For working parents of
Matt Phillips, AT&T's AVP of benefits, knew summer care was a concern following feedback from
"We're doing surveys, especially early on, to see what's working and what we might need to tweak," he says. "Satisfaction was really great even on the first day — it was 96%. Digging into that 4%, we heard it would be great if it started earlier, so we moved the start time 15 minutes earlier. Now you can drop kids off as early as 7:45, which has been really helpful."
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So far, around 380 employees have utilized the camp for more than 560 children, and average daily attendance has increased from 52 campers for the first five weeks to 67. To keep costs low, the camp is linked to AT&T's 10-day backup care benefit, allowing parents to enroll one child for $15 per day or $25 for multiple children. If they use all 10 days, the cost becomes $99 per day. The camp has helped spread awareness and usage of child care offerings not only for Dallas employees, but those in AT&T locations nationwide.
"It is building more awareness for our backup care program in general, and you can use summer camps in other parts of the country as well," says Phillips. "We've had employees in other hub cities say, 'What about us,' and it's been really nice to be able to say, 'Well, actually, Steve and Kate has camps all over the country. You can use your backup care days for those too.'"
4 kids, one summer solution
For lead benefits consultant and father of five Levin Gunter, the camp has been a great resource for four of his children ranging from elementary to middle-school age.
"We leverage our school system a lot between the months of August and May, when they're in school, but once they are out, those summer months get pretty hectic in our household," Gunter says. "You want them to have something good to do with their time, and something that they can walk away from a little bit better, smarter and more creative than where they started. Two weeks of our summer were settled because of this benefit, and it was more attainable than other summer camps financially and convenience-wise."
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During the day, children can participate in a variety of activities including cooking, sewing, reading, art projects, games and more. The camp also hosts animal education days, bringing in everything from snakes to kangaroos that the kids can interact with. There are weekly field trips, and parents are invited to check their children out for lunch at the campus buffet on Fridays.
"There was a field trip where they were able to go do a low ropes course and some archery, which they really enjoyed," Gunter says. "They had animals coming into the center weekly; it was very novel, and at the same time, super fun to know that my kids are up close and personal with all these wild creatures that generally you can't get close to beyond the enclosures at the zoo. For the two weeks that they were at summer camp, it was wonderful and they were thoroughly engaged, from the five-year-old up to the 12-year-old."
One of the main goals when designing the summer care option was flexibility. Parents can book as late as the day before as long as there is availability, and can sign up for any number of days or weeks that they need. It has also become a way of instantly connecting with colleagues and gaining time back for other family priorities, Gunter says.
"The convenience can't be overstated," he says. "Does it save time? Yes, absolutely. Does it bring peace of mind? For sure. In fact, my wife looked at the two weeks that I had the kids going to work with me, and she used it as an opportunity to go visit her parents — a trip that otherwise she wouldn't have been able to take. It's a godsend to really have this camp being on site, to be so available and so high quality. We felt good about everything that the camp has done, again, from the activities to the personnel that we've met, and the kids, when you ask them what's been your favorite thing this summer so far, it's been AT&T camp."
Phillips, whose 11-year-old son has also attended the camp, echoes Gunter's sentiments.
"It's not just, are my kids cared for so that I can work," he says. "You've got peace of mind, and it's just really fun, not only for the kids, but it's also for the parents."
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A holistic family benefits suite
The summer camp is part of a large group of family-friendly offerings available to AT&T employees. From fertility benefits to doula assistance to 12 weeks of parental leave and 15 days of caregiver leave, parents have many employer-sponsored options when it comes to caring for their children.
"Family-building and family or dependent care benefits are probably what we hear the best feedback about from our employees, and this summer camp is another layer," Phillips says. "When you meet the needs of employees in a really fun way that the kids love, you're going to get really great reviews. It's been a huge win."
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