Demand for child care around the clock growing

ST. LOUIS -- Daytime is long gone by the time Zannise Nailor picks up her five children from their day-care center. But that's not a problem at Buttons and Bows Preschool Development Center, one of a small but growing number of facilities that also provide night care.

"It really shouldn't be called day care anymore," said Buttons and Bows founder Barbara D. Smith-Miller. "Because you need to be open at all hours to serve the community."

While Buttons and Bows has been offering round-the-clock child care for 16 years, demand for such a service is growing. More jobs in retail and services are requiring evening and overnight shifts, and welfare reform has created new work requirements for young parents who may not find daytime work.

Nailor, whose oldest child is 10, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Buttons and Bows' service lets her impress her bosses at Burger King by volunteering for the shifts they need to cover.

Jacqueline Boxley, who helps supervise the children at Buttons and Bows, said children seem to adapt to their parents' unusual schedules. Even in the deep of night, many will begin to sense when it's time to wake up and be taken home.

"I think they do a lot better than some of the adults," Boxley said.

Despite the growth of 24-hour child care, many late-night workers still struggle to find centers, especially those close to home.

The state of Missouri lists several dozen child care providers in the St. Louis area that are licensed to provide all-night care. However, many don't actually provide care at all hours. Some are unable to recruit enough children to cover the cost of the staffing that the state requires.

"The most we would have would be five kids," said Mildred Jamison, who runs Faith House Center for Child Development. The center instead closes at midnight and reopens at 4 a.m.

Providing 24-hour child care still isn't a national industry, though, according to experts.