Childcare as Workplace Infrastructure to Support Women's Careers
Swati Jain is a pioneering entrepreneur and changemaker in the preschool and childcare space, dedicated to empowering working women and advancing early childhood development. As Director of The Banyan, she has built a trusted brand known for high-quality, child-first learning environments and corporate daycare solutions. Her work has enabled hundreds of women to return to the workforce while creating meaningful employment opportunities, positioning her as a leading voice in childcare, workplace inclusion, and human-centric leadership.
As more women enter and remain in the workforce, one challenge continues to be overlooked: access to reliable, compatible childcare in the early years of motherhood. As a working mother of three, I’ve come to understand this not just as a workplace issue, but as something deeply personal.
Across industries, the pattern is familiar. Women return from maternity leave, only to step away from work within a few months. This is often framed as a matter of personal choice or shifting priorities. But in reality, it points to a deeper systemic gap. When childcare is unreliable, inaccessible, or simply doesn’t align with work schedules, sustaining a career becomes incredibly difficult no matter the intent.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that childcare cannot be treated as a private concern alone. It needs to be rethought as a core part of how workplaces are designed.
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From Individual Burden to Shared Infrastructure
For decades, childcare has existed outside the boundaries of workplace systems. Families—most often women have been expected to figure it out on their own, adjusting care arrangements around professional commitments. That model no longer reflects the reality of today’s workforce.
We’re now seeing an important shift: childcare is being viewed not just as an employee benefit, but as infrastructure. And that distinction matters. Benefits are optional and often limited. Infrastructure is foundational it determines whether participation is even possible.
When we think of childcare this way, the question changes. It’s no longer “What support can we offer?” but “What is necessary to ensure employees can fully participate at work?”
Why Early Childhood Is a Critical Career Window?
The early years of a child’s life are not just crucial for development they are also pivotal for career continuity.
This is the phase when many women feel the greatest pressure to step away. Care demands are high, support systems are often inconsistent, and workplace expectations remain unchanged. Even highly capable professionals find themselves making difficult trade-offs.
As a working mother, I’ve seen how quickly this phase can become overwhelming without dependable support. What often begins as a short break can turn into a long-term pause, impacting income, growth, and leadership opportunities.
Addressing childcare during this period isn’t a side issue it’s central to keeping women in the workforce.
The Problem of Mismatched Systems
A major challenge lies in how poorly traditional childcare models align with modern work.
Most day-care options follow fixed, daytime schedules. But a large part of the workforce operates outside these hours—healthcare, aviation, hospitality, manufacturing, and other essential sectors rely on shifts, extended hours, and unpredictability.
For these employees, conventional childcare simply doesn’t work. The result is a gap that disproportionately affects working parents, especially mothers.
Solving this requires more than increasing access it requires rethinking flexibility, proximity, and design.
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Bringing Childcare Closer to Work
One of the most effective solutions emerging is simple in concept: bring childcare closer to the workplace.
Proximity makes a real difference. It reduces commute stress, allows parents to respond quickly when needed, and offers reassurance during the workday. This has both practical and emotional benefits, making the return to work smoother.
Equally important is alignment with work schedules. Childcare that mirrors shift patterns or offers extended hours is far more relevant for today’s workforce.
There is no one-size-fits-all model and there doesn’t need to be. What matters is designing solutions based on how people actually work, not how we assume they do.
Expanding Beyond Corporate Offices
Workplace-linked childcare has been more visible in corporate settings, but the need goes much further.
Government institutions, public sector organizations, and large operational workplaces employ significant numbers of women across diverse roles. Historically, structured childcare support in these environments has been limited.
That is slowly beginning to change.There’s growing recognition that truly inclusive workplaces must account for caregiving needs. Integrating childcare into these systems is a meaningful step toward enabling participation at every level.
The Organizational Case
Investing in childcare isn’t just a social decision it’s a strategic one.Organizations that don’t address post-maternity attrition face real costs: hiring, training, lost experience, and disrupted teams. On the other hand, supporting employees through life transitions leads to stronger retention, higher engagement, and more stable teams. There’s also a clear link to diversity when women stay in the workforce, they are more likely to grow into leadership roles.
Childcare, in this sense, becomes a lever not just for retention, but for long-term organizational strength.
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Reframing the Narrative
Perhaps the biggest shift needed is in how we think about childcare. As long as it’s seen as a personal issue, solutions will remain limited. When we treat it as shared infrastructure, responsibility shifts to where it can actually be addressed within systems, policies, and workplace design.
This doesn’t reduce the role of families. It simply acknowledges that enabling people to work is a collective responsibility one tied to economic growth, gender equity, and social progress.
Looking Ahead
The future of work will depend on how well organizations adapt to real human needs. Flexibility, inclusion, and sustainability are no longer ideals they are necessities. Childcare sits at the centre of all three. It supports continuity during critical life stages, enables dual-income households, and helps organizations retain valuable talent. More importantly, it builds a workforce that is resilient and equitable.
As a working mother, I don’t just see this as policy or strategy I see it as the difference between staying and stepping away, between growth and compromise. The way forward isn’t incremental it’s systemic. When childcare is built into workplace design, rather than added as an afterthought, it has the power to reshape participation entirely.
Because when work structures support life, fewer careers are interrupted and everyone benefits.