TOOTRiS Enhances Child Care Program Offered by Micron for Employees

BOISE, IDAHO, UNITED STATES, July 23, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- TOOTRiS, the nation’s largest child care platform, today announced a new partnership with Micron Technology, one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies and a global leader in innovative memory and storage solutions. The partnership will give working parents at Micron the ability to quickly search, vet and enroll in more than 200,000 licensed child care providers nationwide.

The Manufacturing Challenge:

Semiconductors, also known as chips, are the backbone of modern technology, enabling everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, satellites, and more. Yet, according to The White House, the United States only produces about 10 percent of the world’s chips. Passed in 2022, the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act aims to revitalize semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. and accelerate domestic technology innovation and leadership. This requires an inclusive, highly skilled workforce at a scale that can support the growing semiconductor industry. But with a “sizable” talent pool remaining on the sidelines (800,000 female manufacturing employees*) due to inadequate child care options, and unemployment numbers as low as they’ve been in a decade, it’s challenging to find enough skilled workers to build the facilities and fill the manufacturing jobs when construction is complete**.

The Child Care Challenge:

Women have dropped out of the workforce at triple the rate of men since the start of the pandemic, with 45% citing child care as one of the reasons they left. More than 70% of American families say it’s difficult to find quality child care programs – and even when they can find one, many can’t afford it***. According to recent data, the cost of child care is rising at nearly double the pace of overall inflation, with child care costing the average American family more than rent in every single state.

“The reality is child care isn’t just a social issue. It isn’t a women’s issue. It’s an economic issue,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo last month while speaking at the first National Child Care Innovation Summit, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Having a workforce that shows up every day, ready to work, able to work, not missing shifts, at the top of their game- is essential. And if you want women there and men there, we need to think more holistically about child care.”

CHIPS Act: A Dual Engine for Semiconductor and Child Care Innovation:

Micron is poised to bolster U.S. semiconductor manufacturing with one new leading-edge memory manufacturing fab to be co-located with the company’s existing leading-edge R&D facility in Boise, Idaho, and two new leading-edge memory manufacturing facilities in Clay, NY. Micron is offering on-site child care in Idaho and New York, partnering with TOOTRiS as a digital resource for its team members, and collaborating with community partners, advocacy organizations and providers to support local child care ecosystems in the communities where it is located.

“This partnership underscores Micron’s commitment to helping our team members source affordable, reliable, and high-quality child care,” said April Arnzen, executive vice president and chief people officer at Micron and president of the Micron Foundation. “This opens opportunities for women and all sidelined due to a lack of child care, to join or rejoin the workforce as we ramp hiring over the next decade.”

Supporting the workforce with child care makes a difference. According to a recent NPR story, child care benefits helped one manufacturing company attract hundreds of new employees while reducing attrition by roughly 11% overall, and 20% among women****.

"It is truly exciting to see women playing a more integral role in manufacturing,” said Allison Grealis, president and founder of Women in Manufacturing (a national association dedicated to supporting, promoting and inspiring women in all manufacturing job functions). “Initiatives like child care employee benefits are pivotal in providing them the freedom to pursue their career ambitions. By supporting working parents, we are not only fostering their growth but also driving the future of our industry forward."

“As the local operator of Micron’s on-site child care in Boise, the Treasure Valley Family YMCA is honored to be working with TOOTRiS to ensure seamless support to the families we’re serving,” said David Duro, president and CEO of Treasure Valley Family YMCA. “We are thrilled with this significant expansion of early learning child care in the Treasure Valley!”

With some of Micron’s new U.S. positions requiring flexible hours beyond the traditional 9-5, Monday - Friday schedule, Micron will provide access for employees to leverage the vast TOOTRiS network of Family Child Care Homes (FCC’s), to ensure all caregivers working swing shifts and non-traditional hours can find the child care support they need.

A Boost for Local Child Care Providers:

The majority of licensed child care programs in the U.S. are smaller, in-home programs that can be difficult for parents to find, since many small providers lack the time, funds, and resources to market their programs. The TOOTRiS platform remedies that problem by giving them free visibility on the TOOTRiS map while simultaneously bringing working parents directly to their doorstep through employer partnerships like Micron’s.

“Child care is the workforce behind the workforce, and without it, too many families are forced to choose between working and staying home,” said Cindy Lehnhoff, director of the National Child Care Association. “With companies like Micron partnering with TOOTRiS, we can make significant strides towards addressing our child care crisis.”

"Businesses can't work without women, and women can't work without child care," said Reshma Saujani, CEO and founder of Moms First, a national, nonprofit organization transforming our workplaces, communities, and culture to enable moms to thrive. "The partnership between Micron and TOOTRiS is a shining example of how businesses are recognizing the financial and strategic ROI of investing in child care – it's a benefit that pays for itself."

The Remedy is in the Technology:

TOOTRiS is the largest, most comprehensive Child Care Benefits platform in the country that offers:
• Instant access on any device to search, vet, tour and enroll your child in quality child care programs – accessing real-time openings of child care slots.
• 200,000+ licensed and licensed-exempt child care providers across all 50 states, covering every type of care including full-time, backup, after-school, summer camps and more.
• 24/7 concierge support to help parents find the specific care they need.

"Supporting working parents with accessible, high-quality child care solutions is not just beneficial — it's essential,” said Alessandra Lezama, TOOTRiS CEO and select member of the ReadyNation CEO Task Force on Early Childhood. “It empowers parents to pursue their career ambitions while knowing their children are thriving in a nurturing environment. This support doesn't just impact families, it creates a positive ripple effect throughout local communities by bolstering child care providers and boosting local economies.”

As Micron continues to lead in the semiconductor industry, this partnership with TOOTRiS will ensure that its employees have the support they need to succeed both in their careers and in their family lives. The initiative is part of Micron’s broader strategy to enhance employee benefits as the company continues to grow and innovate.

About TOOTRiS:

TOOTRiS is the nation's largest, most comprehensive Child Care network with over 200,000 providers across the country. TOOTRiS provides a seamless Child Care Benefits workforce solution that meets the new CHIPS Program requirement by giving working parents direct access to the most affordable, accessible, reliable, and high-quality Child Care options. TOOTRiS is the first and only technology that unites key stakeholders (parents, providers, employers, government agencies) in a single platform, enabling employers to provide turn-key Child Care Benefits to increase productivity, retention, recruiting, and ROI, while their workforce has the flexibility and family support they need. For more information, go to tootris.com.

* -Window+Door- https://www.windowanddoor.com/article/childcare-flexibility-and-dei-manufacturing
** -US Bureau of Labor Statistics- https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000
*** -Moms First- https://momsfirst.us/childcare-report/?source_id=1046013
**** -NPR- https://www.npr.org/2024/06/05/g-s1-3003/working-women-child-care-subsidy-employer-parents

Jeff McAdam
TOOTRiS
+1 720-988-0984
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TOOTRiS Enhances Child Care Program Offered by Micron for Employees