When I tell people that we have a childcare center, Discovery Kids Place (DKP), on-site at our HQ, I’m always asked to share more details. Are there a lot of kids? Do we see them at all? How old are they? I always start my answer with this story:
It was a pretty chilly, overcast spring day – unusual for DC. I don’t remember what day it was…Thursday, maybe Friday. All I remember was that it was one of those gloomy I-wish-I-could-be-under-a-blanket-with-a-cup-of-coffee mornings. Maybe it was a Monday. Mondays always seem dreary.
I had just stepped inside the building and was walking towards the elevators when, outside our cafeteria, I stopped. A little boy – maybe three years old – had parked himself in the middle of the hallway and was standing completely still. His dad was further down the hall, just around the corner from DKP, coaxing his son towards him.
“Come on,” he was saying. “Let’s go.”
The kid wasn’t moving. He just started straight ahead, completely defiant. I watched as he teetered forward just a bit, rocking on his toes like his body wanted to comply but he knew better. And in an instant, he just went SPLAT on the ground, dropping down face-first and spreading his limbs like a starfish. He laid there completely silent as if, by hiding his face, he was hiding from the world.
I scooted around him and continued on to the elevator, and as I passed the father said, “I think we all have days like that.”
Moments like that are not unusual around the office. I don’t think twice when I see a little parade of children pass by my cube on Halloween, or hear shrieks of laughter coming from the attached playground as I duck out for lunch. Women I work with often stroll by with their children in the evenings, bringing them upstairs from DKP for a quick hello before taking them home.
For this reason exactly – and for many more! – it’s no surprise to me that Working Mother magazine has named Discovery Communications to its annual “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” list for the 16th consecutive year.
Released today, the list recognizes companies committed to progressive workplace programs. To learn about Discovery Communications’ comprehensive opportunities for female employees, head here.
Nice work, Discovery Communications!