Although company childcare programs were originally focused on helping employees with very young kids an increasing number of companies are developing work-life and after-school programs that focus on the needs of parents with older children. Companies are accommodating the needs of employees with children ages 10-13 and teenagers by providing flexible work hours, funding for community after-school programs, and in some cases creating on-site day-care centers. Employers may be hoping that these efforts will increase worker productivity as parents who are worried about their children find it more difficult to concentrate on their work.
See "Employers step up with `tween' care", T. Shawn Taylor, Chicago Tribune, November 23, 2003