Childcare is so expensive that most restaurants have ruled it out as a possible employee benefit. But what if the cost was amortized not just across the industry but throughout the whole business community? After all, parents work for law firms, beauty salons, gas stations and every other sort of enterprise imaginable. All those trades would find their labor pool significantly deepened if paychecks weren’t nearly wiped out by the cost of providing care for preschoolers.
That’s the notion that led the Texas Restaurant Association to take up the moonshot this year of turning childcare into an employee benefit that even individual restaurants could afford. The association has formed what amounts to a cross-industry task force to bring affordable childcare to all employers within the Lone Star State. Essentially, it’s looking beyond its field to collect ideas for bringing down the cost and spreading the expense across a wider base. The TRA acknowledges that its quest will take considerable time. But it’s better than waiting for labor solutions to drop from heaven.