ABSTRACT
The workforce in North America, particularly in the United States and Canada, is becoming increasingly female, reflecting a general trend toward two-paycheck families. Employers are coming to realize that what had formerly been seen as “women's issues” – including flexible scheduling, maternity and family leave, and daycare – are really “family issues”. In North America, and especially in the United States, daycare for the children of working mothers is not seen as an entitlement to be provided by government. It was becoming increasingly difficult to justify a subsidy that was well in excess of a quarter-of-a-million dollars for the children of only 10 Excel employees. Excel tried unsuccessfully for nearly a year to find a buyer for the Learning Center. Failing that, they tried to find a management firm that would agree to take over the day-to-day operations of the facility.
