The Backup Care Plan

Part of the Learning Center · included with Baby's First Year

Regular childcare will fall through. The child will spike a fever at 5 a.m. on a Tuesday. The daycare will close for a building issue. The nanny will call in sick. According to KPMG's Parental Work Disruption Index, 1.3 million U.S. workers either worked part time or missed work entirely because of childcare problems in a single month in 2024, and 89% of those workers were women. The question is not whether this happens. It is whether the 8 a.m. phone call triggers a plan or triggers a scramble. This guide maps the backup care territory: every option, the cost math, the employer benefits that exist, and the paperwork that makes any of it work on short notice.

What this guide covers

· The shape of the problem
· The backup option inventory
· The cost math: staying home vs. paying for backup
· Employer backup care benefits: what to look for
· The family rotation design
· The pre-arranged authorization paperwork
· The DCFSA question
· Building the plan before you need it
· Where the plan comes in

The full guide comes with your plan.

Baby's First Year includes the whole Learning Center, this guide included: the knowledge behind every task on your personalized, dated timeline.

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Already have a plan? Read it inside your plan

Sources this guide is verified against

KPMG, Working Parents Survey (2025) and Parental Work Disruption Index: https://kpmg.com/us/en/media/news/kpmg-working-parents-survey-2025.html
KPMG, The Great Exit (October 2025): https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2025/october-2025-the-great-exit.html
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2025: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ebs2_09252025.htm
Care.com, 2026 Cost of Care Report: https://www.care.com/c/how-much-does-child-care-cost/
Care.com, How Much Does a Nanny Cost (2026): https://www.care.com/c/how-much-does-a-nanny-cost/
CDC, About Common Cold: https://www.cdc.gov/common-cold/about/index.html
Frontiers in Public Health, Reduction of acute respiratory infections in day-care by non-pharmaceutical interventions (2024): https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1332078/full
Moms First and McKinsey, Childcare Disruptions Cost U.S. Economy (2025): https://www.nysun.com/article/hidden-tab-childcare-disruptions-cost-u-s-economy-up-to-70-billion-per-year-study-finds
Institute for Child Success, The Child Care Crisis Costs the U.S. Economy $172 Billion Each Year: https://www.instituteforchildsuccess.org/cost-child-care-crisis/
Bright Horizons, Back-Up Care Benefits: https://www.brighthorizons.com/employers/benefits/back-up-care
Bipartisan Policy Center, The Economic Impact of America's Child Care Gap: https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/economic-impact-of-americas-child-care-gap/
Cariloop, Why Offering Backup Child Care Is Key to a More Reliable Workday: https://cariloop.com/blog/backup-child-care
TOOTRiS, Employer-Sponsored Child Care in 2026: https://tootris.com/edu/blog/employers/employer-sponsored-child-care-benefits-programs-setup-costs-faq/

Every figure checked against official sources; last reviewed August 2026. Mothers Plan provides information and organization, not legal, tax, financial, or medical advice.