New report from KinderCare shows parents are driving the Great Renegotiation; more than 50 percent say they would stay in their current jobs if their employer offered child care benefits

Lake Oswego, Ore. (June 2, 2022) – Workforce turnover and worries over the Great Resignation have captured headlines, but a new report shows that the real focus should be on the Great Renegotiation. Working parents are re-imagining what their careers look like and asking more from their employers, according to the latest Parent Confidence Report released by KinderCare Learning Companies^®. The report shows that 40 percent of parents are open to or actively seeking new jobs, and over half would stay in their current jobs if any child care benefits were offered to them. While many employers may think they offer competitive benefits packages, the reality is less than 30 percent of working parents say their company offers child care benefits that meet their needs.

“The Parent Confidence Report tells us that the majority of working parents in this country have redesigned their lives to be more available to their children and consider child care benefits a top priority when making career decisions,” said Dan Figurski, President of KinderCare Education at Work and Champions. “This presents a major opportunity for employers who are focused on attracting and retaining talent, especially in a competitive job market like the one we’re in today. Employer-sponsored child care benefits are one of the most impactful benefits to offer employees moving forward.”

The study also provides a glimpse into the future of work and how hybrid work has impacted working families. As many have had to adapt and adjust their work situation during the last two years, 69 percent of working parents feel they are “able to be more involved in my child's life because my modern work schedule is more flexible”. Sixty-nine percent of working parents also believe that “hybrid work has or will change my child care needs”, with co-working and play centers, multiple locations for child care and on-demand care options being some of their top needs.

“The future of work is happening now. Evolving work styles and dynamic work place environments have increased the need for flexible child care offerings,” said Figurski. “It’s important that employers meet their employees where they are and provide them the reassurance that they can do what’s best for their children and sustain a meaningful career. At KinderCare, we’re helping companies design tailored programs to support working families – whether that’s through on-site child care, subsidized child care, tuition benefits or emergency/back-up childcare – while also increasing part-time care offerings at our community-based centers to allow families the flexibility they need to navigate their changing schedules.”

“By offering affordable, quality child care through KinderCare, we hope to support our employees and their families,” said Andrea Walker Warren, global Work & Life benefits manager at Microsoft. “Employees can use KinderCare Learning Centers in locations that work best for their needs.”

Additional highlights from the 2022 Parent Confidence Report include:

• 81% of parents agree that a company’s childcare benefits are important to the job consideration process
• 60% of working parents said they would stay in their current jobs if they had subsidized child care, yet only 22% of full-time employees said their employer provided this benefit. 60% of parents said on-demand child care would keep them at their current jobs, yet only 25% of full-time workers said they had access to this kind of benefit.
• Over half (55%) would take a pay cut to work for a company that provided quality childcare, and 68% believe that employers should offset the cost of childcare for their employees
• 39% of working parents are open to or actively seeking new jobs, and a majority of working parents have or have considered scaling back their hours at work (74%), taking on less demanding roles (71%) and pursuing freelance jobs (69%) to be more available for their children
• When asked what’s getting in the way of navigating parenting today, 39% of working parents cite “finding quality childcare” and the uncertainty around school/childcare closures
• Working parents prefer employer-provided child care assistance, either through subsidized tuition or in a center, over employers setting "off hours” where parents are unplugged and unreachable

More information about this year’s Parent Confidence Report is available here. The full report is available here.

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About the Parent Confidence Report 2022

The Parent Confidence Report examines confidence levels of parents and the factors that impact them. The first study was conducted in 2019, and this year’s survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of KinderCare from January 14, 2022, to January 22, 2022, among 2,023 parents with children aged 12 and younger representing a national sample. Within the sample, 992 parents with children ages 5 and under and 1,031 parents with children aged 6-12 were also surveyed.  

About KinderCare Learning Companies^®

KinderCare Learning Companies is one of America’s largest providers of early childhood and school-age education and child care. KinderCare supports hardworking families with differentiated flexible child care solutions to meet today’s dynamic work environment in 40 states and the District of Columbia:

• In neighborhoods, with KinderCare® Learning Centers that offer early childhood education and child care for children six weeks to 12 years old;
• At work, through KinderCare Education at Work™, providing customized family benefits for employers across the country, including on-site and near-site early learning centers and back-up care for last-minute child care, and
• In local schools, with Champions® before and after-school programs.

Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, KinderCare operates more than 2,000 early learning centers and sites. In 2022, KinderCare earned its sixth Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award – one of only four companies worldwide to win this award for six consecutive years. To learn more, visit KC-Learning.com.  

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