These 20 Companies Help Employees With Child Care
Whether you put in full- or part-time hours, it’s difficult to be a parent who works outside the home.
Add the stress of finding — and paying for — reliable child care to accommodate your work schedule, and it can be absolutely soul-sucking.
The Penny Hoarder surveyed 2,000 parents in 2021 about the cost of child care, and about two-thirds of respondents said they’d consider switching jobs to work for a company that provides child care assistance as an employee benefit.
Stringent daycare regulations and expensive overhead costs make free on-site child care a no-go for most companies, but there are some businesses that realize the key to happy employees is helping them find work-life balance through the magic of child care benefits.
20 Companies With Child Care Benefits
- Clif Bar & Company
- Aflac
- Goldman Sachs
- Publix
- Citi
- SAS Institute
- Intuit
- General Mills
- The Summit Center
- Intel
- Patagonia
- Bank of America
- Microsoft
- USAA
- Carnival
- Best Buy
- Home Depot
- Johnson & Johnson
- Disney
These 20 companies get it right when it comes to helping employees with child care — and there’s one bonus because, well, fur babies.
1. Clif Bar & Company
Clif Base Camp is an aptly-named, on-site child care center for the company that sells organic foods and drinks aimed at athletes. The center is run by the child care chain KinderCare and is also open to employees who work for LeapFrog and other businesses housed in the EmeryTech business center in Emeryville, California.
2. Aflac
The insurance company that’s fond of ducks also is committed to family care programs, including on-site child care at its headquarters in Columbus, Georgia, or day care subsidies to employees at other offices.
3. Goldman Sachs
The investment banking company Goldman Sachs opened its first on-site child care center for employees at its New York headquarters in 1993. Since then, the company has opened on-site child care centers at its London, Jersey City, Tokyo, Bengaluru and Salt Lake City offices.
4. Publix
This Florida-based grocery store empire shows its commitment to supporting working families by providing on-site child care at its headquarters in Lakeland, Florida, where parents can take time each day to pop into the center and have lunch with their kids.
5. Citi
Although this financial institution doesn’t provide full-time, on-site child care, it knows unexpected situations come up. The bank offers backup child care at participating Bright Horizons child care centers. The company also offers tuition discounts for full-time care at Bright Horizons sites across the country and assistance with finding a babysitter or nanny.
6. SAS Institute
Eligible employees at this software company’s North Carolina headquarters can take advantage of subsidized on-site child care, backup care services and even an on-site summer camp program.
7. Intuit
This personal finance software organization’s employees have a couple of options when it comes to child care. Intuit offers backup care for last-minute needs, discounts for ongoing child care, resources to help employees find babysitters or nannies and flexible spending accounts to cover expenses with tax-free dollars.
8. General Mills
This food company is about more than breakfast cereal and ice cream. Its headquarters in Golden Valley, Minnesota, offers an on-site infant care center for babies from 6 weeks to 16 months old. The center is run by the child care chain Bright Horizons.
9. The Summit Center
One of the largest human service organizations in western New York, this nonprofit takes child care seriously by offering on-site child care at its main office in Getzville, New York.
10. Intel
This tech company partners with local child care centers to give employees tuition discounts and priority slots at nearby child care centers. It also offers backup care and flexible hours for working parents.
11. Patagonia
This outdoor clothing company has offered on-site child care at its headquarters in Ventura, California, since 1983. It also provides on-site child care at its Reno, Nevada, distribution center.
12. Bank of America
Bank of America puts its money where its mouth is when showing support of its employees who are juggling child care responsibilities. The bank reimburses eligible employees up to $275 each month to offset child care expenses. The company also provides 50 days of backup child care and offers a referral program for parents to find child care in their area.
13. Microsoft
Microsoft has several solutions for parents needing care for their kids. The company offers subsidized and discounted full-time child care, backup child care and flexible schedules.
14. USAA
This insurance and banking company serving the military community has an on-site child care center at its headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. The center is run by Bright Horizons and serves infants through pre-K students. The company also operates child care centers near its offices in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Tampa, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona. Other employees can benefit from priority access to participating child care centers nationwide.
15. Carnival
It’s no surprise employees at this cruise ship company are on board with its child care benefits. The company provides full-time child care at its Miami headquarters for parents of newborns to pre-K kids. It also offers backup care and a summer camp option.
16. Google
Silicon Valley tech giants are known for their lucrative perks, and Google is no exception. The company offers on-site child care and backup care services for its employees in Mountain View, California.
17. Best Buy
The electronics retailer provides several benefits to support working parents. Eligible employees receive 10 backup child care days per year, with each visit only costing $10. The company provides discounts for full-time child care, before- and after-school programs and tutoring. Best Buy also partners with Wellthy for caregiving advocacy and support.
18. Home Depot
The home improvement retail company offers backup care when a regular child care is unavailable as well as resources for employees to find babysitters, pet sitters and housekeepers. Home Depot also offers discounts on tutors, help with college prep and more.
19. Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson provides child care centers at six of its locations in the United States as well as at many of its sites outside the U.S. The company also offers employees discounts for child care in multiple countries.
20. Disney
The Walt Disney Company provides benefits to parents working at its Florida and California facilities. Employees at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando have access to affordable, on-site child care operated by the Central Florida YMCA. At Disneyland Resort, eligible employees with children 12 and under can receive support with child care costs.
Bonus: Purina
Pet parents need support too! Employees at this pet food company can take their furbaby to work every single day. It’s perfectly fine if they spend the entire day napping under your desk, quite unlike a human kid.
Nicole Dow is a former senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Lisa McGreevy, Kent McDill, Hayley Gonzalez and other Penny Hoarder staff contributed to this post.
