Offering Child Care Support to Your Employees
Benefits
Supporting your employee's child care can help them retain talent and keep your staff's morale high. Recognizing and supporting employees who use child care is a smart business decision. Child care benefits can provide scheduling relief to employees which adds workplace satisfaction and reduces stress for parents in the workplace.
Evaluate which benefits will be most beneficial to your employees and cost-efficient for your business. Are your employees happy with their current child care program and would benefit most from child care subsidy? Or would they prefer to have their children at an on-site child care?
You can also collect data on what child care options are available in your community. There may be a shortage of certain types of care such as swing shift, infant care, or early morning hours.
Every family has different care needs, however, every parent wants safe and reliable care for their child. Providing well-rounded child care benefits helps all parents. By asking for employee feedback before you provide support, you show your employees that you care about their family's wellbeing and you value their ideas.
Support Options
Predictable Employee Schedules
An unpredictable work schedule can make it difficult for working parents to schedule for their child care needs. Rotating schedules make it difficult for families to access consistent and quality child care because most programs cannot accommodate those family's schedules.
Parent and Caregiver Employee Resource Group (ERGS)
These resource groups build communities, connections, and resources for employees with caregiving responsibilities for children, family members, and loved ones. ERGs can help ensure parents at your organization can find the support they need. These groups can meet online or during lunch. They may be for parents, or you can plan events for both parents and children.
Offer Paid Family Leave for All Caregivers
Data from the Department of Labor shows that 70% of fathers who take parental leave for the birth of a child take less than 10 days. New fathers want to take time with their child but we haven't create that corporate culture where this important leave is accepted.
Child Care Subsidies
Child care is expensive, even if a parent only has one child in care. In some cases, a family's child care can cost as much as college tuition. Employers can help reduce the cost by simply subsidizing. You may offer direct payments to your employees with children and they can spend the money on what child care works best for their family, or businesses can partially subsidize the child care cost by paying child care programs directly.
On-Site Child Care
On-site child care is a highly effective but costly benefit for businesses. On-site child care means that parents can visit their child on lunch break and during commutes, rather than only see their child when they drop off or pick them up from child care.
Companies have options on how to open an on-site child care. You may want to connect with an outside company that specializes in running child care programs. There are national organizations you can explore, or a local child care program may be willing to expand and open a site for your company. You may also consider running a family child care network where you collaborate with small in-home licensed child care programs to provide care to your employees.
Some well known companies that have found success utilizing on-site child care include Google, Patagonia, Home Depot, Cisco, and Intermountain Health Care.
Flexible Employee Schedules
Providing flexible schedules is an effective and inexpensive way to support your employees. This allows working parents the chance to work without missing their children's activities and obligations. Flexible schedules work for all employees and give an opportunity for parents to meet family responsibilities including caring for elderly family members or a loved one with a disability or illness.
Child Care Capacity, Vacancies and Rate Data for Cities in Cache and Box Elder Counties in Utah
Capacity and vacancies of licensed care in Cache and Box Elder Counties by city. Also listed is the population of each area for reference. For cities having less the 10% vacancy rate we are defining those as Child Care Deserts. A child care desert is an area where demand for space in licensed child care programs far outpaces local capacity. Capacity and vacancies data was pulled from the Child Care Resource Agency database in May 2024. Please contact Leah at leah.schilling@usu.edu if you would like current data on the child care programs in your city.
Average cost of care for infant a month in a licensed program for Box Elder = $853
Average cost of care for a 4-year-old a month in a licensed program for Box Elder = $711
Average cost of care for infant a month in a licensed program for Cache = $808
Average cost of care for a 4-year-old a month in a licensed program for Cache = $693
|
City |
Number |
Number |
Capacity |
|
|
Vacancy Rate |
*Center Preschool Average Monthly Rate |
*Center under 1 year old Average Monthly Rate |
*FCC Preschool Average Rate |
*FCC under 1 year old Average Rate |
Population |
|
Amalga |
0 |
1 |
16 |
9 |
1 |
56% |
|
|
|
|
500 |
|
Brigham City |
3 |
10 |
272 |
62 |
12 |
23% |
$1027 |
$1250 |
$681 |
$805 |
19,404 |
|
Corinne |
0 |
1 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
727 |
|
Elwood |
0 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
1249 |
|
Honeyville |
0 |
1 |
16 |
5 |
3 |
31% |
|
|
|
|
1684 |
|
Garland |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
2548 |
|
Hyde Park |
0 |
1 |
16 |
5 |
1 |
31% |
|
|
|
|
4700 |
|
Hyrum |
0 |
11 |
160 |
27 |
15 |
17% |
|
|
$659 |
$694 |
8403 |
|
Lewiston |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
1811 |
|
Logan |
6 |
26 |
905 |
150 |
35 |
17% |
$772 |
$1075 |
$698 |
$837 |
51,619 |
|
Nibley |
1 |
3 |
242 |
87 |
14 |
40% |
|
|
$617 |
$680 |
7087 |
|
North Logan |
0 |
8 |
109 |
19 |
1 |
17% |
|
|
$671 |
$778 |
11,176 |
|
Perry |
0 |
1 |
16 |
2 |
0 |
13% |
|
|
|
|
5094 |
|
Plymouth |
0 |
2 |
24 |
4 |
2 |
17% |
|
|
|
|
432 |
|
Providence |
0 |
3 |
48 |
15 |
1 |
31% |
|
|
$708 |
$830 |
7595 |
|
Richmond |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
2730 |
|
River Heights |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
1982 |
|
Smithfield |
2 |
11 |
440 |
81 |
10 |
18% |
$777 |
$910 |
$670 |
$730 |
11,811 |
|
Thatcher |
0 |
1 |
16 |
3 |
1 |
19% |
|
|
|
|
1056 |
|
Tremonton |
1 |
8 |
177 |
6 |
0 |
3% |
|
|
$642 |
$800 |
8,882 |
|
Wellsville |
0 |
3 |
40 |
8 |
0 |
20% |
|
|
$766 |
$863 |
3849 |
|
Willard |
0 |
2 |
32 |
9 |
2 |
28% |
|
|
|
|
1914 |
*only average rate data in cities that had two or more centers or three of more family child care programs is showing.
Why Licensed Care?
Employers might want their employees to use licensed child care programs for several reasons that benefit both the company and the employees.
Employee Productivity
- Reduced distractions: Employees with children in licensed child care can focus on their work, knowing that their kids are in a safe and structured environment.
- Fewer disruptions: Licensed programs often have predictable hours, meaning parents are less likely to miss work or leave early due to unreliable or inconsistent care.
Employee Retention
- Higher job satisfaction: Employees are more likely to stay with companies that support their child care needs, reducing turnover rates.
- Attractive benefit: Promoting licensed child care or even providing access to it can make a company more attractive to job seekers, especially working parents.
Reduced Absenteeism
- Reliable care: Employees are less likely to call in sick or leave work due to issues with their child care arrangements, reducing overall absenteeism.
- Healthier children: Licensed child care centers typically have better hygiene practices and health protocols, which can reduce the spread of illnesses that might keep parents home.
Compliance and Safety
- Regulated environment: Licensed child care programs must meet certain safety, educational, and staffing standards, which means employees are less likely to face emergencies or concerns about their child’s well-being.
- Background checks: Licensed programs often require background checks and proper certification for staff, providing peace of mind to employees.
Work-Life Balance
- Improved mental health: When employees know their children are being well cared for, they experience lower stress levels, which leads to better mental well-being and productivity at work.
- Flexible working arrangements: Some licensed child care programs offer flexibility in hours, which can align with non-standard working hours, supporting parents with diverse schedules.
Promotes Diversity and Inclusion
- Supports working parents: Providing or promoting licensed child care helps retain and attract a diverse workforce, including women and parents of young children, promoting gender equality and inclusiveness in the workplace.
- Equal opportunity: It ensures that parents from different socioeconomic backgrounds can access reliable care, supporting all employees equally.
Positive Company Culture
- Family-friendly environment: Encouraging the use of licensed child care helps create a culture that values work-life balance, which can enhance employee morale and engagement.
- Corporate social responsibility: Supporting licensed child care aligns with corporate social responsibility efforts by showing concern for employees’ families and contributing to the broader well-being of the community.
Fewer Legal Liabilities
- Peace of mind for employers: Licensed child care centers are often insured and adhere to legal and safety standards, reducing the employer's indirect liability compared to unlicensed alternatives.
Supporting employees' use of licensed child care programs can lead to a more productive, loyal, and satisfied workforce, while also helping the company maintain a strong reputation for supporting families and creating a healthy work environment.
If you have questions please contact childcare.help@usu.edu or 435-797-1552.