abstract: 'The goal of this project was to protect children while parents work in

  agriculture by improving off-farm services for children of migrant and

  seasonal farm workers. Large agricultural enterprises have policies

  forbidding children in the worksite. At the same time, their employees,

  who are trying to generate income, seek as many work hours as possible

  but often lack viable options for childcare services. As employers

  strive to increase their labor pool, and workers seek off-farm

  childcare, there is mutual interest in improving access to childcare

  services in agricultural regions dependent on large numbers of full-time

  and seasonal workers. This report describes the employers'' perspectives

  on childcare needs of hired farm workers'' families and their barriers

  and motivators to facilitating off-farm childcare services. Using

  descriptive survey research methodology, data were collected from a

  convenience sample of 102 agribusiness owners and Human Resource

  directors attending an agricultural conference regarding labor laws or

  personnel management. Results revealed significant differences for those

  companies employing more than 25 workers compared to their counterparts.

  Primary motivators for offering childcare as an employment benefit were

  improved employee morale, enhanced company reputation, and a more stable

  workforce. A major barrier was that half of large-scale enterprises lack

  guidance on how to provide childcare options for their workers. Survey

  results are being used to facilitate collaboration among employers, farm

  workers, and childcare providers to offer a safe, nurturing environment

  for children while their parents work in agriculture.'
affiliation: 'Lee, BC (Corresponding Author), Natl Childrens Ctr Rural \& Agr Hlth
  \& Safety, 1000 N Oak Ave, Marshfield, WI 54449 USA.

  Lee, Barbara C.; Salzwedel, Marsha A., Natl Childrens Ctr Rural \& Agr Hlth \& Safety,
  1000 N Oak Ave, Marshfield, WI 54449 USA.

  Chyou, Po-Huang, Marshfield Clin Res Inst, Marshfield, WI USA.

  Liebman, Amy K., Migrant Clinicians Network, Salisbury, MD USA.'
author: Lee, Barbara C. and Salzwedel, Marsha A. and Chyou, Po-Huang and Liebman,
  Amy K.
author-email: lee.barbara@mcrf.mfldclin.edu
author_list:
- family: Lee
  given: Barbara C.
- family: Salzwedel
  given: Marsha A.
- family: Chyou
  given: Po-Huang
- family: Liebman
  given: Amy K.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1080/1059924X.2017.1358230
eissn: 1545-0813
files: []
issn: 1059-924X
journal: JOURNAL OF AGROMEDICINE
keywords: Agriculture; child care; employers; farm workers; socio-ecological model
language: English
number: '4'
number-of-cited-references: '13'
pages: 376-383
papis_id: 74af778427abf7a9bea896efc1aeeed3
ref: Lee2017employersperspective
times-cited: '8'
title: Employers' Perspective on Childcare Services for Hired Farm Workers
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000408753800013
usage-count-last-180-days: '1'
usage-count-since-2013: '13'
volume: '22'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2017'