I2M’s Childcare Partnership

Challenges

Access, Scalability

Location

Pennsylvania

Stakeholders

Businesses

Beneficiaries

Parents, Children, Childcare Providers

Overview

i2M, a 200-employee advanced plastics manufacturing company in Pennsylvania, tackled its employees’ childcare needs by partnering with a local childcare provider to offer extended hours of subsidized care.

Key Impact Metrics

32%
year-over-year decrease in employee call-offs (missed or canceled shifts) after childcare support began
25%
savings in monthly childcare costs

Problem

i2M operates 12-hour manufacturing shifts (from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) in the rural town of Mountaintop, Pennsylvania. Employees, especially women, struggled to find childcare that operated early enough for a 7 a.m. start. Local daycare centers had limited hours, and few accepted children before 6:00 a.m. or 6:30 a.m., leaving a critical gap. As a result, some employees were late or missed shifts; hiring for early shifts also became difficult. In employee surveys, childcare and transportation emerged as the top two challenges noted by attendees. i2M’s CEO noted that “when call-offs started trending up and new-hire numbers dropped, we knew something had to change.”

Solution

i2M first conducted a needs assessment of its workforce, confirming that many employees required early-morning childcare and that preschool-aged children were the largest group needing care. In mid-2021, i2M identified Building Blocks Learning Center, a local woman-owned childcare provider with multiple sites, as a partner willing to co-design a solution. They crafted a deal: Building Blocks would reserve a set number of slots exclusively for i2M employees’ children and extend its hours to cover i2M’s 6 a.m. shifts. The partnership provided access for i2M’s with five locations at a cost to the employee of $100 per month per child. i2M also supported Building Blocks with its state childcare grant to support adding early hours. Lastly, to address the other barrier uncovered in the needs assessment — transportation — i2M partnered with the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development to provide interest-free loans to i2M team members for car repair or replacement.

Results

Beneficiary Impact5 childcare centers available
Employee Impact32% year-over-year decrease in employee call-offs (missed or canceled shifts)
Financial Results$4,800 in annual savings by parents using the benefit

Replication Tips

Survey and identify gaps: Start by surveying employees to pinpoint childcare needs (ages, locations, hours). i2M discovered early shifts and preschool age were the pain points.
Use creative funding: Seek public or nonprofit grants to share costs. i2M tendered a grant application to support the extended hours. Workforce development boards or state economic agencies often have funds for such employer-partnered childcare pilots. Combining employer funds, parent fees, and grants makes the model sustainable.
Address other barriers: i2M didn’t stop at childcare – they also tackled transportation by offering no-interest car repair loans. A new childcare slot does not help if the parent cannot drive there. Take a holistic view of what prevents attendance/retention (be it childcare, transport, or scheduling) and try to bundle solutions.