BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

A Triad National Security parent organization, the University of California, has committed $500,000 in initial funding for the planning of a potential off-site child care facility in Los Alamos for Los Alamos National Laboratory employees and a possible location has been identified near the Lab. The financial commitment by the UC Board of Regents was announced last week by LANL Staff Director Frances Chadwick.

An article in the internal “Lab News” says the proposed facility would charge market rates and its operating model has yet to be established. It would be separate from any NNSA or Department of Energy funding.

The number of LANL employees under the age of 45 has doubled since 2015 to 5,798 with employees caring for more than 3,500 children under 13 with 1,290 children under five as indicated in health insurance plan data. A recent survey of 943 employees noted that 46 percent said their current child care does not meet their standards, 32 percent said they were looking for a new child care arrangement, 62 percent said it is important or very important that their child care be close to their place of work and 49 percent said they were looking for full-day child care five days a week. Employees expressed concerns about the stability of current child care arrangements, the increasing costs and the need for extended operating hours to accommodate shift work.

The Lab News article indicates that a group from LANL made a recent fact-finding trip to the Livermore Laboratory Employee Services Association Children’s Center in Livermore, Calif., which is located off LNL property and run as an independent 501(c)4 nonprofit.

Chadwick apparently met with Los Alamos child care providers Wednesday to give them an update and discuss future opportunities for collaboration and coordination.