KinderCare, Maricopa County Celebrate Opening of Extended Hour On-Site Child Care Center for County Employees

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (NYSE: KLC) (“KinderCare”), a leading provider of high-quality early childhood education, and Maricopa County, one of the largest employers in Arizona, are celebrating the opening of the new Maricopa County Kids Club early learning center.

The center, located near the county administration building in downtown Phoenix, will offer early childhood education and care to children of county employees. Maricopa County Kids Club features 10 classrooms and an indoor play space for days that are too hot to go outside. The center, which can support up to 156 children from infancy through age five, will be open weekdays from 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The eventual goal is to operate the center 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to accommodate the varying work schedules of county employees, making it one of the few child care options in Phoenix to offer families care for extended hours and on weekends.

A KinderCare survey of HR leaders showed that employer-sponsored child care benefits are a necessity as employers compete for top talent. Eighty-five percent of HR leaders believe child care benefits reduce employee turnover and 86% say these benefits help attract talent to their organization.

A separate KinderCare survey of more than 2,000 parents nationwide found that 59% would rather have their employer subsidize their child care costs than give them a raise, a 10% increase from 2024 survey results. Additionally, 63% of parents feel child care has become harder to secure in their local communities.

“Access to high-quality child care is a necessity for working families, yet we know it’s challenging for many families to find care that’s tailored for a variety of workday schedules. That’s why we’re excited to work with Maricopa County to provide this unique benefit for county employees,” said Dan Figurski, president of KinderCare for Employers and Champions. “When Maricopa County Kids Club opens it will not only provide local children with a wonderful place to learn and grow, it will also be a highly supportive benefit for county employees whose schedules make it challenging to find traditional care options.”

In addition to the new on-site center, Maricopa County employees also have access to the county’s child care tuition benefit, which gives them discounted tuition at any KinderCare Learning Center in the area. The combination of an on-site center and access to KinderCare’s nearly 40 centers in Maricopa County provides county employees with much-needed flexibility to find the child care solution that works best for their family.

For more information about Maricopa County Kids Club, please visit the center’s webpage.

About KinderCare Learning Companies™

A leading provider of early childhood and school-age education and care, KinderCare builds confidence for life in children and families from all backgrounds. KinderCare supports hardworking families in 41 states and the District of Columbia with differentiated and flexible child care solutions:

• In neighborhoods, with KinderCare® Learning Centers that offer early learning programs for children six weeks to 12 years old;
• In The Crème de la Crème™ School, which offers a premium early education experience using a variety of enrichment classrooms; and
• In local schools, with Champions® before and after-school programs.

KinderCare partners with employers nationwide to address the child care needs of today’s dynamic workforce. We provide customized family care benefits for organizations, including care for young children on or near the site where their parents work, tuition benefits, and backup care where KinderCare programs are located.

Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, KinderCare operates nearly 2,500 early learning centers and sites. To learn more, visit KC-Learning.com.