This book is primarily for parents looking for a source of information which compares the different types of childcare available in the UK. It provides information on the financial consequences, commitments and obligations that come with each of the different forms of childcare. Employers should find the book useful because of the employment tax consequences of childcare benefits, and the variety of childcare concerns brought to HR, relating to a wide range of employees. Employers who value their employees and seek to be both considerate and fair will want to know how they can help in childcare matters in the most cost-effective and tax-efficient manner. Childcare professionals may find some aspects of this book useful, such as the section on expenses and accounts for child minders. Nannies may be interested in understanding how much their net salary package actually costs their employers. The book should also help childcare providers to benchmark their service, and understand the financial consequences for parents, and themselves, of certain payments and benefits. Parents, as employees with children face a dichotomy: on the one hand they have a contractual obligation to their employer and frequently have a strong, personal investment in their career or profession; on the other hand, the duty of care and the desire to do the best for their children is paramount. Many parents are fully alive to their dual responsibilities and are extremely grateful for any support offered to them by their employer and indeed, their colleagues. If friction arises, it is invariably when childcare arrangements break down, or where there is a lack of understanding or communication. This book seeks to set out not only the various options available to parents, with the concomitant potential costs and obligations, but also to discuss alternative and back up arrangements. Many sources of information on childcare focus on new parents and their babies. While this is a critical time when parents seek advice, the childcare arrangements suitable for a couple with a baby may be very different from those for a single parent with school aged children. In this publication, consideration is given to childcare for babies through to teenagers.

Tells how to select child care providers, including how to make background checks and handle difficult situations

Women have experienced significant changes in various spheres of their lives during the last decades as Bangladesh made economic progress. Yet women’s economic engagement and empowerment are subdued, as they cannot make sufficient choices for themselves. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic developments in gender equality in Bangladesh. Through examining women’s participation in the labour force, ownership and control of household assets, use and control of financial assets, and opportunities for entrepreneurship, the authors have made concrete recommendations to overcome challenges that lie ahead for women’s economic empowerment. This book is an important contribution to the knowledge on interventions required by the policy makers and broader stakeholders towards narrowing gender gaps. --Fahmida Khatun, PhD, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh The women’s story is central to Bangladesh’s economic and social transformation. There is an urgent need to deepen researched understanding of the multidimensional pathways of women’s economic empowerment and extent of real progress made. Voices to Choices is an important contribution to this story. Surely, the journey of women’s economic empowerment remains a long and challenging one. Realizing the full benefits of new opportunities is often hampered by both new and entrenched insecurities. The task is as much one of empowering women’s agency as of dismantling barriers. The responsibility is as much women’s as society’s. --Hossain Zillur Rahman, PhD, Executive Chairman, Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) This book provides critical insights and is timely, as it outlines how girls and women in Bangladesh have gained more opportunities in labor force participation, control over household and financial assets, as well as greater prospects for entrepreneurship. The findings will greatly contribute to future policy and planning for government and key stakeholders working to advance women’s economic empowerment in the country. --Sabina Faiz Rashid, PhD, Dean and Professor, BRAC James P. Grant School of Public Health BRAC University

Although federal and state support for childcare has increased dramatically in response to welfare work requirements, low-income families are still facing difficulties balancing work and family obligations. There is wide variation across states in the strictness of welfare work requirements and in the generosity of childcare support. In addition, the level of co-payments required and the flexibility to use subsidies for informal modes of childcare differ across states, leading families to make different childcare and employment choices. The purpose of From Welfare to Childcare is first to describe what changes occurred in childcare following the 1996 welfare reform legislation, and then to analyze how federal welfare and subsidy policies influence the availability, accessibility, and quality of childcare arrangements for single mothers with young children. National in scope, it focuses on how the reforms influence the way that children are cared for when their mothers leave welfare and enter the workforce. This book is suitable for national, state, and local policymakers, non-profit organizations that study and attempt to influence public policy, and scholars interested in family and social policy issues. It can be used as a text in graduate level courses on welfare, poverty, and children and public policy.

The viability, quality and sustainability of publicly supported early childhood education and care services is a lively issue in many countries, especially since the rights of the child imply equal access to provision for all young children. But equitable provision within childcare markets is highly problematic, as parents pay for what they can afford and parental income inequalities persist or widen. This highly topical book presents recent, significant research from eight nations where childcare markets are the norm. It also includes research about ‘raw’ and ‘emerging’ childcare markets operating with a minimum of government intervention, mostly in low income countries or post transition economies. Childcare markets compares these childcare marketisation and regulatory processes across the political and economic systems in which they are embedded. Contributions from economists, childcare policy specialists and educationalists address the question of what constraints need to be in place if childcare markets are to deliver an equitable service.

Childcare is a topic that is frequently in the media spotlight and continues to spark heated debate in the UK and around the world. This book presents an in-depth study of childcare policy and practice, examining middle class parents’ choice of childcare within the wider contexts of social class and class fractions, social reproduction, gendered responsibilities and conceptions of ‘good’ parenting. Drawing on the results of a qualitative empirical study of two groups of middle class parents living in two London localities, this book: takes into account key theoretical frameworks in childcare policy, setting them in broader social, political and economic contexts considers the development of the UK government’s childcare strategy from its birth in 1998 to the present day highlights the critical debates surrounding middle class families and their choice of childcare explores parents’ experiences of childcare and their relationships with carers. This important study comes to a number of thought-provoking conclusions and offers valuable insights into a complex subject. It is essential reading for all those working in or studying early years provision and policy as well as students of sociology, class, gender and work.

Oh baby! With the average newborn racking up $6000 for the first year alone, expectant moms and dads need all the creative cost-cutting ideas they can find. Baby Bargains is the answer. Inside, parents find detailed ratings and reviews of baby gear, plus handy charts that compare brands and models.

ÔFinally, here is a book that provides a long-overdue holistic analysis of childcare. Written in a clear style, The Costs of Children breaks new ground in demonstrating how political choices about childcare have different impacts on equality of opportunity in Europe. After reading this book, one never again will view childcare as a private concern. It is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the realities of European integration, democratic policy-making and the gendered consequences of bearing and rearing children.Õ Ð Yvonne Galligan, QueenÕs University Belfast, UK This informative book explores the fair allocation of the costs of childcare in European countries and suggests that greater choice is required to reduce the current tendency to discriminate against mothers. The expert contributors provide an assessment of how countries can handle the fair allocation of the costs of childcare. They look at the experience within Europe in recent years and show in particular how these interrelate with the objectives of improving income, employment and social inclusion. The bookÕs conclusion reveals that choice is the key ingredient as families have different views and different degrees of support available from their relatives. Income and social inclusion can provide choice but ironically employment does not always. An employment-based model can sometimes narrow peopleÕs choices, particularly for people on low wages. The major concern is that most existing systems effectively discriminate against mothers. This is the first book to consider the democratic implications of social welfare systems. It provides an up-to-date assessment of the pressures on parents in deciding how to raise their children under restricted incomes. For many families, practical decisions about childcare are found at a local level. These will depend on the immediate factors that affect them, such as the availability of local nurseries or a family's ability to draw on voluntary networks of support. What is clear, however, is that many of these arrangements discriminate against women. Researchers and practitioners in the field of social policy and childcare in particular will find this book insightful. Graduate students of social policy will also find some practical examples to make their courses more relevant.

OECD indicators.

Featuring interviews with business leaders who follow ethical standards and stories of their little-known companies, a comprehensive look at contemporary business ethics shows how social responsibility can lead to higher profits. Reprint.

Arranged under fifteen categories, this volume includes directory citations for organizations, publications, agencies, and women's centers, and also includes poems, essays, and articles on women's issues

This study considers a range of policies (including tax and benefit policies, childcare, employment and workplace practices) which can help influence trends relating to the participation of working parents in the labour market and family formation in Austria, Ireland and Japan, as well as discussing options for policy reform which seek to balance work and family commitments.

Discover Pittsburgh's allure with the help of longtime locals who share a behind-the-scene look at what's happening in the area. Once known for its steel mills and corporate headquarters, Pittsburgh today offers an impressive downtown and a rich mix of cultural and entertainment amenities, from the Carnegie Science Center to the Andy Warhol Museum. Discover Pittsburgh's allure with the help of longtime locals who share a behind-the-scene look at what's happening in the area. Once known for its steel mills and corporate headquarters, Pittsburgh today offers an impressive downtown and a rich mix of cultural and entertainment amenities, from the Carnegie Science Center to the Andy Warhol Museum.