As the workforce continues to shift toward more non-traditional hours, the demand for overnight child care is on the rise, according to Child Care Aware, a national non-profit dedicated to parents and child care providers. But News 5 discovered that few places are fulfilling that demand.
"A lot of places won't do it, the non-traditional hours," said Terri Raneri, owner of Mandi's Playhouse in Sheffield Village. "There's just not enough profit in it."
Renari also said it's difficult to find employees willing to work overnight.
Mandi's Playhouse is one of a few known child care centers in the Cleveland area that provides around-the-clock care.
"We have a lot of parents that are servers, STNAs, nurses," said Raneri.
On any given night, Raneri and her staff care for about a dozen children, from infant to pre-teen.
"They understand I have to work," said Sarah Duta, a Lorain mother of three who often works overnights as a nurse's aide and uses overnight child care. "If I'm scheduled on an overnight, 8 pm-7 am, they know mommy has to do what mommy has to do."
All children at Mandi's Playhouse get ready for bed just as if they were at home. They brush their teeth and wash their hands and faces. Some arrive in their pajamas. Others change into them. They also get a pillow, blanket and choose a cot or mat to sleep on.
"They can go to work and know their kids are safe," said Raneri.
A majority of Raneri's clients receive government assistance to pay for the care.
The state recently published updated guidelines for overnight care. Among them, it states that staff must supervise sleeping kids at all time. Security plans at centers must be in place, and bed linens must be changed every week.
The state also mandates that there must be at least two employees
