Economic Navigator: The Impact of Family-Supportive Solutions for Your Employees, and the Introduction of Best Place for Working Parents
Published February 13, 2025
Bringing innovative solutions and resources to help businesses better support their working parent employees is key to supporting our workforce, and aids in the recruitment and retention of talent.
Over 25% of parents with children under the age of five in Georgia report quitting, rejecting new offers, or making concessions in their careers due to problems accessing child and family care. This results in over $1.75 billion in lost economic activity¹ and hurts the healthy churn and retention of quality talent for Georgia’s employers.
Sixty-six percent of women who report having access to flexibility in the workplace to care for family members plan to stay with their employers for more than three years, and 83% of millennials will leave their job in favor of an employer with stronger family support². Family support is not one size fits all. Employers may offer salary or wage compensation, while others look to making shift changes to better accommodate school or day care schedules or offer solutions to better facilitate work coverage.
Explore funding sources for early childhood education providers: The expiration of the American Rescue Plan funds directed to early childcare highlighted the high costs associated with providing childcare services. Increasing funding for existing state support services like Child and Parent Services (CAPS), establishing a childcare trust fund, and other innovative options for childcare financial support would create stability for Georgia’s childcare providers and expand access.
Expand career pathways for early childhood educations: Strengthening the early childhood education workforce is essential for improving the quality of care and accessibility of childcare services in Georgia. Businesses can evaluate the feasibility of increased compensation, access to childcare services for providers, and evaluate state-level solutions.
Consider options for reducing costs of childcare for families: Georgia offers a tax credit for employers who provide or sponsor childcare for employees, but states around the country continue to innovate new policies to reduce and distribute costs. States such as Michigan and North Carolina have started tri-share programs, where the cost of childcare is shared equally among the employer, employee and the state.
Best Place for Working Parents has awarded designations to over 600 companies across the U.S. making an impact for their employees. The Georgia Chamber is proud to partner with GEEARS to bring this initiative to Georgia and honor the Georgia employers that embrace family-family practices. By participating in the survey, employers can earn a badge of honor to display that notes their commitment to working and healthy families. To find out more, please visit Best Place for Working Parents - Georgia
²Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) (January 27, 2025) “Introducing the Best Place for Working Parents Designation”
The Georgia Chamber Foundation dedicates itself to producing in-depth economic analyses and actionable insights for Georgia’s businesses. Our mission is to develop policy, equip businesses, and foster economic development across the state, ensuring a prosperous future for all Georgians.
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