USA 
United Kingdom
Childcare has become one of the defining workforce challenges of our time.
While employers continue to navigate hiring shortages, employee retention, and evolving expectations around workplace flexibility, one issue consistently remains at the center of these conversations: access to affordable, reliable childcare.
According to the Future of Benefits report by Care.com, one in five US workers have left a job because their employer didn’t provide childcare benefits, with one in five also saying they would switch jobs for an employer that offers better support.
For many working parents, childcare goes beyond a mere perk or benefit, determining whether they can enter, remain in, or advance within the workforce. As parents try to keep up with the raising costs of childcare, many employers still view childcare support as a ‘nice-to-have,’ even as 93% of working parents support subsidized caregiving benefits from employers.
At Frontier Co-op, we’ve seen firsthand that supporting caregivers isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a business investment that strengthens our culture, helps retain talented employees and reinforces our commitment to building an inclusive workplace. In fact, the same Care.com report showed that 80% of employers found that childcare benefits have a positive impact on retention of top talent.
When employees lack accessible childcare, it influences recruiting, retention, engagement, career progression, and business performance
Why childcare is a workforce issue
Today's HR leaders face increasingly complex challenges: attracting talent, reducing turnover, and helping employees overcome systemic barriers to success. When employees lack accessible childcare, it influences recruiting, retention, engagement, career progression, and business performance.
Parents continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities, with four in ten women (44%) and 37% of men reporting they will likely need to change jobs to balance childcare with work demands. Harvard Business School found that 80% of employees who are caregivers say caregiving affects their productivity at work.
Employers need to stop thinking about childcare as philanthropy or an employee perk and start recognizing these programs as workforce infrastructure – because they’re just smart business that helps with employee retention, higher engagement and greater loyalty.
A childcare program that evolves with employees’ needs
Our childcare story began nearly five decades ago with something much simpler than the program we have today, but the philosophy has remained consistent: by removing barriers outside the workplace, we unlock greater opportunities for both employees and the business.
What began in 1976 as coworkers helping care for one another’s children has evolved into a more comprehensive approach through our Breaking Down Barriers to Employment initiative, which recognizes that childcare is just one of many challenges that can make it difficult for people to thrive in the workforce.
Through this initiative, we’ve built a childcare program designed to make high-quality care more accessible for working families.
The company subsidizes much of the cost, allowing parents to pay, on average, around $2 per hour, or about $120 per week including meals and snacks. We’ve also expanded our support beyond traditional childcare by partnering with the local school district to provide before- and after-school transportation and offering summer programming during school breaks. Together, these services help ease both financial pressure and day-to-day logistics that so many working parents navigate.
Today, our childcare programs serve 89 of our employees through either our onsite services or a subsidized reimbursement program. Our onsite services are equipped to serve 120 children each day; and, as a result, in the last fiscal year, 100% of employees who took parental leave after the birth of a child returned to work after their leave was over.
The value of these programs extends well beyond lowering childcare costs. According to The Family Conservancy, 33% of employees have thought about leaving their job or scaling back their hours because of childcare challenges. By reducing one of the biggest barriers employees face outside of work, we’ve been able to better attract talent, retain experienced employees, and create an environment where parents and caregivers can continue growing their careers without feeling forced to choose between work and family.
Listen first, then build
If there’s one takeaway we’d share with fellow HR leaders, it’s this: the most impactful employee benefits programs start with listening to the needs of your staff.
Why HR still struggles to reach Deskless Employees
Some of our most meaningful workplace programs were initiated because we paid attention to what employees needed most at different moments in their lives. Childcare has remained one of those priorities for nearly 50 years, even as the workforce around us has changed dramatically.
Perhaps our biggest lesson is that there’s no universal blueprint. The right solution depends on your workforce, your community, and your organization’s capabilities. Few employers will replicate our model exactly, and they don’t need to. What matters is taking the time to understand what’s standing in the way for your employees and finding practical, sustainable ways to help remove those obstacles, whether through greater flexibility, financial assistance, community partnerships or other family-focused benefits.
For organizations wondering where to begin, ask three simple questions:
What barriers are preventing our employees from doing their best work?
What solutions can we support, and what external partnerships do we need?
How can we start small and build toward comprehensive support?
You don't need all the answers on day one. What matters is making the commitment to start and remaining flexible as needs evolve.
Our onsite services are equipped to serve 120 children each day; and, as a result, in the last fiscal year, 100% of employees who took parental leave after the birth of a child returned to work after their leave was over
Every employer has a role to play
As Frontier Co-op celebrates our 50th anniversary this year, we’re reflecting on how we’ve approached childcare over the last five decades. Over time, one thing has remained true: when employers invest in helping employees succeed both at work and at home, everyone benefits.
We encourage all organizations, regardless of size or industry, to begin viewing childcare as an investment in their people. Because when we remove barriers for working parents and caregivers, we're building a stronger, more resilient workforce for the future.
Megan helps Frontier Co-op deliver on its purpose, "Doing Good, Works", within its walls. She leads the co-op's award-winning Breaking Down Barriers to Employment programs, which aim to help employees and community members overcome systemic barriers to employment and economic mobility.
Under her leadership, her team has crafted and implemented unique solutions for subsidized childcare options, including our onsite daycare, and worked in partnership with local non-profit organizations to develop transportation solutions, adopt second-chance hiring practices, and implement an apprenticeship program.
