THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 6, 1996 TAG: 9602060266
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
The normally quiet, suit-and-tie atmosphere of NationsBank's downtown office had an unusual dimension Monday: the sound of laughing children.
Twenty-two children of NationsBank employees trooped to the bank's downtown building to attend a Snowy Day Program the bank has set up for kids who are out of school or day care because of bad weather.
The program, the only one of its kind in the area, was initiated last winter to help keep working parents from missing work. Since there weren't any snow days during the 1994-95 school year, this is the first year the program has been used.
``This is a lot better than staying home and watching TV,'' said 11-year-old Jason Unger, who was playing ``Win, Lose or Draw'' with a group of other children on the second floor of the bank. ``And it's definitely better than school.''
The Snowy Day Program serves children 12 and younger, and is free of charge to bank employees. Whenever area schools close because of bad weather, two rooms of the bank quickly fill up with Legos, Play-Doh, board games and children.
``It's a win-win situation,'' said Cathy Scarborough, a personnel officer at the bank. ``Being able to help associates balance their family life with their work life is good for the associates and good for us as a company.''
Although company backup plans for child care are rare in this area, they are slowly gaining attention from employers nationwide as the number of two-working-parent families grows.
And for good reason. A recent study by Lipton Corporate Child Care Centers - a Washington-based company that provides backup child care for corporations in New York, Philadelphia and Washington - estimates that parents miss an average of eight days a year because of breakdowns in child care. And the Child Care Action Campaign, a nonprofit agency in New York City that studies child-care issues, estimates that U.S. employers lose $3 billion a year because of those disruptions.
The Snowy Day Program was developed by Work/Family Directions, a Boston-based company that provides work-family programs for employers across the nation. The program was designed two years ago for Work/Family Directions employees, and then was pitched to the company's corporate clients, one of which is NationsBank.
Five other companies across the nation have started a Snowy Day Program as well, and Work/Family Directions is working to get six additional companies on board. ``With every snow storm we're getting more calls,'' said Judi Presser, the coordinator of the program for Work/Family Directions. ``I'm like a ski chalet owner; the snow has been good for business.''
Besides its Norfolk location, NationsBank has Snowy Day Programs at banks in Richmond, Atlanta and Charlotte.
Scarborough said she couldn't give a cost of the program in Norfolk, but she said the company believes ``it's worth whatever amount it is to help the associates here.''
Children were divided into two different rooms Monday. Two toddlers were playing with Duplos and Play-Doh and watching ``Sesame Street'' tapes in one room staffed by child-care employees from Children's Harbor, a local United Way agency that runs child-care centers in the area. Children ages 5 to 12 played board games and watched Disney tapes in a room supervised by Boys & Girls Club employees.
Monday was the second day the program had been put to use; the first day was during a snow day in January.
``The kids love it,'' said Mary Frazier, school-age child-care coordinator at the W.W. Houston Boys & Girls Club. ``And it puts the parents' minds at ease.''
Seven-year-old Meagan Dilbeck waved to her mother, Cynthia Cutchin, who poked her head in the room to see how she was doing. ``She gets a kick out of coming to work with Mommy,'' said Cutchin, who is a security manager at the bank. ``And it makes me feel good that she's here and I don't have to worry about getting a baby sitter. It's just a big relief.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
No school? No day care? No problem.
MOTOYA NAKAMURA
The Virginian-Pilot
Hortense Brown of Children's Harbor looks after Tyler Vansloten, 4,
center, and David Dasco, 3, at the NationsBank building in downtown
Norfolk.
Brandon Foster, 10, draws a clue as Adrian Moore, 9, laughs along
during a game Monday.
KEYWORDS: WINTER STORM CHILD CARE by CNB