The child care co-op: an alternative for at-home mothers

Children Today, Nov-Dec, 1984 by Linda F. Little, Barbara Galik

While many myths surrounding the concept of motherhood have been debunked in the past few years, one remains relatively untouched. This is the myth that non-working mothers do not need quality child care that originates outside the family setting.

In the not so distant past, when many at-home mothers were nurtured by an extended family network, the concept of independence in child care had some degree of validity. But in today's highly mobile, urbanized society, the at-home mother could be described as separate and isolated rather than independent in her childrearing efforts. The family is often not available for child care relief and money is not budgeted for an expense viewed by many as a luxury rather than a necessity.

Try as they may, at-home parents (regardless of gender) cannot be totally independent in their child care efforts. They need others--perhaps someone to talk with or to watch the baby while they work or pursue educational opportunities. Without opportunities to explore outside thankless responsibilities of child care become overwhelming and cumulate in psychological and emotional burnout that is typified in the parent by cynicism, bitterness and hopelessness.

This article discusses an option for occasional, accessible child care which involves the exchange of time and services rather than the exchange of money. While the child care cooperative is not an original idea, the specific guidelines presented here on the establishment and maintenance of a cooperative are based on a successful cooperative we developed at the University of Kentucky.

The cooperative originated from the personal needs of one of us, Barbara galik, who at the time was a single parent enrolled in part time study at the University. She had placed a small ad in the classified section of two local newspapers, stating intentions to organize a child care cooperative, and received approximately 50 calls within the first week. Many mothers were so pleased to find someone who shared their problems with child care that it was difficult to keep phone conversations brief. At this time, the other author, Linda Little, was asked to consult in a project that was originally conceptualized on a small scale but was quickly seen as having the potential of existing on a much larger one.

A meeting was arranged for everyone interested, and so began the University of Kentucky's Child Care Co-op. What followed was a considerable amount of organizing, typing and advertising, resulting in an efficient group of mothers who found the free time they so desperately needed. Their children, too, benefited from the arrangement: They had playmates, as well as an independence that was previously absent. Participants found a way to attend classes, go shopping or just relax without worrying about "who would care for the kids."

Laying the Foundation

The key to a successful child care cooperative is effective organization. The co-op works on a simple premise: Mothers exchange child care hours among themselves. No money is involved except for an occasional few cents needed to pay for duplication of membership lists and for necessary bookkeeping supplies.

Two officers are neede: the chairperson and the secretary. The chairperson serves for six months and during this time interviews new members, conducts meetings and helps the secretary if assistance is needed.

The secretary is the real mainstay of the co-op. Each member serves as secretary for one month on a rotating basis. When a sitter is needed, the mother telephones the secretary, who records the day and time requested. Then, beginning with the parent who owes the co-op the mst time, the secretary telephones members until she locates someone able to provide care at the desired time. Generally this takes only a few calls but occasionally the secretary may have to call nearly everyone in the group. Every member is encouraged to feel free to decline to work at times when it is not convenient to do so.

After providing the care requested, the co-op worker calls the secretary to report the exact amount of time used. If the parent used two hours, the secretary subtracts that amount of time from the mother's total and adds two hours to the worker's total. At the end of the month, the secretary is rewarded with one hour from each member's total. Some 20 to 50 hours of free child care make all the effort worthwhile and encourage most members to look forward to their turn in this position.

Ground Rules

Ground rules should be decided at the first meeting. Consider such questions as these:

* What will you expect from a care provider?

* May parents bring along children of friends who are not members? (We allow this, but since we charge parents double for the children of non-members, this seldom occurs. Instead, try to make the friend a new member!)

* How many children may a caregiver manage at once? (In our co-op the limit is five.)

* Should sitters be able to shop or run errands with the children?

* How many hours in debt may a member be before being refused a caregiver? (Our figure is 40. We also ask any member who does not use the co-op for three months to drop out, since we always have a waiting list.)