LAKE OSWEGO, ORE. — March 31, 2023 —KinderCare Learning Companies—the nation’s largest early education and childcare provider—is proud to announce it received Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award for the seventh consecutive year. KinderCare remains the first and only early childhood education provider recognized with this award, and one of just four companies worldwide—across all sectors—to receive the distinction seven years in a row. This award, given by Gallup, recognizes organizations for their ability to build engaged workplace where employees thrive and drive business outcomes.

“All of us at KinderCare are honored to receive recognition for our commitment to engagement among our employees and our families,” said Paul Thompson, President of KinderCare Learning Companies. “We know we’re providing an essential benefit to working families. The pride we take in having an engaging environment is a critical part of how every single employee, from our teachers to our field leaders and National Support Center teams, are able to come together to create a connected and inclusive experience for the families we serve.”

KinderCare employs more than 38,000 teachers and staff who provide early childhood education and care at more than 2,000 early learning centers and sites across the country. KinderCare provides all employees with competitive benefits, including a child care tuition benefit, and gauges family and employee engagement annually to help ensure we’re continuing to support our communities and employees in the best possible ways.

After another year of unpredictability in the workplace, Gallup found that KinderCare continued to put their employees’ engagement at the center of their business strategy, embedding engagement into their very culture.

According to Gallup, only 20 percent of employees worldwide are engaged in the company they work for – committed to their work and connected to their workplace – and just 32 percent of employees in the U.S. are engaged. Gallup research found highly engaged workers result in fewer negative outcomes and greater success for organizations. Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award (GEWA) winners have 14 engaged employees for every one actively disengaged employee. Similarly, KinderCare has an employee engagement ratio that’s nearly seven times the rate in the U.S. and just over 13 times the global rate.

“Gallup’s 2023 GEWA winners proved that even during some of the most challenging times, strong cultures are resilient and find new ways to get work done and meet customer needs. These organizations continued to make employee engagement a central cultural priority as part of their business strategy, and they maintained record levels of employee engagement while achieving or exceeding their business goals,” said Jim Harter, Gallup’s chief scientist of workplace management and wellbeing.

GEWA winners’ ratio of engaged employees to actively disengaged employees is 16 times higher than the international average. Worldwide, only 21% of employees are engaged — that is, committed to their work and connected to their workplace — and just 32% of employees in the U.S. workforce are engaged. 72% of employees at winning GEWA organizations are engaged.

For a complete list of GEWA winners and more about the selection process, visit the winners’ page.

About KinderCare Learning Companies®

A leading provider early childhood and school-age education and care, KinderCare builds confidence for life in children and families from all backgrounds. KinderCare supports hardworking families in 40 states and the District of Columbia with differentiated flexible child care solutions to meet today’s dynamic work environment:

• In neighborhoods, with KinderCare® Learning Centers that offer early learning programs for children six weeks to 12 years old and with Crème de la Crème®, which offers a premium early education model using a variety of themed classrooms,
• For work, wherever employees work, offering customized employer-supported child care benefits at more locations than any other provider, and
• In local schools, with Champions® before and after-school programs.

KinderCare programs meet the highest standards, validated by independent, third-party evaluation including:

• Gallup, measuring workforce engagement,
• National Association for the Education of Young Children, ensuring individual early learning center quality,
• Cognia, accreditation for before- and after-school programs
• BRIGANCE® and TerraNova® assessments of children’s academic progress and achievement, and
• WELL Health-Safety Rating™, validating health and safety practices in our facilities.

Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, KinderCare operates more than 2,000 early learning centers and sites. In 2023, KinderCare earned its seventh Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award – one of only four organizations worldwide to achieve this milestone for seven consecutive years. To learn more, visit KC-Learning.com.

About Gallup

Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.

###