Initiating an Employee Childcare Program

As childcare options grow increasingly expensive and scarce throughout the U.S., school districts are losing teachers who stay at home with their young children due to a lack of affordable childcare options. In response, some districts have begun providing district-run childcare services for their employees’ children. All profiled districts report their employee childcare centers have improved teacher recruitment and retention efforts.

This brief describes how profiled districts took their employee childcare programs from an idea to fully operational. The report includes implementation challenges, effective solutions, and future innovations for employee childcare programs.

View employee childcare programs as an employee benefit, rather than a moneymaking venture

While all profiled districts charge tuition for their childcare programs, districts also work to keep those prices as low as possible for employees because they view their programs as an employee benefit. Contacts at District C reveal they aim to break even on their childcare program, and contacts at District D work to ensure their childcare tuition is lower than other local options. Contacts at two profiled districts, District A and District B, report that they are willing to run their childcare programs at a deficit to provide a low-cost service to employees.

Distribute surveys to gauge employee interest, estimate potential childcare size, and obtain stakeholder buy-in

Contacts at two profiled districts, District A and District B report sending surveys to better understand employee interest in a potential district-run childcare center. District A sent both a preliminary survey to determine general interest and a follow-up survey to obtain more specific information about the number and ages of employees’ children.

District B began its childcare program with 3- and 4-year-old children before later expanding to accept infants and toddlers. As such, their initial survey inquired about employee children ages 3 and 4. Additionally, these surveys allowed contacts at District A to demonstrate childcare demand to important district stakeholders, which ultimately helped them gain approval for the project.

Hire an experienced childcare director to lead the project and manage regulatory hurdles

Three of the four profiled districts had access to a childcare expert when establishing their employee childcare program, which allowed them to better understand and comply with necessary regulations. Both District B and District D had connections to childcare licensing experts to aid them when establishing their childcare programs. District A had no connection and instead hired an experienced childcare director early in their planning process. Not only was this childcare director aware of state regulations, but they were also able to assist in other aspects of the planning process, such as creating a budget.

Unlike other profiled districts, District C hired an internal candidate as their childcare director. This internal candidate did not have the typical training or expertise of an outside childcare director. Contacts at District C suggested that if they were to open a childcare center for the first time again, they would hire an experienced outside childcare director instead of promoting internally.

Prepare to overstaff to meet strict staff-to-child ratios

Contacts at two profiled districts explained that strict state regulations on staff-to-child ratios, coupled with specific childcare staff training requirements make it difficult to run a childcare center with the minimum number of staff.

Contacts at District D note that, unlike other parts of the district, the training requirements for childcare staff mean that directors cannot pull untrained workers to fill in for absent childcare workers. In turn, contacts at District A report this means that childcare centers must always be slightly overstaffed to ensure continued operation in the event of worker absence.

Download the Full Report