Approximately 300,000 Federal employees have children of pre-school age. At least an equal number of Federal employees are estimated to have concerns about their elderly parents and relatives. By 2000, an estimated 93 percent of the work force will be made up of working parents. Looking at these statistics, it is easy to see that the primary issue facing today's young families is child care.
Children get sick.
Day care providers get sick, have emergencies, or resign. School is over at 3 p.m. Schools recess for holidays and summer vacations. The accessibility and availability of quality child care on an ongoing or interim basis, both today and in the foreseeable future, is an issue that affects virtually every working parent. To the extent that these working parents are limited in their flexibility to respond to this issue, most of them will carry their unresolved concerns into the workplace. Meeting responsibilities in caring for an elderly person can be time-consuming and difficult.