BEND, OR -- Mount Bachelor will now provide year-round on-site daycare for employees, "So, not only winter and summer season, when we’re operational, but also during the shoulder seasons when we are preparing for either winter or summer operations," says President and CEO John Merriman, "It was really important for us to do it year-round. Because if you don’t then your employees get into a bit of a bind at certain parts during the year. And daycare in town is difficult to get and extremely expensive." He adds, "They can either do a monthly rate or a daily rate. And they can just drop off their child, not worry about it. They’re professional, licensed childcare providers that we have here." 

The ski resort expanded the existing winter child care this past year to serve employees; in the past, it was primarily for guests, "We are lucky in that we already have the space. And since we provided it in the winter to both guests and employees, we’re already licensed." The rate paid by Bachelor employees will be subsidized by the company. Merriman says, "It was fairly easy to ask the manager if she could stay year-round, and ask the teachers if they could also stay year-round. So, it was certainly a benefit for them as well; now they don't have to look for a different place to work over the summer."
Merriman says it builds on other recruitment and retention efforts to address the high cost of living in Bend, "We added the employee housing earlier this season, and this is kind of another area where we feel like we can help make our employees’ lives easier." He tells KBND News one of his workers cried when she heard the news, "Because she was so stressed about what she was going to do for daycare for her less than year old child over the summer."

Daycare is available seven days a week for ages six weeks to 10 years old. For another few days, hours are 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Spring operations begin April 22nd, when child care closes at 1:30 p.m. Summer hours begin June 27th, when child care is available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

photo courtesy of Mount Bachelor