As the summer winds down and parents get ready to send their kids off on a new school year, employers are reviewing and revamping their child care policies to better support their workforce.
To bridge an after-school care gap, Care.com's CHRO Wes Burke shared that continued flexibility for parents is key. At his company, the work calendar follows the school year so parents don't need to make additional adjustments to their care needs. Additionally, back-up care benefits and child care stipends can help employees pay for added expenses when school ramps up.
Read best practices for helping working parents navigate back-to-school:
Paying for child care is a huge mental and financial burden for parents, but at Tyson, a new on-site child care center is making care accessible and affordable. In partnership with Kindercare, parents now have access to early childhood education for kids under five, for just $2 per hour.
"We strive to be the most sought-after place to work in the communities where we operate," says Garrett Dolan, senior manager of social responsibility at Tyson. "By listening to our team members, we identified child care as a need. Tennessee's average child care cost is about $9,000 a year. By opening the Tyson Learning Center, we are able to provide high-quality care and education at a subsidized rate."
Read how the company made subsidized child care a reality for their employees:
Having the right support for parents can be beneficial for their mental health, and their kids' health, too. For teens in particular, who have struggled with depression, anxiety and other issues at high rates since the pandemic, a newly launched hotline is helping parents connect and find the right resources.
Care concierge platform Wellthy launched a Teen Support service line in June, giving parents and caregivers
Read on for how parents can connect with their teens:
Making parents and their kids a priority benefits an employer's bottom line — RethinkFirst estimates that working parent absenteeism costs employers $65 billion annually in lost productivity. To keep parents engaged, family-friendly benefits and workplace flexibility will continue to be of utmost importance.
"When parents can get support from their employers for their most stressful parenting struggles, that can allow them to be more present and focused at work," says Angela Nelson, vice president and executive director of clinical services for RethinkCare, a division of RethinkFirst.
Read for how your company can save by investing in working parents:
