When 'bring your kid to work day' is every day
The following column, written by Jessyca Stoepker, draws upon interviews with two employees of Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs: Amanda Bomers, director of human resources; and Mandy Gray, director of resort accommodations.
Northern Michigan’s child care situation has grown increasingly grim. According to a Networks Northwest report, in 2017 there were only 43 licensed child care providers in Emmet County, down from 48 in 2010. Experts from the research-based nonprofit say this has been a common trend, estimating that the Northwest Lower Michigan region has lost about 30% of its child care providers in the last decade or so despite population growth.
Amanda Bomers, director of human resources for Boyne Highlands, agrees that access to child care in the area is slim, and the facilities or in-home options that do exist are always full or very expensive.
“We pay wages that are competitive in the area, however when you factor in the cost of housing, transportation, and child care it almost defeats the team member,” says Bomers.
Even if parents are able to navigate a confusing child care system and locate options, it’s often unaffordable. Median household income in the region is less than $47,000 per year, while the cost of childcare for two kids (one infant and one preschooler) in the most affordable setting — home-based care — is about $14,000 a year ($1,160 a month). That’s about 30% of the household’s income, rivaling a mortgage payment or university tuition.
“At that point, many individuals question if leaving home to secure a job is even worth it.”
Bomers explains that was why, in 2019, Boyne Highlands decided to create its own solution: opening an on-site child care center to recruit and retain employees.
“Being a new mother at the time, I knew the challenges of getting signed up for daycare. Either places were full, there was a long waitlist, or they couldn’t give you an answer about an open spot until the week you needed it. It was very stressful,” she says. “By offering our own on-site childcare service, we were hoping to alleviate that stress for our team. That was the overall goal.”
The parent must be working on-site while the child is in the daycare. It’s a small facility, and, while not free, it has one of the lowest costs in the area.
“We believe it’s important to offer this to team members year-round. They don’t have to worry about who is watching their children, or if they can afford it or not,” Bomers says.
“We have a great crew that runs it, six staff total. Right now, we’re only open to team members and are full due to space and staffing. But when the world is back to normal, we typically offer this service to guests as well. It’s a nice perk.”
Research has shown that increasing childcare access not only reduces the likelihood of absenteeism from work, but it also increases the size of a region’s labor market.
“We’re operating in the pandemic and opened the facility right before, so it’s hard to measure outcomes or predict the future right now. But I believe, in the long term, we’ll see great things come from this. It is an amazing perk to be able to bring your child to work with you. If a situation comes up, you’re only a few minutes away. It gives our staff peace of mind.”
“Will it generate revenue? No, but it will generate long-lasting team members that are grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with their children,” Bomers says. “This is how we show our employees that we care about them and their families.”
This mindset is exactly what the Petoskey chamber’s Thriving Petoskey initiative is about, and Boyne Highlands’ innovative approach to a community-wide issue has not gone unrecognized. The company was one of about 10 businesses who became an official “Thriving Petoskey Business” after completing a recent workshop. Thriving Petoskey committee members consider Boyne Highlands and its business peers to be key players in our region’s future.
Bomers says she is highly supportive of the Thriving Petoskey initiative and thinks it’s important for all businesses to get involved in making change.
“It takes a community to make it happen and we live in a great community! We support each other and learn from each other,” Bomers says. “We do not always have to be the same or follow the same road, but we can still find great solutions.”
Jessyca Stoepker is co-chair of the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce's Thriving Petoskey Committee and submitted this installment in the chamber's Thriving Petoskey column series.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Column: When 'bring your kid to work day' is every day
