August 20, 2020: Employee Dependent Care Issues

Most public school districts in Metropolitan Boston and across the State have submitted their reopening plans for the fall. Some are in-person, some are hybrid, and some are all remote. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the reopening options and how to cope with them as a parent and as an employer of those parents.  Parents are left to figure out how they will manage another term of balancing work, caregiving and education.  Employers are left to figure out how to support those parents who work for them and who are affected by the decisions that their local schools have made about reopening.

John Roch, Business Manager of East Boston Social Centers, moderated a pop-up presentation and discussion about how nonprofit employers in the Boston area are navigating this issue and how they are supporting their employees who have to care for their children during their normal work hours.  Justin Pasquariello, Executive Director of East Boston Social Centers and a member of the Executive Committee of MADCA (statewide child care advocacy organization) presented on the current thinking of the daycare industry, the school system, and the Mass. Dept. of Early Education and Care.  Fred Ritzau, President of Northpoint Human Resource Consulting, discussed the Cares Act provisions concerning this issue and shared some solutions that some companies are offering their employees.  The rest of the session was a discussion and sharing by audience members about what they are doing.

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