ZEELAND, Mich. — As more and more families in West Michigan struggle to find affordable childcare, one company is trying a new approach and putting a focus on the struggles of working parents.
Gentex in Ottawa County has partnered with a local nonprofit to open a childcare center specifically for employees right next to the company’s headquarters.
“Coming out of COVID, there have been a lot of barriers to employment. And we've been systematically trying to target those,” Craig Piersma, vice president of marketing and corporate communications at Gentex, told FOX 17’s Michael Martin.
There are nearly 6,000 people who work at Gentex in Zeeland.
As businesses nationwide struggle to hire and retain quality workers, Gentex is directly addressing a struggle most working families face — finding affordable childcare.
“There are no short-term fixes for these types of issues, right? And so, you have to think big, you have to think, what is the best-case scenario? And how do you change the paradigm? It's a cliche, but that's really what you have to do,” said Piersma.
They are bringing childcare to the office, planning to open a new 43,000-square foot center by 2024, located right next to its headquarters.
“I do think that the data demonstrates that working families are going to value this and Gentex knows that,” said Alexa Redick, MA, MGP, vice president of communications for Outdoor Discovery Center Network.
The center will accept kids from family members working both first and second shifts, with a capacity of about 250 kids each shift.
“Up until we finally break ground, we will be absolutely going through all the operations and what that looks like to properly coordinate between two shifts, how we can accommodate all different kids,” explained Redick.
And to make the concept even more exciting for families, it is a partnership with the Outdoor Discovery Network, a nonprofit with a track record for running childcare centers based around outdoor learning.
“You're looking at a challenge as opposed to something that is just plastic and constructed. So, it's a really innovative approach to playing outside,” explained Redick.
The center at Gentex will have playground components very similar to those already at its Dragonflies Discovery Preschool.
“Every day teachers will come outside, and kids will dress up warmly. And it's the expectation that you're learning how to do basic developmental skills outdoors,” Redick said. “The nature-based model that only helps emotional but physical and mental development. And it's great to raise kids that have this amazing connection to the natural world around us.”
While the issue of finding childcare has been a topic of discussion in recent years, a new report says it’s becoming more and more of a top barrier to folks finding a job.
The people at West Michigan Works! conducted a jobseeker survey for the second year in a row now.
Two of the main issues people are facing in 2022: finding reliable childcare and transportation to and from work.
They also found that health concerns surrounding COVID-19 are beginning to subside.
The organization uses this data to work with employers, to help them better shape the benefits they offer to potential future employees.
“There's several employers, hundreds of employers actually, that we work with, that have been adapting their offerings, their wages, being flexible with hours and shifts, doing things like we've seen in the news recently with daycare situations, and providing childcare assistance in a variety of different ways,” Angie Barksdale, chief operating officer at West Michigan Works! explained. “So, employers are heading the information and making the adjustments that they can make right, to try to overcome these barriers to get the talent that they need.”
You can read more of that jobseeker survey and find out when their next job fair is on the West Michigan Works! website.
