Leading with Care: Supporting Child Care as an Employer

High-quality, affordable, and accessible child care has a significant impact on the economic growth and competitiveness of our companies and country. Currently, two-thirds of children ages 5 and under live in homes where both parents work, yet the number of affordable child care spots has decreased. Lane County is considered a child care desert. This means that there is one child care slot for every four children in the county; one slot for every seven infants/toddlers.

US businesses lose $3 billion annually due to employee absenteeism related to childcare, and 83% of millennials say that they would leave their jobs for one with more family-friendly benefits. Family-friendly policies increase recruitment and retention; decrease absenteeism, increase productivity, and save money for the employer. High quality child care supports today’s workforce (parents and guardians), while creating a strong foundation necessary for success in future workforce (children).

The Leading With Care: Supporting Child Care As An Employer toolkit is designed for employers interested in supporting their employees’ child care needs, ranging from simple, low- or no-cost strategies, (e.g. Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts), to more robust approaches, (e.g. on-site or near-site child care), and everything in between. Reach out to Onward Eugene’s Child Care Sector Strategist for more information.