How will child care reopen? 

That was the question posed by CNBC to our CEO Stephen Kramer recently.

It’s an issue that’s picking up steam. In Boston, child care is about to reopen. In other cities, it already has. Families and organizations are wondering how it will work. But one thing everyone seems to agree on – business doesn’t move forward without it. 

“In a majority of American families,” wrote the New York Times recently, “both parents hold jobs, making child care essential for a functioning economy.”

What we know:

Parents are hungry for it: 

“What we’re hearing from families,” Stephen told CNBC, “is that the last couple of months have been incredibly challenging as they’ve tried to stay productive at work and at the same time, they have been the primary caregiver for their children.”

WFH isn’t a solution: 

“Families are very excited for us to reopen, regardless of whether or not their offices are reopening,” said Stephen, “because they ultimately are looking for a safe and healthy place for their children to grow and learn.”

These centers are already operating: 

“We have been operational in 150 centers throughout this crisis so I think we have now deep experience in understanding how to operate child care centers in a healthy and safe way…following CDC guidelines as well as local health authorities.”

Safety is key:

“We certainly are following CDC guidelines as well as local health authorities; and in addition to that, we have a direct relationship with Dr. Kristin Moffitt from Boston Children’s Hospital who has helped us to ensure that we put protocols in place that absolutely keep everyone safe.”

One other element that continues is the teamwork between employers and Bright Horizons that makes child care happen.

Employers, he said, have been behind the idea of supporting their employees and child care for 30 years. That’s “really critical as we look forward to the success of both employers, employees, and ultimately the equation between the two.”