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Get the Resources & Tools to Support Working Families and Strengthen Your Business

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Resources to Help Employers Support Working Families

Tools, templates, guides, and examples for supporting working families - from flexible scheduling to employer-sponsored care.

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Calculator: Economic Impact to Individual Businesses

The Economic Impact Calculator is based on PA labor statistics and was created to help your business estimate financial losses due to your workforces' lack of adequate child care.

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Companies Seek to Boost Low Usage of Employee Assistance Programs

Employee Assistance Programs offer counseling, mental health support, legal and financial guidance, and child care referrals. This resource explains why EAP usage stays low and how employers can modernize programs to better support stressed, overwhelmed workers.

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Creative Child Care Solutions: Technical Assistance to Get Started

Creative Child Care Solutions helps employers identify and address the child care needs of their employees. As a leader in Pennsylvania's early childhood education field, Creative Child Care Solutions recognizes that businesses and organizations are consistently looking for ways to attract and retain qualified staff.

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Economic Impact Calculator

This free PA Economic Impact Calculator helps businesses estimate financial losses tied to employees' lack of reliable child care. Replace pre-loaded state averages with your own data to see how child care gaps affect absenteeism, productivity, hiring, and retention.

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Employee Assistance Programs Underutilized by Employees

EAPs can reduce stress, depression, and workplace issues, yet many employees don't use them. Learn why misconceptions, stigma, and poor communication limit participation—and what employers can do to build trust and boost awareness.

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Case Study

Employer Case Studies

These examples explore successful initiatives, created with available resources in the Business Toolkit, that were custom-crafted to meet local child care needs for communities and workforces. Use these as a model to inspire your own approach and explore practical solutions that will benefit your business.

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File

Employer Options: What Can My Business Do To Support Working Families and Child Care?

Explore a full menu of child-care support strategies employers can offer, including FSAs, subsidies, flexible schedules, EAPs, contracted slots, backup care, and partnerships with local providers. A quick guide to building family-friendly workplaces.

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Employer Roadmap: Childcare Solutions for Working Parents

This resource gives executives a clear path to address child-care needs in their workforce. It explains options for supporting parents, offers guidance for nontraditional schedules, and shows how to move from ideas to action.

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Executive Briefing: Essential Care for Essential Workers

Many employers want to support frontline workers with childcare but aren't sure where to start. This briefing explains the landscape, key considerations for leaders, and actionable steps to help working parents succeed.

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Flexible Benefits in the Workplace

This factsheet explains cafeteria benefits, flexible spending accounts, and dependent care FSAs—how they work, who has access, and how pre-tax contributions can help employees lower costs for health care and child or elder care.

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Blog

Flexible Scheduling: Employer Guide to Offering This Family-Friendly Work Perk

Flexible scheduling isn't just a family-friendly perk. It's a business strategy. Learn how offering flexible work hours can help employers boost retention, improve productivity, and strengthen trust across their workforce.

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Guide to Quality Early Childhood Education in PA

Pennsylvania's early childhood education system can be confusing to families and employers. The Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission created a one-page guide to help define and clarify key services and agencies.

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Article

How Child Care Impacts an Employee's Budget

Understanding how child care costs factor in to your employees' household budget and other expenses, can help you to better understand the wage level and benefits that would allow them to support their family's needs.

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How Early Care and Education Intersects with the CRA

This guide shows how child care and the Community Reinvestment Act intersect. Learn why ECE is considered community development, how banks can invest in child care, and how stronger child care systems benefit families and local economies.

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How to Offer an Employee Assistance Program for Small Business

Learn what an Employee Assistance Program is, how it supports workers facing personal or family challenges, and how small businesses can choose the right provider. This guide walks employers through setup, benefits, and ways to promote EAP use.

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How to Open a Child Care Facility

This toolkit from the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning is for people who are considering opening a child care facility. It offers guidance from start to certified completion.

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Managing Flexible Work Arrangements

Learn how employers can implement flexible work arrangements that support productivity and employee well-being. This resource outlines best practices, policy considerations, and strategies to help workers balance job demands with caregiving needs.

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Moms First - The Employee Benefits that Pays for Itself

Discover how child care benefits boost retention, reduce absences, and deliver up to 425% ROI. This report highlights real employers proving that supporting working parents strengthens culture, productivity, and the bottom line.

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External Link

National Cooperative Business Association

This national association strengthens cooperative businesses that support community wellbeing and economic growth. Learn how co-ops improve access to essential services, empower members, and create more resilient local systems.

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Blog

Offering Backup Child Care for Your Employees: The Complete Guide

When child care falls through, who catches your employees? Child care breakdowns are one of the leading causes of absenteeism among working parents. For employers committed to supporting their workforce and staying competitive in today's labor market, backup child care is a strategic investment.

Blog

PA ELIC and PA Chamber Release New Report: Employing and Engaging Families with Young Children

The Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission (PA ELIC) and the PA Chamber of Business & Industry have once again teamed up to collect information on the impact of child care issues on Pennsylvania businesses and its workforce to release a new report.

Blog

Paid Parental Leave: How Small Businesses Can Afford to Support Working Parents

Discover how small businesses in PA can afford paid parental leave using smart strategies and tax credits. Support your team - start building your policy today!

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ReadyNation: The Child Care Crisis Costs the U.S. Economy $172 Billion Each Year (2026 Report)

File

Sample Employee Needs Survey

As you consider what kind of child care support to offer, a key first step is understanding your employees' needs. That's why we've provided a sample survey for you to share with your employees to determine what kind of support would be most beneficial to them.

Download
External Link

Set Up for Success: Fair Schedules are Critical for Working Parents and Their Children's Well-Being

This resource shows how unpredictable, low-wage work schedules make it harder for parents to secure child care and support their children's well-being. Learn how fair scheduling practices can reduce stress, stabilize income, and improve outcomes for families.

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Article

Small Business Strategies

Small businesses can make a big difference simply by understanding what resources exist for their working families with young children and making that information readily available.

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U.S. Chamber "Employer Roadmap"

This roadmap from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation helps senior leaders and business owners learn their options for supporting working parents with their child care needs. It is also intended to help leaders understand what to expect when embarking on this journey and how to take action.

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External Link

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's step-by-step quick guide for offering vouchers or subsidies.

Explore the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's practical roadmap for employers looking to support working families through child care vouchers or subsidies. This guide walks you step-by-step through what to offer, how to launch a program, and the business benefits you can expect along the way.

View
External Link

Why Making Parents' Work Schedules More Predictable Could Benefit Kids

Unpredictable retail and food service schedules—on-call shifts and last-minute changes—leave parents scrambling for child care. This study shows how unstable work hours lead to lower-quality arrangements and why schedule stability benefits kids.

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Data & Reports to Demonstrate ROI

See the numbers. Understand the costs of inaction and benefits of investing in child care.

External Link

Employee Assistance Programs Underutilized by Employees

EAPs can reduce stress, depression, and workplace issues, yet many employees don't use them. Learn why misconceptions, stigma, and poor communication limit participation—and what employers can do to build trust and boost awareness.

View
External Link

Executive Briefing: Essential Care for Essential Workers

Many employers want to support frontline workers with childcare but aren't sure where to start. This briefing explains the landscape, key considerations for leaders, and actionable steps to help working parents succeed.

View
External Link

Flexible Benefits in the Workplace

This factsheet explains cafeteria benefits, flexible spending accounts, and dependent care FSAs—how they work, who has access, and how pre-tax contributions can help employees lower costs for health care and child or elder care.

View
External Link

Why Making Parents' Work Schedules More Predictable Could Benefit Kids

Unpredictable retail and food service schedules—on-call shifts and last-minute changes—leave parents scrambling for child care. This study shows how unstable work hours lead to lower-quality arrangements and why schedule stability benefits kids.

View

Resources to Share with Your Workforce

Help employees access care, benefits, and local services that make work and family life easier.

External Link

Guide to Quality Early Childhood Education in PA

Pennsylvania's early childhood education system can be confusing to families and employers. The Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission created a one-page guide to help define and clarify key services and agencies.

Download

Tools and Calculators to Guide Your Next Step

Understand what working families need and how your business can respond, with hands-on resources like surveys and cost calculators.

External Link

Calculator: Economic Impact to Individual Businesses

The Economic Impact Calculator is based on PA labor statistics and was created to help your business estimate financial losses due to your workforces' lack of adequate child care.

Read More
External Link

Economic Impact Calculator

This free PA Economic Impact Calculator helps businesses estimate financial losses tied to employees' lack of reliable child care. Replace pre-loaded state averages with your own data to see how child care gaps affect absenteeism, productivity, hiring, and retention.

Read More
File

Sample Employee Needs Survey

As you consider what kind of child care support to offer, a key first step is understanding your employees' needs. That's why we've provided a sample survey for you to share with your employees to determine what kind of support would be most beneficial to them.

Download
External Link

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's step-by-step quick guide for offering vouchers or subsidies.

Explore the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's practical roadmap for employers looking to support working families through child care vouchers or subsidies. This guide walks you step-by-step through what to offer, how to launch a program, and the business benefits you can expect along the way.

View

Policy & Advocacy Briefs to Inform Your Voice

Stay informed on current legislation, programs, and how your voice can help shape policy and make a difference.

External Link

How Early Care and Education Intersects with the CRA

This guide shows how child care and the Community Reinvestment Act intersect. Learn why ECE is considered community development, how banks can invest in child care, and how stronger child care systems benefit families and local economies.

View
External Link

National Cooperative Business Association

This national association strengthens cooperative businesses that support community wellbeing and economic growth. Learn how co-ops improve access to essential services, empower members, and create more resilient local systems.

View
External Link

Set Up for Success: Fair Schedules are Critical for Working Parents and Their Children's Well-Being

This resource shows how unpredictable, low-wage work schedules make it harder for parents to secure child care and support their children's well-being. Learn how fair scheduling practices can reduce stress, stabilize income, and improve outcomes for families.

View

More Ways to Learn & Take Action

Discover What Works: Employer Case Studies

Discover What Works: Employer Case Studies

Keystone Scholars: PA Treasury Funds Early Scholarship Accounts for all PA children

With the launch of Keystone Scholars in 2019, Pennsylvania became the first state in the nation to enact legislation that provides a universal, automatic, at-birth deposit of $100 into scholarship accounts for EVERY child born to Pennsylvania residents...

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Erie County Investing in Families Phase I—Educator Retention Awards

By investing in educator retention awards, Erie County is stabilizing the child care workforce, reducing teacher attrition, and expanding access to quality early learning for working families across the region.

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Catherine Hershey Schools
for Early Learning

With 72% of eligible young children in Pennsylvania not receiving subsidized care, Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning stepped in to meet the urgent need for accessible, high-quality early care.

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Dig Into the Blog for Fresh Insights

Dig Into the Blog for Fresh Insights

What Is an Employee Assistance Program? An Employer's Guide to EAP Benefits, Costs, and Use

This guide explains what an employee assistance program is, how EAP programs work, what they cover, and how employers can use them more effectively.

Read More

Flexible Scheduling: Employer Guide to Offering This Family-Friendly Work Perk

Flexible scheduling isn't just a family-friendly perk. It's a business strategy. Learn how offering flexible work hours can help employers boost retention, improve productivity, and strengthen trust across their workforce.

Read More

Offering Backup Child Care for Your Employees: The Complete Guide

When child care falls through, who catches your employees? Child care breakdowns are one of the leading causes of absenteeism among working parents. For employers committed to supporting their workforce and staying competitive in today's labor market, backup child care is a strategic investment.

Read More
View All

Turn Insight Into Action

Explore the Employer Toolkit for step-by-step strategies, real examples, and tools that help businesses better support working families and child care.

View the Employer Toolkit