A Letter From the Publisher

When TIME ran a cover story on the crisis in American child care (June 22), some readers wrote to ask what our company was doing to solve the problem within its own ranks. It was an appropriate question. Time Inc. was then in the process of putting together a pilot child-care program for its New York City employees. The new venture, called the Work and Family Program, will make its debut this week. Says Jane Cummins, an assistant manager in Human Resources and a member of the planning committee: "We want to provide a full service for employees with children of all ages."

The committee, which includes Management Trainer Karol Rose and Account Manager Joan Dauria, agreed that a day-care facility at Time Inc.'s Rockefeller Center headquarters was impossible. "Commuting in New York is difficult at best, but especially when you have an infant or young child," explains Rose, co-author of the book The Employer's Guide to Child Care (Praeger). "And we have people who work unusual schedules, including weekends and nights." Adds Dauria: "We needed to be more flexible, letting parents make their own choice." The trio looked for a firm that would provide information for parental decision making as well as handle emergency requests outside work hours.

The result is a program that will offer staff members a telephone-counseling service and in-house workshops. The former will be provided by Child Care Systems, Inc. Employees can call a toll-free number for help on issues ranging from how to find a last-minute baby-sitter to how to judge a prospective child-care center. For working parents unsure how to find suitable care for their children, C.C.S. will provide information tailored to their pocketbooks, locations and special needs. In each workshop, some 20 employees will share information and hear advice from experts on the care of children and elderly parents.

If the New York City pilot program succeeds, it will be expanded to other cities. Says Human Resources Vice President Susan Geisenheimer: "Working and taking care of a family involve stress and juggling. What a company does can make a real difference." She also appreciates the plan on a personal level. Like Cummins, Rose and Dauria, she is a working parent. "As the mother of a 3 1/2-year-old, I know what it is like," says Geisenheimer. "That's why I feel so strongly about our program."