Exploring the Wild World of Child Care

Lion cubs, elephant calves, penguin chicks and kangaroo joeys – there’s no doubt that baby animals are always a highlight at the Indianapolis Zoo. It was a baby boom among zoo employees, however, that spurred the zoo’s human resources department to take a closer look at child care options.

“One of my roles at the zoo is to explore different benefits that will make our employees’ lives easier,” said Michelle Hartman, Indianapolis Zoo payroll and benefits administrator. “We had one point where 10 employees were pregnant at the same time, and some were really struggling to find child care. We knew we needed to provide some guidance and support in that area.”

Hartman had seen employees leave their roles due to lack of affordable child care, either to stay home with small children or to relocate closer to family. The zoo hires staff from all over the country due to the unique nature of the industry, so many times employees are living away from extended family support and are unsure of local child care options.

Hartman reached out to Child Care Answers as a starting point. Child Care Answers came on-site, providing education, resources and referrals to interested employees.

Hartman notes that employees have been appreciative of the support Child Care Answers provides; from an employer perspective, it was a cost-free way to add benefits. As a nonprofit organization, any additional funds at the zoo are invested back into animal care and improvements. “Our employees are all here for the purpose and the mission of the zoo – we’re here for the animals,” Hartman said. “But anytime we can connect employees to resources that can make their lives better, it’s such a positive for everyone.”

In addition to connecting employees to resources, the zoo team wanted to conduct a needs assessment to determine future plans. Child Care Answers helped the zoo administer an employee survey, with topics such as child care access, affordability and comfort level discussing child care concerns at work.

Survey findings revealed areas of strength as well as opportunities for improvement. The majority of respondents felt comfortable discussing child care concerns with colleagues, but less so with supervisors or managers. More than 60% of respondents indicated their work had been impacted in the past year due to child care issues. The biggest stressor affecting work was the cost of child care.

As a result, the zoo is exploring ways to ensure staff feel more comfortable sharing child care concerns with leaders and brainstorming solutions together. The zoo is planning to add a dependent care account option to its benefits package next year, addressing the affordability angle by allowing employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to be used for child care. Long-term, they are interested in partnering with another organization to offer dedicated child care. Most of all, Hartman credits the survey with kick-starting conversations at all levels around child care needs and opportunities.

The zoo is considering a follow-up survey to assess the current landscape and any improvements since the initial survey. Hartman would like to evaluate how many employees are utilizing Child Care Answers for support and if additional partnerships could be explored.

Hartman encourages other employers to find out what supports are available and to demonstrate to employees that their concerns are being heard.