From the Publisher

TO PUT IT IN OZIAN TERMS THAT A CHILD MIGHT UNDERstand, the lobby of the Time & Life Building is a bit like Kansas: gray and austere, a no-nonsense kind of place, populated mainly by adults. But pass through the gray door set off to one side, and suddenly, like Dorothy and Toto, a visitor feels the unexpected delight of stumbling upon a colorful world of spirited munchkins. Welcome to the Time Warner Children's Center, a month-old facility that provides emergency day-care services to company employees.

The drop-in children's center is so new a concept that no common name yet exists to describe such a facility. Its purpose, though, is perfectly clear to grateful employees: the center provides expert child care when an unexpected need arises. The 2,200-sq.-ft. center can handle up to 30 youngsters between the ages of 6 months and 12 years. Why an emergency facility instead of a full-time day-care center? "We can serve thousands of our employees, instead of just a small number," explains Karol Rose, director of Work/Family Initiatives and Training for Time Warner. "The most difficult time for working parents is when everything falls apart."

Rosalie Cohen, a payroll manager at Atlantic Records, had just such an emergency shortly after the center opened. Her husband, who usually tends to their son Matthew during the day, had a heart attack. She found it a great relief to know where to turn for alternative child care while he recuperated. "I was able to go to work with peace of mind, knowing that my child was being taken care of," she says. For Matthew, 3, the center has meant new friends and challenges, like fashioning a pumpkin collage of orange paper, string and glue under the guidance of the center's full-time teacher, Adina Jaffe.

Alicia Powell, 10, particularly enjoys the painting activities. Her mother Felicia, an assistant secretary in Time Warner's tax department, says the center "saved my life, really." Until now, Alicia had spent school holidays alone at home on Staten Island. "It had been a real big pressure on her and tremendous pressure on me," says Felicia, a divorced parent. "Now she's happy to know that when school is closed, she can go with Mommy."

The center reflects the company's ongoing commitment to working families. Recently, Working Mother magazine named Time Warner one of the 100 best companies for women employees. "Obviously, this was something that was needed," says Rose of the new center. The proof: since the center's opening on Sept. 21, more than 100 children have used the facility.