Can Coworking and Daycare Coexist?
Not too long ago, The Wing -- a growing coworking space backed by WeWork -- announced that it would be adding childcare to its workspace service amenities. For the Wing it seemed like an obvious pivot; they are female-focused,and a significant percentage of their members are mothers.
Yet, The Wing isn’t the first to try and figure out the coworking
+ childcare equation. In fact, there have been several others that have tried
out this endeavor only to find out that it’s not as simple as having on-site
daycare.
Nonetheless, the jury is still out on whether coworking and
daycare can coexist. On the surface, it makes perfect sense. Parents cannot
take their kids to traditional offices and they have a hard time catering to
their children’s need when committed to a 9 to 5 job. Luckily, coworking spaces
have already disrupted that area, giving parents options when it comes to when
and where they work.
And even though offering childcare seems like a natural next step,
there’s
plenty to take into consideration before walking down that path.
For starters, coworking operators need to be aware that offering childcare
means that they will have to think about something other than their core
business. But that’s the least of the challenges.
Third Door in the UK has successfully proven that coworking and
childcare can definitely coexist, but it takes a lot of time to getting it
right. In the US, coworking spaces need to think about licenses and regulations
that apply to all daycare and childcare centers, this is a key step to offer
childcare. Once that’s taken care of, it’s time to search and hire the right
people and start thinking about childcare packages and prices.
Flexibility has a price; and so does convenience. Before you go an
offer childcare in your space, it’s important that you make sure that your
members are interested in and willing to pay for this service. As for the
actual childcare packages, it will take some time to find what works for your
space and your members.
You’ll have to carefully observe which days are the busiest, how
many days a week parents are bringing in their children, how long they stay,
and the like. These observations will help you create packages that are more
attractive for parents and that work best according to their needs. Just as
your coworking space is flexible with memberships, so will your childcare
service need to be.
If you are interested in offering childcare and need help determining whether you need a license to operate a daycare in your area or how to bundle the service into your pricing, reach out to us.