Chobani recently announced the launch of its partnership with WeeCare, a leading
All U.S. employees, from manufacturing to corporate, will now be eligible to receive backup care credits and a $1,200 annual cash stipend for child care or elder care costs. WeeCare's network of care providers connects employees nationwide with close-to-home options that may meet their needs.
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"After conducting listening sessions with our workforce, we learned that child care was an important need for them," says Shari Eaton, chief people officer at Chobani. "Many were faced with the challenge of finding care that was not only affordable but also high-quality. We were impressed by WeeCare's mission to make child care accessible to all families."
WeeCare's broad network ensures flexibility for those who don't have a typical 9-to-5 schedule. For Chobani, whose workforce is composed primarily of manufacturers, such adaptability is key. With immigrants and refugees making up a sizable percentage of Chobani employees, WeeCare's network — which supports over 30 languages — can also help create a more equitable search for families whose primary language isn't English. Their online platform supports multiple languages, so employees and their caregivers can communicate in their preferred languages.
"The backbone of America doesn't work 9-to-5 jobs," says Jessica Chang, CEO and co-founder of WeeCare. "So one of the key things that we did early on is to build a network of small child care providers across the nation that can service rural areas, suburban areas, urban areas, and that could be located in someone's residential home. That gave us the opportunity to work with Chobani, who was looking for options that catered to areas that traditional child care centers would not be located."
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Since 2017, Chobani has offered fully paid six week parental leave for full-time employees following a birth, adoption or foster care placement, in addition to another 6 weeks with partial pay. Their new benefit package follows a wider trend in expanding family support and parental leave policies. From 2022 to 2023, the number of organizations
Chobani began conversations with WeeCare in early 2023 and plans to have the program fully implemented by the end of the summer. The two hope to remain in steady dialogue in order to address gaps in coverage and ensure continued quality care.
"We hope, once the program is implemented, we can gather beneficial feedback from our employees to share with WeeCare to help strengthen their network and adjust our partnership to better address the needs of our employees," says Eaton.
