The idea of employer-sponsored childcare is a new one in the U.S but is rapidly catching on. Employers are discovering the benefits of sponsoring or subsidizing childcare, in the form of reduced absenteeism, higher productivity and overall better employee retention rates. The benefits for employees and their children are many: an early learning center for children is a safe place where parents can leave their children in the confidence that both their bodies and minds will be nourished.

Why corporate childcare helps both parents and employers

Safe and affordable childcare ranks among the highest concerns of parents. The costs of childcare in the U.S. can be very high, and around 90% of this financial burden falls on parents. Rent is usually considered the biggest expense to be paid out of any paycheck but is being outstripped by childcare. Childcare costs for two children now exceed median rent payments in every state in the U.S., according to a report by Child Care Aware of America.

Recognizing this, employers will help subsidize the costs of child care services. And employers with onsite childcare find that it improves productivity, reduces absenteeism and helps in employee retention. Companies with childcare resources are increasingly being seen as preferred places to work, and of the “Top 100 Companies for Working Mothers” listed in Working Mothers magazine, more than 80 offer some form of corporate child care for employees. Providing corporate childcare solutions also makes a company more attractive to potential employees.

Early childhood centers nurture curiosity and creativity

Of the many kinds of childcare options available, an early learning center for children combines safety and nurturing with an educational environment that challenges and satisfies a child’s curiosity and creativity. Children are not only intensely curious about the world around them, they are also literally hard wired to learn. Three year olds have around 1,000 trillion connections between the cells in their brain, which is double the number in the average adult brain.

An early childhood center with National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation is one of the best possible environments for young children. With parents and employers discovering a convergence of interests in quality childcare, early learning centers are increasingly in demand.