Solutions

Childcare supports for every employer

We know that solving the childcare crisis will take a multitude of actors, solutions, policies, and at the end of the day—systemic change. The below solutions are some of the ways that employers can begin to make a difference.

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Promote education & learning
Offer tax benefits
Invest in innovation
Foster a care culture
Provide childcare assistance
Advocate for public policy change
Enhance private policies

Local, state, and federal policies can support the care movement. Sign a petition for the extension of the Child Care Stabilization program, follow current legislative initiatives to support care, support a campaign, or understand previous policies enacted for child care.

See your state's initiatives

Advocates are fighting for the inclusion of domestic work in policies across the country to protect & enhance the rights of domestic workers. There are opportunities to sign petitions, vote, & call your representatives to mobilize our collective power for the care economy.

Advocate for change

When emergencies arise with children, parents might need to step out of the workforce. Companies can provide support to help workers when things fall through.

Explore employer care solutions

Join a business community to share knowledge, work alongside other leaders, and work to standardize best practices for employers.

Join a coalition

Leaders in the care economy are working to build compelling, informative, and thought-provoking campaigns that showcase the realities of childcare work, how to access benefits, and where to go for support.

Watch this

Child care unionization to organize collective bargaining agreements to benefit the care workforce as a whole is gaining momentum. This approach, called 'sectoral bargaining,' has the power to make sweeping changes for large numbers of care workers and providers.

Learn more

Apply for CDCTC funding to help pay for eligible care costs since both parents are employed. Credits can range in qualifying amounts, maxing out at $6,000.

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Offer DCFSA to support working parents with caregiving costs. These accounts allow caregivers to use pre-tax dollars to pay for care, saving up to 30% on services.

Read the Employer Guide

Provide a clear, digestible playbook for families in your geographic regions to find & access care options, highlighting centers, family-based care, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, & Head Start/Early Head start programs. A Care Advocate can be an internal or external contact who helps employees navigate the care landscape and approach the company's benefits.

Explore ways to support

Set goals for representation by gender & race, clearly showing role & location breakdown with a specific target for diversity in leadership positions.

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Survey employees to understand the most pressing needs of working parents to inform your benefits strategies. Invest in education of managers, employees, & leadership to understand the most-needed benefits at your company, create a roadmap for realistic implementation, & broadcast awareness of initiatives to promote uptake.

Expore an Employee Benefits Survey

Provide sustainable salaries that factor in cost-of-living and the ability for employed parents to raise a family and pay for childcare supports. This ultimately propels parents in the workforce and can boost the economy.

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There's a variety of innovators in the care space who are piloting new ways to support the care economy. Some examples to learn more about: The Mom Project, Holding Co., Mother Honestly, NDWA, Moms First, The Early Childhood and Business Advisory Council, Instant Teams, & more.

Meet these 2023 Innovators

Ample time-off, like guaranteed sick & vacation days, flexible & predictable scheduling, & emergency days off or PTO for caregiving can all support workers in their ability to maintain their jobs.

Consider these options

Proximity to an issue helps people understand the realities & barriers others face. National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) has resources to better understand the stories of workers.

Learn more

Managers & hiring representatives have a direct influence on how the workplace responds & celebrates parenthood. Provide training on parental benefits, de-penalizing caregiving or gaps on resumes, highlight skills acquired through caregiving, & train responses to parental needs.

Review an example

Joining a mentorship or sponsorship program for parents can help propel them forward in their roles, connect them to other parents, & match them with promotion opportunities.

See examples

Offering on-site can support the retention, promotion, & inclusion of parents in the workforce. Employers can recoup hard costs through the Employer-Provided Childcare Credit.

Patagonia's case study

Private funding or direct cash to support the childcare economy can enhance the quality, availability, and affordability of childcare. Organizations, like The Raising Child Care Fund, pool funding to make grants to the early childhood education system.

Explore RCCF

Small businesses or those just beginning to invest in parents can pool resources to contract with a childcare agency for affordable, quality care–similar to the model established by larger companies, such as SAS and Bank of America with Bright Horizons, and similar to health insurance pools for small businesses.

Learn more

As parents transition out of full-time care work & into the workforce, returnship programs are great ways to upskill parents & match them with quality roles.

Explore the list

Many governments try to lighten the financial burden on care providers through subsidies. Funds might be used to lower costs for low-income families, pay expenses during holidays or breaks, or compensate for absences.

Explore NY's assistance program

Governments can provide investments to subsidize salaries for childcare to remain competitive & retain the infrastructure of the care economy. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) supported childcare workers on a federal level through the Child Care Stabilization program. There are programs on a state & local level that can boost salaries to retain workers & maintain availability of services for families.

Learn about the ARPA's program

Companies can make the transition back into the workplace easier for parents by providing a range of supports, like flexible schedules, lactation rooms, predictable shifts, working hours during care hours, & more. It's best for companies to understand the needs of their unique workforce.

Read ways to support

Case Studies

No more guessing on what's needed to fix the broken childcare system. Click through the carousel below to see solutions in action.
Case Studies

Michigan Tri-Share

Through Michigan Tri-Share, the cost of an employee's child care is shared equally among the employer, the employee and the State of Michigan—a three-way split—with coordination being provided regionally by a MI Tri-Share facilitator hub.

The program has reduced absenteeism, increased retention, and improved engagement for employers.
Learn More
Illustration of business people in bright colored suits
Case Studies

Paid Leave AI

Moms First is committed to changing the way motherhood is seen and valued through creative campaigns and compelling thought leadership. In December 2023, they launched PaidLeave.ai, a first-of-its-kind chatbot that’s designed to tell New Yorkers exactly how much paid time off they’re entitled to, and help guide them through the application process.

In New York, family leave pays up to $13,019.32, to care for a child or family member.

We need to give attention to how deeply underpaid early learning educators are. Early educators themselves are often living in poverty and are not able to send their own children to the centers in which they teach.
Dr. Laura Justice
Executive Director of The Ohio State University Crane Center for Early Childhood Research & Policy
Illustration of mother handing piggy bank to childcare worker