Starbucks baristas now get backup child care for $1 a day

Starbucks baristas can now get backup child care — instances in which normal child care falls through — for as low as $1 a day.

Company officials announced the new benefit Tuesday. The Seattle based coffee giant will offer all of its U.S. employees 10 days of backup care a year, for times when a barista or other employee needs last minute childcare or would otherwise have to miss work. It will cost $5 a day to put a child in daycare or $1 an hour for in-home care for kids or elderly adults.

Employees will schedule care-takers or daycare at the last minute on Care.com, a network Starbucks has partnered with to offer this benefit. Each Starbucks employee gets a free subscription to the care-taking site.

Starbucks Vice President of Benefits Ron Crawford said it's about filling a need they see in their workforce.

"A lot of families struggle with these unplanned for days when you might need someone to take care of a child or an elderly adult, so it's kind of a broad-based need that we see in our country today," Crawford said.

Crawford wouldn't say how much the program will cost Starbucks. It's part of the company's previously announced $250 million investment in employee benefits, which also include paid sick leave and parental leave.

"We really want to make sure we provide our partners the opportunity to be their whole self at work and bring every ounce of energy that they have to their job so that they can serve our customers as absolutely as well as possible," Crawford said.

All employees are eligible for the care-taking program from the day they start, regardless of how many hours they work.

Correction 10/9/18: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated employee eligibility for this program.