(The Center Square)– Maricopa County will soon offer on-site child care for its employees in downtown Phoenix.
A child care facility near several of the county office buildings will be operated by KinderCare Education at Work with the goal of eventually being a 24/7 facility known as MCKids Club.
“Finding reliable and affordable childcare remains one of the biggest barriers to employment, particularly for women,” County Manager Jen Pokorski said in a statement. “This facility will help numerous Maricopa County families balance work and family responsibilities more effectively.”
The contract comes at a cost of $13.47 million with the child care company, and it was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday. The contract will cover “operational costs” from March 2025 to February 2029 for the center on West Madison Street, but the contract will be effective Nov. 1.
“This funding shows Maricopa County’s commitment to supporting county employees and their families,” Board of Supervisors Chairman Clint Hickman said in a statement. “This resource is just one of the many benefits the county offers to attract and retain a qualified workforce in the long term.”
On-site child care, or child care offered close to an office, is only offered by a small percentage of companies, but it’s growing in popularity, the Wall Street Journal reported in March. The Best Place for Working Parents National Trend report from fall 2022, onsite child care was the “least implemented” family-related policy at the accredited organizations they analyzed.
Since remote work, many parents are now working remotely, but plenty of workers have also returned to working in an office, complicating child care situations for many families.
