Arizona town launches ‘infant at work’ programme and we need it in Ireland

This sounds amazing.

Recently in Ireland we've heard a lot about the issue of childcare. From the recent elections and Early Education workers protest it's a topic that is very much at the forefront for parents and childcare workers alike. Juggling a healthy home and work balance is difficult enough without having to constantly worry about childcare, but unfortunately it's a reality for a lot of parents and not just in Ireland. One town in America decided to help parents out by allowing them to bring their infants to work and I think it's a great idea. The town of Gilbert in Arizona recently launched the Infant at Work programme which allows any town employee to work alongside their baby. The scheme hopes to not only take the pressure off parents when it comes to childcare but also to help mums transitioning from maternity leave at a more gentle pace. Saying that it's not just mums taking up the Infant at Work programme as many dads are excited to be able to spend more time with their newborns including father Dan Martin;

"My wife had him for the first three months with maternity leave so I saw the opportunity to have that one-on-one father-son time with him."

While the scheme currently only allows babies under six months of age at work it's still a step in the right direction when it comes to supporting parents. Very few workplaces in Ireland offer any kind of integrated childcare or similar bring your child to work scheme and I think it's something, especially given the current climate of childcare problems, that needs to be looked at. Irish parental leave is also not at the same level as most European countries and I think in the coming years childcare is going to be something that needs to be drastically overhauled.