional families, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. And as the years have gone by and the economy has gone down, we found that traditional work force no longer exists," he said.
Nichole Prentice has two children that attend the daycare. She also works non-traditional hours and has trouble finding care for her kids.
"I can't work weekends because there's no daycare that's open," she said.
Saturday, the Early Learning Center extended its hours to 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days per week. Didesch says it accommodates parents that work later shifts and have to work on the weekend. More than half of his parents have already signed up.
Some parents say its something they thought they'd never find. Prentice says its opens a world of new opportunities.
"Well I can only work Monday and Friday like 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. But you can't have that everywhere. So with this open on the weekends, it helps with the job search. It gets me more hours. It's more flexibility for me," she said.
Director Dennis Didesch says most of the parents at his center do not work traditional hours and need more flexibility. It's a trend that's changed since he opened the day care 17 years ago.
"There were a lot of traditional families, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. And as the years have gone by and the economy has gone down, we found that traditional work force no longer exists," he said.
Nichole Prentice has two children that attend the daycare. She also works non-traditional hours and has trouble finding care for her kids.
"I can't work weekends because there's no daycare that's open," she said.
Saturday, the Early Learning Center extended its hours to 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days per week. Didesch says it accommodates parents that work later shifts and have to work on the weekend. More than half of his parents have already signed up.
Some parents say its something they thought they'd never find. Prentice says its opens a world of new opportunities.
"Well I can only work Monday and Friday like 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. But you can't have that everywhere. So with this open on the weekends, it helps with the job search. It gets me more hours. It's more flexibility for me," she said.
