Municipalities Are Employers Too
Municipalities, like private businesses, play a vital role as employers in their communities and must recognize the importance of supporting working families within their own workforce. Just as private employers are increasingly adopting family-friendly policies to ensure access to affordable, dependable child care, municipalities can lead by example by offering child care support and benefits to their employees. This not only helps working parents but also strengthens employee retention, productivity, and satisfaction. By exploring the resources available in the Employer Roadmap, municipal leaders can implement innovative, family-centered policies that support their workforce. Municipalities should take steps to advocate for better child care benefits for their employees, ensuring they create a thriving work environment that prioritizes the needs of working families.
Tools & Resources
Employee Assistance Programs and Employer Resources Networks
Partners
Next Steps: What Municipal Leadership Can Do
Review the Employer Roadmap Explore Pulse’s Employer Roadmap to identify specific child care benefits, such as child care stipends, on-site care, or partnerships with local providers, that municipalities can integrate into their employee benefit offerings.
Conduct a Workforce Survey Assess the child care needs of municipal employees through surveys or focus groups. Use the findings to guide policy changes that support working parents, such as flexible work schedules, subsidies, or direct child care services.
Advocate for Family-Friendly Policies Advocate for local and state-level support to enhance municipal employee benefits, including child care support, by joining initiatives like Michigan’s Tri-Share Program. This advocacy can position municipal leaders as champions for family-centered workforce policies.
Leverage Cross-Sector Collaboration Partner with local chambers of commerce, workforce development boards, and state economic development agencies to coordinate efforts for child care access and affordability, while supporting both public and private sector workers.
Provide Child Care Awareness Training Train human resource staff and municipal managers to better understand and implement child care benefits. Highlight how these offerings can increase employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity, making municipalities more attractive as employers.
