Exploring backup childcare service options as new school year starts

As summer ends, families are getting ready for a new school year filled with new routines and plenty of excitement.

But for working moms and dads, it also means finding reliable childcare that fits their busy lives.

What do you do when there suddenly isn't school, and you still need to work?

That's where backup care comes in.

"Oftentimes, the biggest disrupter to somebody's daily life is when childcare falls through and when you're scrambling, whether it's a school holiday, whether it's weather-impacted, you need care and you need care fast," says Ian Fleming, vice president of strategic partnerships for Learning Care Group.

Learning Care Group, which operates brands like Tutor Time and Childtime, is stepping in by partnering with employers to offer center-based backup care.

"The great thing about our program is if you use our backup care, you drop right into regular programming. So we're providing a reliable, safe and educational experience," Fleming said.

But center-based care doesn't work for every shift.

"Jovie is coming to you wherever you are," says Sharon Ragland-Keys, owner and managing director of Jovie, based in Canton, Michigan.

The on-demand service Jovie sends background-checked sitters directly to families, no matter where they are.

"If you're at home, we're coming there. If you are at the office and you need help there, we're coming there. Wherever you are. If you're coming in for an event and you were in a hotel, we're going there," she tells us.

"We're not just caring for the children, you know, we're making sure they're fed. If there's a bedtime routine, we're taking care of that. If there is laundry that needs to be folded, we will do that."

For parents who just need a few hours to bridge the gap, Go Grow in Canton offers a unique hybrid solution, especially for the younger ones.

"Their days go from 9 to 5, and school ends at 3. And then you have that gap. And now no one's really picking up that gap of childcare. And we really want it to be that place where parents could land softly," says Sara Khan, founder of Go Grow.

"I've been using this co-working space that we've created since the minute we created it. It's glass. It's fully soundproof so that you're able to have, like, that one-hour Zoom call you need while your child plays freely."

The experts all agree on one thing: don't wait for the emergency.

Check with your company's HR department to see what backup benefits you have, and register separately if you have to, so you're ready.