The Washington Post reports that Starbucks will begin subsidizing child care for its US employees.
According to the story, “The new benefit, a partnership with child care provider Care.com Inc., will provide 10 subsidized backup day care days for parents for instances when regular care falls through. In-home backup child care will cost $1 an hour or $2 an hour after the 4th child. Care at a day care center will cost $5 per day … Unlike some of Starbucks's other benefits, which require employees to work 20 hours before they can access them, Care@Work is available to more than 180,000 U.S. employees, regardless of how much they work.”
According to the story, “The new benefit, a partnership with child care provider Care.com Inc., will provide 10 subsidized backup day care days for parents for instances when regular care falls through. In-home backup child care will cost $1 an hour or $2 an hour after the 4th child. Care at a day care center will cost $5 per day … Unlike some of Starbucks's other benefits, which require employees to work 20 hours before they can access them, Care@Work is available to more than 180,000 U.S. employees, regardless of how much they work.”
- KC's View:
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This move comes shortly after Starbucks improved its parental leave policies, and as Starbucks - like every retailer - is engaged in an ongoing battle for employees at a time when unemployment is low and demand is high. It’s the kind of thing that companies have to do if they want to be employers of choice.
