Research
No Patchwork Solutions: Shiftworkers Struggle to Find Stable, Quality Child Care By Chelsea Freeborn, M.Ed Faculty, Early Learning and Child Care, MacEwan University
Across Canada, many families struggle to find quality, affordable, and accessible child care. This struggle may be felt even more so when caregivers work ‘nonstandard hours’. Nonstandard hours include work that occurs during early mornings, evenings, overnights, and weekends. For many professions, covering nonstandard hours, or shiftwork, is part of the job. Nursing is one such profession. In many hospitals, nurses routinely clock in 12-hour rotating shifts as the norm, with some nurses filling in shortfalls and working even more.
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care | VOLUME 34 ISSUE 2
A recent scoping review, conducted in partnership between the CLPNA and the University of Alberta, scanned the existing literature regarding the experiences of families requiring child care during nonstandard hours. Families accessing child care outside of a standard Monday to Friday daytime schedule often have difficulty accessing the care they need for their children. Within the constraints and opportunities of their employment, families seeking to manage their child care needs often rely on a patchwork of care and employ a number of strategies. The process of accessing child care is often complex. This complexity is intensified for families with limited
