5 Childcare Benefits for Employees That Attract Top Talent

If you’re a business looking to hire new employees or retain the ones you already have, you need to understand the importance of valuing family – namely, the little ones your employees may have. Finding affordable and good childcare is one of the many challenges working parents face, and one of the ways you can help is by offering childcare benefits for employees. 

When you provide childcare employee benefits, you won’t just be positively impacting their lives but your organization as a whole. Why? You’ll be keeping your employees happy, and happy employees mean a more productive workflow and a lower employee turnover rate. 

Yes, it can get expensive to provide childcare benefits, but there are several different ways you can support parents. Whether you’re a small or big business, there are employer-provided childcare benefits you can – and should – include in your employee benefits package. Explore these five different childcare benefits and why they’re important.

5 Childcare Benefits to Provide Your Employees

Looking to provide childcare benefits to your employees and support working parents? Here are the top five recommended employer childcare benefits you should include.

1. Longer Maternity/Paternity Leave

As a new parent, the first several months of a child’s life are an important bonding experience. But did you know that in the U.S., the standard maternity and paternity leave caps are 12 weeks? That’s only three months! For new mothers especially, this is an important time. 

Think about it – they just carried around a whole person for nine months and brought this new person into the world, and they need time to heal and bond with their little ones. Offer generous time off to new parents and ensure it’s paid leave. After all, raising a family is expensive, and they’ll need all the support and resources they can get. 

2. On-Site Daycare 

It can be challenging to find a daycare. Many are full and not accepting new clients due to a nationwide shortage of providers. So, by providing an on-site daycare just for your employees, you’re taking away the stress of trying to find one and enabling them to avoid the extra commute time to and from an off-site daycare every day. Plus, parents will easily be able to check in on their children, nurse them if they are breastfeeding, and spend their lunch breaks with them for further bonding.

Of course, this isn’t feasible for every organization. If you’re a smaller company, you may not have the room or money to add on a whole daycare with paid daycare workers. But if you can afford it and have the room, it’s something you should consider doing. 

3. Childcare Subsidies 

The price of childcare is on the rise, making it even more of an expense than it previously was. On average, families with infants pay around $16,000 a year just for childcare. With inflation up and the prices of things like groceries and gas increasing, many families are struggling to pay for the childcare services they desperately need, which could lead to your valued employees making the tough decision to leave the workforce entirely. 

Childcare subsidies help parents pay for things like daycare and education. The government helps some in these areas, depending on the state and income guidelines for working parents. However, if you truly want to make a difference in your employees’ lives, you should help with childcare, too. If you can’t afford to pay the entire sum of childcare, that’s okay. Any little bit helps, and your employees would appreciate any parental support you can give them. 

4. Paid Family Leave

You’re likely already giving your employees personal time off, sick leave, and vacation days, but you should also give them paid family leave. Children are notorious for getting sick and spreading germs. And, of course, parents want to be there for their kids when they’re sick and daycares and schools will require them to stay home. So, it can leave parents in a pickle to scramble and try to find someone to take care of their sick child. 

What better way to combat this than with paid family leave? Let your employees take some time off to tend to their sick kids or take them to doctor appointments. Paid family leave will also let your employees care for other family members who may feel ill, such as a parent or significant other. 

5. Flexible or Remote Work Options

Balancing family and work can be difficult for both new and seasoned parents. But there’s something you can do to help. If possible, give your employees flexible or remote work options. Even if it’s just two days at home, it’ll help parents maintain a good work/life balance. They can spend more time with their children, and as long as they’re getting their work done, they can use the time otherwise spent commuting to manage household tasks or other priorities. A flexible schedule, where the parent can alter their start/end times as needed or take a few hours off for their kids’ appointments, will also go a long way. 

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Other Ways to Help

There are so many other ways you can support parents in your organization, including: 

• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts: Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, or DCFSAs, are pre-tax accounts used to pay for childcare services such as daycare, preschool, and summer day camp.
• Parent Support Groups: Parent support groups are a great way to connect parents with one another and share concerns, experiences, and tips surrounding children and parenthood.
• Parenting Workshops: Provide access to workshops to help new parents adjust to parenthood and address common concerns and milestones. 

Creating a Family-Friendly Workplace

Family time is important, and now more than ever, so is having a good work/life balance. For both experienced and new parents, ensuring their children are taken care of is a top priority. But it can also be challenging to find an affordable yet good place to take your child during work hours. When you create a workplace that prioritizes family and childcare, you create a safe environment where parents feel appreciated and less stressed. Show that you care, and your employees will be happy and loyal for years to come.

Interested in more guidance on employee engagement, retention, and satisfaction? Check out iHire’s employer resources for additional tips and best practices on how you can make your organization a great place to work.