G T Water Products

By high noon, Adam Tash has already put in a full morning's work at G.T. Water Products, a plumbing parts factory in Moorpark. He has molded his face out of clay and played a few rounds of a computer game before bellying up to the catering truck for some lunch. After noon, he swims. If the activities sound a bit leisurely for a working stiff, it's because 11-year-old Adam is one of 14 students in a school run exclusively for the children of G.T. Water Products' 30 employees.

Moorpark's G.T. Water Products Inc., selected eight times for Working Mother magazine's annual list of the top 100 companies for mothers, will open enrollment at its on-site school to the general public, beginning Thursday. Since its inception in 1987, the K-12 school has been solely for the children of employees. There are currently six children enrolled, but officials said they hope to increase the number to about 20.

Busy making sales calls most of the morning, Anne Zibalese--a sometimes harried working mom--realizes amid all her office work that it's been a while since she has seen her son, David, 13, and her daughter, Ashley, 11. Not to worry. She just gets up from her cluttered desk, walks to the back of the sales room and opens the door. She peaks in and sees they are fine. They're busy themselves, along with other students in their classroom doing schoolwork.

Officials at Patagonia Inc. consider the bonding time between a newborn and its parents as a critical stage of the child's development. That's why the Ventura-based outdoor clothing company allows up to two months of paid child-care leave for mothers and fathers in its employ. The company also offers on-site day care for about 115 children, for which it spends more than $330,000 a year to operate. Parents pay $222 to $469 each month per child, depending on the type of care required.

Moorpark's G.T. Water Products Inc., selected eight times for Working Mother magazine's annual list of the top 100 companies for mothers, will open enrollment at its on-site school to the general public, beginning Thursday. Since its inception in 1987, the K-12 school has been solely for the children of employees. There are currently six children enrolled, but officials said they hope to increase the number to about 20.

By high noon, Adam Tash has already put in a full morning's work at G. T. Water Products, a plumbing parts factory in Ventura County. He has molded his face out of clay and played a few rounds of a computer game before bellying up to the catering truck for some lunch. After noon, he swims. If the activities sound a bit leisurely for a working stiff, it's because 11-year-old Adam is one of 14 students in a school run exclusively for the children of G. T. Water Products' 30 employees.

Officials at Patagonia Inc. consider the bonding time between a newborn and its parents as a critical stage of the child's development. That's why the Ventura-based outdoor clothing company allows up to two months of paid child-care leave for mothers and fathers in its employ. The company also offers on-site day care for about 115 children, for which it spends more than $330,000 a year to operate. Parents pay $222 to $469 each month per child, depending on the type of care required.

Busy making sales calls most of the morning, Anne Zibalese--a sometimes-harried working mother--realizes amid all her office work that it's been a while since she has seen her son David, 13, and daughter Ashley, 11. Not to worry. She just gets up from her cluttered desk, walks to the back of the sales room, opens the door and peeks in. Inside, her children are busy doing schoolwork with their classmates. Nestled behind her sales office at G.T.

Dawn McKee, Child care program manager, Patagonia As a working mom, the biggest issue is trying to find quality day care. If we're going to be competitive as a country or a business, we will need children who are self-confident, and that's not going to happen if babies aren't well taken care of from the start. I don't think all companies should necessarily provide on-site child care. I know it's awfully expensive to set up. Instead, they can create a family day-care network. We have a network of child-care providers that we refer employees to after an extensive screening process.

The October issue of Working Mother magazine includes two Ventura County companies in its list of 85 firms nationwide that provide "family friendly" benefits. In its sixth annual survey of the best companies for working mothers, the magazine names Patagonia, the Ventura firm that designs and sells outdoor wear, and G. T. Water Products Inc., a Moorpark company that manufactures plumbing products.

Busy making sales calls most of the morning, Anne Zibalese--a sometimes-harried working mother--realizes amid all her office work that it's been a while since she has seen her son David, 13, and daughter Ashley, 11. Not to worry. She just gets up from her cluttered desk, walks to the back of the sales room, opens the door and peeks in. Inside, her children are busy doing schoolwork with their classmates. Nestled behind her sales office at G.T.

Busy making sales calls most of the morning, Anne Zibalese--a sometimes harried working mom--realizes amid all her office work that it's been a while since she has seen her son, David, 13, and her daughter, Ashley, 11. Not to worry. She just gets up from her cluttered desk, walks to the back of the sales room and opens the door. She peaks in and sees they are fine. They're busy themselves, along with other students in their classroom doing schoolwork.

Dawn McKee, Child care program manager, Patagonia As a working mom, the biggest issue is trying to find quality day care. If we're going to be competitive as a country or a business, we will need children who are self-confident, and that's not going to happen if babies aren't well taken care of from the start. I don't think all companies should necessarily provide on-site child care. I know it's awfully expensive to set up. Instead, they can create a family day-care network. We have a network of child-care providers that we refer employees to after an extensive screening process.

By high noon, Adam Tash has already put in a full morning's work at G. T. Water Products, a plumbing parts factory in Ventura County. He has molded his face out of clay and played a few rounds of a computer game before bellying up to the catering truck for some lunch. After noon, he swims. If the activities sound a bit leisurely for a working stiff, it's because 11-year-old Adam is one of 14 students in a school run exclusively for the children of G. T. Water Products' 30 employees.

By high noon, Adam Tash has already put in a full morning's work at G.T. Water Products, a plumbing parts factory in Moorpark. He has molded his face out of clay and played a few rounds of a computer game before bellying up to the catering truck for some lunch. After noon, he swims. If the activities sound a bit leisurely for a working stiff, it's because 11-year-old Adam is one of 14 students in a school run exclusively for the children of G.T. Water Products' 30 employees.

Home products maker S.C. Johnson Wax has a Women's Business Council to help break down barriers to advancement faced by female employees. Skokie, Ill.-based Fel-Pro, which makes car gaskets, sealants and lubricants, provides up to $6,500 in tuition reimbursements for children of its workers. And the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reserves a room for nursing mothers.

Two Ventura County companies--G.T. Water Products Inc. of Moorpark and Patagonia Inc. of Ventura--are among 100 firms cited by Working Mother magazine as the most hospitable in the nation for women workers. G.T., a producer of plumbing products, claims to be the only company in the United States with an on-site school that offers full-time, accredited classes for employees' children beyond preschool age. The school, which is free to offspring of G.T.'