50 Profitable Strategies for Employers

In Kansas we have almost 250,000 children under the age of six in child care every week. Dependable,
productive, committed employees are good for business. A commitment to supporting the child care
needs of employees can improve their workplace effectiveness and serve as a recruitment tool to attract
skilled workers. This is a list of 50 profitable strategies businesses can use to support employees with
children.

1. Seminars on more effective parenting
2. Seminars on choosing child care and what makes a quality program
3. Contracted services for locating child care through a resource and referral agency
4. Job sharing
5. Telecommuting
6. Compressed work schedules
7. Flexible work hours
8. Allow employees to shift from full‐ to part‐time and back, maintaining their position
9. Allow employees to periodically work at home
10. Extended, paid parental leave
11. Slow phase‐back into work after parental leave
12. Lactation room and/or lactation consultants for nursing mothers
13. Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAPS) – offer them and promote them
14. Employer match of employees’ DCAP deductions
15. Vouchers for a portion of child care costs
16. Reimbursement of a portion of child care costs
17. Paid, reserved spaces in child care facilities
18. Discounted fees at child care facilities
19. Subsidized care for mildly ill children
20. Subsidized back‐up care for employees’ child care emergencies
21. Subsidized summer programs for school age children
22. On‐site or near‐site child care centers
23. Networks of quality‐enhanced family child care homes
24. Scholarship funds for child care professionals’ college coursework
25. Capital investment for expansion of child care centers to serve more children
26. Pay accreditation fees for child care programs
27. Equipment for or renovations to child care programs seeking accreditation
28. Contracted initiative to increase supply of child care by age‐ or geographic‐target
29. Regular paid time off to volunteer at child care program or school
30. On‐site medical clinic services or health consultation
31. Child development consultant services by phone or on‐site
32. Contribute to public‐private partnership child care investment fund
33. Low or no‐interest loans to child care programs or contribute to a loan fund
34. Participate in a state or local child care business commission
35. Work with local government to remove planning and zoning obstacles to child care
36. On‐site public school, especially a charter school
37. Subsidize tutoring programs for school‐age children
38. Subsidize youth recreation programs for middle‐school and high‐school children
39. Form a consortium with other business to provide child care benefits
40. Form a consortium of small businesses to subsidize near‐site child care for all
41. Printed information on parenting and choosing child care
42. Resource fair of family support programs
43. Donate portion of paid lobbyist’s time to early childhood legislative issues
44. Provide coupons for children’s products, such as diapers and formula
45. Ensure that health insurance covers immunizations
46. “Advertise” the earned income tax credit to low‐wage employees
47. Form a consortium of small businesses to provide health insurance
48. Serve on local planning board to coordinate and improve early childhood services
49. Adopt employees’ child care programs and donate repairs and consumable materials
50. Subsidize substitute costs for employees’ child care programs

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