A comprehensive guide to organizing childcare for attendees
In today’s professional landscape, work-life balance is increasingly valued. That means providing childcare at conferences and off-site meetings is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. For working parents, the decision to attend professional events often hinges on the availability of reliable childcare. By offering on-site or nearby childcare solutions, event organizers not only encourage attendance but also foster an inclusive environment that demonstrates a commitment to supporting diverse attendee needs.
The Benefits of Professional Childcare at Events
There are many advantages to providing childcare for attendees. Firstly, it allows working parents to fully engage in the event, free from the distractions and anxieties associated with childcare arrangements. Secondly, it creates a safe and stimulating environment for children, ensuring their well-being throughout the event. Thirdly, it significantly enhances the event’s appeal, attracting and retaining attendees who are parents. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it provides parents with peace of mind, knowing their children are in capable hands, allowing them to focus on the event’s content.
Leveraging Hotel Childcare Programs
Many hotel chains, particularly in the luxury and all-inclusive sectors, offer established childcare programs. For instance, Four Seasons’ “Kids For All Seasons” provides supervised activities for children, while Ritz-Carlton’s Ritz Kids® program engages children with locally inspired cultural experiences. Omni Hotels & Resorts and all-inclusive chains like Riu Hotels and Resorts and Club Med also offer comprehensive kids’ clubs. When selecting a venue, event organizers should prioritize hotels with these existing programs, ensuring they align with the event’s needs and budget.
Partnering with Professional Childcare Services
For venues that lack on-site childcare, partnering with professional childcare services is crucial. Companies like Jovie and Destination Sitters specialize in providing childcare solutions for corporate events, offering vetted and trained babysitters. These services can handle all aspects of childcare, from staffing and activity planning to registration and safety protocols. When choosing a provider, organizers should verify their experience with large-scale events, their screening processes, and their ability to accommodate children with special needs.
Planning and Execution: A Step-by-Step Approach
Organizing successful childcare requires meticulous planning. The process begins with assessing attendee needs through registration forms and surveys. Budgeting is essential, factoring in costs for staffing, activities, and materials. Venue selection should prioritize locations with existing childcare facilities or adequate space for a dedicated childcare area. Legal and liability considerations must be addressed, ensuring compliance with licensing, insurance, and background check requirements.
Program development involves creating age-appropriate activities, incorporating educational content, and planning for meals and rest periods. Communication is key, providing detailed information to parents about program details, drop-off/pick-up procedures, and emergency contacts. On-site execution requires a dedicated childcare space, appropriate staffing ratios, secure registration and check-in/check-out procedures, and robust safety and security measures. Flexibility and adaptability are crucial, allowing for adjustments based on children’s needs and preferences.
Tailoring Childcare to Different Event Types
The approach to childcare may vary depending on the event’s size and nature. Large conferences may require multiple childcare areas and technology-driven registration systems, while smaller meetings may benefit from flexible drop-in services and personalized attention. International events necessitate culturally sensitive and multilingual childcare providers.
Providing childcare at conferences and off-site meetings is a strategic investment that enhances inclusivity, attracts attendees, and fosters a positive event experience. By carefully planning and executing childcare programs, event organizers can demonstrate their commitment to supporting working parents and creating a welcoming environment for all.
Post-Event Evaluation and Continuous Improvement
Following the event, gathering feedback from parents and childcare providers is essential. Analyzing data, such as attendance records and incident reports, helps identify areas for improvement. Documenting lessons learned in a post-event report ensures that future childcare services are even more effective.
Further Reading: Freeman Report Explores Top 4 Event Design Elements
Who to Contact
Here’s a partial list of hotel childcare programs and companies that partner with hoteliers to provide childcare services for events:
Four Seasons
Known for their “Kids For All Seasons” program, which offers supervised activities. Their children’s programming offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities for kids between 3 to 9 years old. Many of the activities are complimentary, but some may have a small fee. A daily activities guide is provided to the parents to sign the kids up with 24 hours notice.
Multiple Four Seasons properties have Kids for All Seasons programs, including properties in Costa Rica, Maui, St. Nevis and Seoul. The program is complimentary at most resort properties. Availability and specifics vary by location. They also facilitate babysitting arrangements.
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
Offered at select Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, including Rosewood Phuket, Rosewood Baha Mar, Rosewood Little Dix Bay, and Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth, Rosewood Explorers is a groundbreaking kids’ program designed to stimulate creativity.
They also provide babysitting services.
Ritz-Carlton
Ritz Kids®, a program specially designed to engage children with locally inspired environmental and cultural experiences. Through hands-on cooking classes, kid-sized afternoon teas, nature exploration, scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, and more, kids engage with the destination — and with each other.
Ritz Kids programming will vary by property.
Omni Hotels & Resorts
They have “Kids Crew” programs at several of its resorts, including Amelia Island, Hilton Head, Hot Springs, Mount Washington, and San Diego and select locations offer kids’ clubs with supervised daycare.
All Inclusive Chains
Riu Hotels and Resorts have “RiuLand” kid’s clubs at many of their resort locations.
Club Med is known for their comprehensive kids’ clubs with a wide range of activities.
Babysitting Services
For groups meeting at hotels that don’t offer childcare, there are baby sitting services that specialize in partnering with groups and hotels. Two comprehensive organizations are Jovie and Destination Sitters.
Jovie is a company that provides childcare solutions for businesses, organizations, and event planners. This means that a hotel may contract with them to provide childcare during events. With over 25,000 hours of event care, Jovie is one of the country’s leading childcare provider and industry expert in professional childcare staffing solutions for corporate events.
Destination Sitters provides custom event babysitting services for events and budgets of all sizes. We provide fully vetted, professional, and competent babysitters experienced in babysitting children with special needs, special diets, as well as multilingual sitters. They offer baby sitting services in 12 states, many of which are popular meetings, incentive and convention destinations: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, And Washington.
Any thoughts, opinions, or news? Please share them with me at vince@meetingsevents.com.
Photo by Getty Images For Unsplash+
