Against a backdrop of growing public concern over the accessibility and affordability of childcare across Antigua and Barbuda, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has publicly urged the national government and large private sector employers to prioritize the development of on-site childcare services. The proposal, aimed at easing the disproportionate burden carried by single parents and workers without access to reliable family care, was shared during the June 15 broadcast of the *Browne and Browne Show* on local outlet Pointe FM, where Browne responded to a listener-submitted complaint about a working parent facing disciplinary action.
According to the complaint shared during the program, a female employee at a state-run statutory corporation, based in eastern Antigua, has repeatedly brought her children into the workplace during school vacation periods. With no affordable or trusted alternative childcare arrangements available, the employee brings her children to work where they remain quiet and do not disrupt daily operations. Even so, the employee’s supervisor has threatened to issue formal verbal and written warnings for the violation of workplace policy, sparking public debate over employer support for working parents.
Browne pushed back against the supervisor’s approach in his comments, questioning why a working parent should face professional penalties when their children are properly supervised and create no disruption for other team members. He argued that systemic gaps in local childcare infrastructure have left many parents between a rock and a hard place, forcing them to choose between keeping their job and ensuring their children are safe.
“Large employers who can afford a little crèche — and even the government itself — we have to do something to help parents,” Browne stated during the interview.
The prime minister went on to outline the shifting demographic context that has eroded the traditional informal childcare systems many Antigua and Barbuda residents once relied on. Today, a large share of the country’s population is made up of immigrants who have settled in the nation, many of whom do not have extended family members such as grandparents or adult siblings living locally to help with childcare. Even immigrant workers who have lived in the country for decades and obtained citizenship still lack this informal family safety net, leaving many working parents, especially single parents, with no affordable care options during school breaks or after regular school hours.
“You have single parents; some of them have no support,” he added.
Browne’s proposal calls on large private businesses, statutory corporations, and government agencies to explore two pathways to support working parents: creating dedicated on-site crèche facilities for employees’ children, and adopting flexible policies that allow parents to bring children to work in appropriate circumstances when no other care is available. He emphasized that allowing children to stay with a parent at work in these scenarios is far safer than forcing parents to leave children home alone or in the care of unvetted, unsuitable caregivers.
“If the children are not a hindrance to anyone, what’s the issue?” Browne asked.
While the prime minister’s remarks have been welcomed by advocacy groups supporting working parents, he stopped short of announcing a binding formal government policy, naming specific workplaces that will introduce on-site crèches, or releasing a timeline for rolling out new childcare support services. Instead, his comments frame a broad public call for both public and large private sector employers to examine practical, targeted solutions that help workers balance professional responsibilities and childcare needs amid ongoing national conversations about working parent support.