It is a high priority for every successful company to find build their workforce with quality talent, and to gain their loyaly. One fantastic way to become a company that good employees are loyal to is to offer onsite childcare. When a company includes an early learning center for children within their facility, the benefits extend beyond the parents and children who take advantage of it, and improve the entire work culture and even the community.
Employer Sponsored Childcare Benefits the Company
One factor that discourages companies from offering employer sponsored child care programs is the added cost. However, by offering a corporate childcare solution, working parents have lower rates of absenteeism, lower rate of turnover, and improved productivity. Studies show that the cost of starting and operating an early learning center for children within a company is recouped at least 50% and as much as 200% through the avoided cost of sick leave, retraining replacements, and lost productivity. Other benefits include:
- Employees have a higher rate of return from maternity leave when their babies can be cared for onsite.
- Employees feel their employers support their work/life balance and have greater morale.
- Offering this benefit gives the company a reputation that enables them to attract a high caliber of potential employees.
- Having workplace-funded childcare is such a competitive benefit that employees are unlikely to look for employment elsewhere.
Employer Sponsored Childcare Benefits Working Parents
About one-quarter of working parents report having to use 2 or more childcare arrangements to cover the entire time that they are required to work. According to the Bureau of Statistics, this demographic is steadily increasing each year. In addition to being a logistical hassle, this creates a huge financial burden for families. By providing onsite childcare that aligns with a parent’s work schedule, their stress level is substantially reduced, which encourages improved work performance. Employers who cover or subsidize the expense of childcare for their employees also alleviates the financial burden on working parents.
Employer Sponsored Childcare Benefits the Children
It’s an obvious connection that having parent’s with a lower stress level is beneficial for the children who participate in workplace-funded childcare. Additionally, being part of an early learning center for children at their parent’s place of work allows the parents to be more engaged and supportive of the child’s early education, providing greater family unity.
Employer Sponsored Childcare Benefits the Community
Providing employees with an affordable source of quality early education is benefitial to the entire community. Studies show that children who participate in preschool education gain an educational foundation that gives them lower dropout rates in high school, lower instances of criminal behavior, and a higher rate of successfully pursuing a college education. Not only does this improve the community that companies who offer onsite childcare are part of, it raises a new generation of high quality employees.
Does your employer offer onsite childcare? What do you find the greatest benefit of the program to be? Please continue this discussion in the comment section below.