Taking Care

The business of childcare is helping modern women define work- life balance on their own terms.

BY ERICA SCIME

Every woman decides for herself what work-life balance means. When Victoria Sopik founded Kids & Company she had six boys and two girls of her own. For most, being a mother to eight children would have been enough work. But, being a motivated and energetic woman, Sopik wanted an engaging career as well.

“I always wanted to be a working mom from the time I was first pregnant 27 years ago,” she says. “[But] I knew I wouldn’t be able to have a career where I would have constant restrictions.

Sopik looked to entrepreneurship as a flexible option. “I basically just wanted to be in control of my schedule.”

While she was in her 20s having her first child, women today are choosing to have kids later – into their 30s and 40s, when they have established careers. What this means, explains Sopik, is that they’re used to having their own time management and not having their schedules structured around children’s activities. A trusted daycare helps alleviate some of this stress.

“Working moms try to do all the duties of [both] working and mothering,” says Sopik. “You always feel like you’re a little bit behind, struggling, and you think you can’t be the mom your own mother was.”

The problem that many of today’s working mothers face is that there is not enough flexible childcare in Canada. This is why Sopik, along with her partner, Jennifer Nashmi, decided to found Kids & Company in 2002. Unlike many of the daycare centers that Sopik encountered when she first decided to be a working mother, Kids & Company puts the needs of the family – from the child’s dietary restrictions to the mother’s hectic work schedule – first. Along with full and part-time daycare, Kids & Company also offers emergency back-up childcare for days that the child’s school is closed or if the child’s regular caregiver is ill.

“When we started the company,” Sopik explains, “we researched a [daycare  in the U.S. that offered back-up childcare. We thought this would be great for working moms, and it took off in a flash.”

Sopik and Nashmi’s practical, real-life approach to childcare is the first of its kind in Canada and has begun to change the way that today’s working mothers live and work. Their business model guaranteed childcare to their market. For a working mother, having flexible childcare means being able to regain that control of your schedule. Kids & Company even has their teachers stay half an hour after they close – because everyday someone is late in picking up their child. “We’re happy to do this,” Sopik smiles, “because we want people to be at ease.”

WORKING MOMS TRY TO DO ALL THE DUTIES OF [BOTH] WORKING AND MOTHERING. YOU ALWAYS FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND, STRUGGLING, AND YOU THINK YOU CAN’T  BE THE MOM YOUR OWN MOTHER WAS.

As an entrepreneur and businesswoman herself, Sopik understands that last-minute meetings pop up, and she wouldn’t want other professionals getting distracted because they’re trying to rush out of the office.

Kids & Company also allow working mothers to make the most of their time so that they can spend more of it with their children – including when travelling. With 37 locations in 20 Canadian cities, Kids & Company gives working mothers the option of bringing their children with them on business trips so that they can spend time together in the evening, knowing that there will be childcare available to them in that city during the day.

Along with being an attraction and retention benefit, flexible childcare allows women to be their best – focused, hard-working and happy – both at home and at work. This is why many companies, including RBC and the University of Toronto, have begun to offer Kids & Company to the working parents that they employ. This not only promise to be “family-friendly” but also to show how much they value the working mothers in their organization – and the working mothers value the flexibility.

Today, Kids & Company is the only company in Canada that provides flexible childcare for working mothers. But Sopik doesn’t think it will be long before more working mothers catch on and begin to demand this kind of childcare – especially as their children age and the need for childcare becomes even more relevant.

“It’s very different [than] in their first year,” explains Sopik. “As the child gets closer to a year, it’s far better for them to be in group care.” The reason for this is that children learn so much by watching other children.

“I’ve had so many parents say to me that their child was [cared for at home],” Sopik continues, “and as soon as they entered childcare, they started walking, talking and socializing.”

Kids & Company currently has 5,000 children in their care. Sopik believes the reason for their success is that she is truly passionate about providing the best possible care.

And, as Sopik says, “Before you know it, your children will be grown.” Helping women achieve balance between work and family life allows working mothers to appreciate their moments together even more.