Kluk Faber Law, a firm that represents early stage and growth companies, is offering its 15 employees a benefit that provides access to near-site backup child care through Vivvi Early Learning.
Lack of access to quality child care can be a big driver of employee turnover. About a quarter of organizations allow employees to bring their children to work, yet employer-offered child care benefits are still rare, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.
Finding high quality child care can take an emotional and financial toll on employees, too. The average annual cost of center-based day care in the U.S. is $11,666, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.
Vivvi looks to solve this pain point by offering child care and preschool options at a low cost, partnering with employers near their care center.
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Lawyer Agatha Kluk knew her employees needed a childcare solution after seeing her law partner, Sonia Farber, struggle to balance her motherly and work responsibilities.
“As an entrepreneur I could not imagine having a child and dealing with all of the crazy scheduling that comes up,” Kluk says.
Farber was not alone in dealing with this issue. It was one of the biggest problems the working parents at Kluk Faber Law were facing, she says.
“There wasn’t a lot of flexibility available, so when I spoke to Vivvi I was like wow, this is going to solve so many of the problems that I am hearing,” Kluk says. “We’ve been using it since October and have only gotten rave reviews from employees.”
Through Vivvi, the firm’s employees will have access to backup child care in the event their primary care plans fall through. The employer covers the cost care for employees and the Vivvi facility is a 15-minute walk from the law firm, which allows a parent the opportunity to check in on his or her child during the day.
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“We’re a small female-founded firm and we’re looking at benefits that are impactful for our employees,” Kluk says. “This has been something that I think a lot of law firms haven’t figured out.”
Currently, Vivvi has 15 employer clients, with plans to expand further in New York and eventually open care centers in other cities.
“No one should ever have to choose between their families and careers, and now, families at Kluk Farber Law won’t ever have to,” Vivvi CEO Charles Bonello said in a statement announcing the partnership. “We’ve been truly inspired by how an organization of only [15] employees is able to easily put its employees first and drive change in an industry traditionally known for a lack of balance.”
Offering backup child care benefits solves a tremendous problem for a lot of working parents, Kluk says.
“This is one of the most important employer benefits that people aren’t really thinking through when considering employee compensation packages,” she notes. “It is in line with a company culture [that tells employees] you can be a badass working mom, or dad, and have a family, and we’ll help you do both.”
