????Facebook近期宣布斥資1.2億美元，在位于門羅帕克的總部周邊興建一片住宅區(qū)，其中將包括價格實惠的員工住房，以及各種福利設(shè)施，比如酒吧、便利店、自行車維修點、美發(fā)服務(wù)等，甚至還有寵物日間看護。但其中卻惟獨缺少了一項福利：兒童日托。

????這家科技巨頭并不屬于少數(shù)派。舊金山灣區(qū)的公司通常會規(guī)劃寬闊的辦公室，提供健身房、廚房、游戲室和其他豐厚的福利，以吸引和留住最優(yōu)秀的人才。但這些公司很少會將公司內(nèi)部托兒所作為一項福利。據(jù)2012年全國雇主研究統(tǒng)計，僅有7%的美國公司向員工提供公司內(nèi)部托兒所服務(wù)，這個比例與2005年基本持平。而《財富》（Fortune）最適宜工作的公司（Best Companies to Work For）中，約有三分之一會向父母級員工提供便利。

????Facebook和當?shù)亻_發(fā)商St. Anton Partners根據(jù)具有代表性的員工所提供的反饋，設(shè)計了這個擁有394個單元的項目，目前正在由St. Anton負責施工，而Facebook只會為預(yù)留的15個單元提供補貼，以滿足州政府關(guān)于經(jīng)適房的要求。

????雖然沒有提供兒童看護服務(wù)，但Facebook的一位女發(fā)言人表示，公司為父母提供了其他福利。Facebook為生孩子或收養(yǎng)孩子的夫婦提供4,000美元“嬰兒基金”，而且公司為所有員工提供長達四個月的產(chǎn)假和陪產(chǎn)假。她并未透露公司未來是否會將兒童看護作為公司福利的一部分。她說：“我們提供了大量的福利，讓員工生活得更好，我們會持續(xù)評估新福利的價值?！?/p>

????鮑登學院（Bowdoin College）的經(jīng)濟學教授以及《帶著孩子上班：公司提供日托福利的價值》（ Kids at Work: The Value of Employer-Sponsored On-Site Child Care Centers）一書的聯(lián)合作者蕾切爾?康納利說，雖然有許多公司發(fā)現(xiàn)，公司內(nèi)部托兒所服務(wù)可以提高員工工作效率，降低缺勤情況，進而節(jié)省成本，但這項服務(wù)卻并未引起人力資源部門的重視——尤其是在就業(yè)市場疲軟的情況下。

????據(jù)專門跟蹤建筑統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)的里德建筑數(shù)據(jù)公司（Reed Construction Data）統(tǒng)計，占地10,000平方英尺的托兒所可以容納100個孩子，建設(shè)成本約在170萬美元至200萬美元之間。珍妮弗?薩巴蒂尼?弗勞恩表示，除此之外，還有其他挑戰(zhàn)，比如各州的法律法規(guī)、責任風險和運營成本。弗勞恩是波士頓學院工作與家庭中心（Boston College Center for Work & Family）副主任，該中心主要研究工作生活平衡問題。

????她說：“相比聘請幾位保姆，開辦托兒所要復雜得多。很難找出一個可靠的商業(yè)案例，因為它的投資回報率通常都非常模糊?！?/p>

????許多公司會將這項工作外包給專業(yè)的托兒所。康納利認為，即便如此，如果一家公司的日托服務(wù)不足以滿足員工的需求，可能會打擊員工的積極性。她說：“所以，要么就‘做大’，要么就別做。許多公司都選擇了后者?！?/p>

????弗勞恩表示，許多公司會提供獨立看護援助計劃，比如用稅前資金幫助父母支付兒童看護費用，或者推薦服務(wù)提供商，比如Care.com等，可以幫助父母找到提前篩選的看護服務(wù)提供商。

????Facebook's recently announced plans for a sprawling $120 million housing community near its Menlo Park campus will include affordable employee homes and a laundry list of amenities like a pub, convenience store, bicycle repair shop, hair stylist -- even a doggy day care. One perk missing from that list: daycare for kids.

????The tech giant is not in the minority. Bay Area companies often plan expansive offices with gyms, kitchens, game rooms, and other lavish perks to attract and retain the brightest workers. But onsite child care centers rarely make the list of amenities. Only 7% of companies nationwide offer on-site daycare to employees, according to a 2012 National Study of Employers, a percentage that has stayed held since 2005. Meanwhile about one-third of Fortune's Best Companies to Work For list offer the convenience to parents with young kids.

????Facebook (FB) and local developer St. Anton Partners designed the 394-unit housing project with feedback from employees in focus groups. St. Anton is building the project, while Facebook will subsidize just 15 units set aside for employees to meet state requirements for affordable housing.

????Despite the lack of child care, a Facebook spokeswoman says the company offers plenty of other cushy perks to parents. Couples who give birth or adopt get $4,000 in "baby cash," and the company also gives generous four-month maternity and paternity leave to all employees. She would not say whether child care is a benefit planned for the future. "We offer a number of benefits to make our employees' lives better, and we are constantly evaluating potential new offerings," she says.

????While some companies have found cost savings with improved productivity and lower absenteeism, on-site child care does not typically hit the top of the HR agenda -- especially in a weak labor market, says Rachel Connelly, a Bowdoin College economics professor and co-author of the book, Kids at Work: The Value of Employer-Sponsored On-Site Child Care Centers.

????There's the cost: A 10,000-square-foot on-site center that can handle 100 kids might cost $1.7 million to $2 million to build, according to Reed Construction Data, which tracks building statistics. Then there's the added challenge of state regulations, liability risks, and operational costs, says Jennifer Sabatini Fraone, associate director of the Boston College Center for Work & Family, which studies work life balance issues.

????"It's more complicated than hiring a few babysitters," she says. "It's difficult to develop a sound business case for them because the ROI often can be nebulous."

????Many companies outsource the job to professional daycare centers. But even so, if a company's daycare doesn't have enough spots to fill employee demand, it can frustrate workers, adds Connelly. "So it's either 'go big' or nothing," says Connelly, "and a lot of them choose nothing."

????Instead, says Fraone, many companies offer dependent care assistance plans that help parents pay for child care with pre-tax dollars or access to referral services like Care.com, which helps parents find pre-screened providers.