Fran Durekas is the Founder, Chief Development Officer of Children’s Creative Learning Centers

Working Mother’s 100 Best Companies recognize the importance of investing in programs to support employees’ work-life management needs including dependent care support services such as child care. However, only 9% of employers nationwide provide on-site or near-site child care. With more women entering the workforce than ever before, the demand for this work-life benefit is sure to only increase.

80 percent of working parents polled by CCLC say they feel more involved in their child’s day thanks to having child care resources close to their workplace. So you may be wondering, “How can I make the case for employer-sponsored child care at my company?” I’ve found that the first step to raise this need within organizations is by making a simple inquiry. Start with your own manager. Based upon their feedback, consider writing a letter or scheduling a meeting with your HR Manager. Regardless, to make your request stronger, do your homework and provide detailed information that reflects the below considerations.

1. Incorporate valuable ROI research.
For any investment, you’ll need to showcase the potential return on investment. Regardless of company size, child care benefits can produce a win-win solution for employees and employers that result in loyal, satisfied employees that improve an organization’s overall productivity and reputation in the market, as well as provide long-term benefits to the overall community. By supporting retention of employees, reduced absenteeism and increased productivity, these programs also generate a substantial ROI – a key factor when employers look at which benefits they should be offering.

For instance, statistics show that U.S. employers lose $3 billion a year due to child care-related absences among working families. Another study, by Bowdoin College in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, found that firms offering on-site child care saved between one-half and twice the cost of what they paid to maintain the benefit (including subsidies to employees and other costs). And, this amount is on top of any savings realized through reduced turnover or increased productivity.

This data will give you the backing you need to start the conversation.

2. Involve other employees.
My first piece of advice for any client investigating the possibility of offering child care benefits is to conduct a detailed employee needs assessment survey. You can start with a similar approach by asking co-workers or colleagues about their challenges as working parents and work-life needs. For instance, how many of your co-workers utilize some kind of child care?  Do your co-workers need help finding convenient, quality child care? Is there a greater need for backup care?  Do workers need help in paying for quality care?

Use your findings as you speak with your HR Manager to highlight the breadth of employees who have the need and desire for child care options. Ask these employees to join you in the discussion or add their signatures to any proposal or correspondence.  You can also ask to post these questions on your company’s internal intranet or in other employee communications available.

3. Provide information to help your company get started.
Many HR teams considering offering child care benefits don’t know where to start. An important first step is to identify a vendor that brings strong expertise to the table as a true partner to meet your organization’s unique needs. Begin this process for your HR team, by presenting background on providers. Research other companies in your city – of similar size, industry, etc. – who offer child care benefits and share this list as potential informational resources your HR team can contact to get started. 

If you can, get answers to the below questions prior to meeting with HR – or provide them with this list as a resource to get started.

How many children will you need to serve based on interest?  Will the center provide care for infants and toddlers as well as preschoolers or just preschool?  Will there be a backup care offering at the center?  If employees cannot fill the center right away will you recommend opening up to other neighboring companies or the community?

You may also want to reach out to a provider who operates corporate child care and get an understanding of operational costs. What costs will your employer cover and what costs will the provider cover? Another recommendation would be to contact an architect who has designed other corporate sites, especially in your city and inquire on overall center construction costs based on the size center you anticipate.

Overall, don’t forget there are many options available for organizations of all sizes and all budgets. The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies is a great resource to start with to gather data www.naccrra.org.

4. Offer to spearhead the project.
Demonstrating that you’ve done your homework and have a foundational relationship with employees who may be interested in this project will give your HR Manager the confidence to take your proposal seriously. He or she also benefits from having a partner in the project so they do not have to tackle this alone.

5. Start small and if necessary, suggest an alternative solution.
If your HR Manager is not convinced child care benefits are the right solution for your organization, ask if you can at least start by coordinating a support network for working parents, or new moms, within your organization. This is a great opportunity for people to learn about parenting topics, share best practices, and discuss needs in a safe environment. HR even benefits by sponsoring such a group through employee engagement. This is a no-cost solution and could be a great first step to building a community of employees to showcase the need for enhanced work-life management benefits within your organization.