December 28, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Child care resource and referral services much more common in large workplaces

Child care resource and referral services are ten times more likely to be available to workers in the largest establishments than in the smallest.

[Chart data—TXT]

In June 2000, only 4.5 percent of employees in establishments with fewer than 100 workers had access to child care resource and referral services. In contrast, 45.8 percent of workers in the biggest establishments—those with 5,000 or more employees—had access to child care resource and referral services.

Child care resource and referral services are defined as employer-sponsored benefits that provide information to employees regarding child day care providers. These services include information on child day care options, costs, schedules of availability, and the qualifications of the caregivers in the local community.

These data are from a supplement to the June 2000 Employment Cost Index survey. Learn more in "Pilot Survey on the Incidence of Child Care Resource and Referral Services in June 2000," (PDF 21K), BLS Report 946.