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Hello colleagues,
I know a lot of you are experiencing sticker shock in your day-to-day lives, whether it’s going to the grocery store, the gas pump, or booking holiday travel. For working parents, there’s the added cost and stress of securing childcare.
County leadership has been working diligently to support employees with pay increases and added benefits when possible. Today, I’m excited to share our newest benefit, one that I hope will provide some relief to working parents across county departments and elected offices.
This morning, the Board of Supervisors approved a contract with KinderCare Learning Companies to provide affordable childcare to families of county employees.
In the short term, that contract will provide county staff with a 10% discount on full-time, part-time, or drop-in tuition at any KinderCare facilities in the Valley. Those facilities serve children six weeks old to 12 years old. You can visit kindercare.com/Maricopa to look at their programs and locations.
In the long-term, we are building a childcare facility called MCKids Care at 441 W. Madison St. to serve county employees and their families exclusively. At the bottom of the message, I've included a rendering of what the facility will look like. Construction will begin early next year. This safe, supportive learning environment in the heart of downtown Phoenix will serve children 6 weeks old to 5 years old and will be operated by KinderCare staff. MCKids Care will be open seven days a week, and eventually 24 hours a day to accommodate 2nd and the 3rd shift workers. While we still have some details to finalize, the County will cover some of the costs to ensure this is an affordable option for employees.
Additionally, the 10% discount at all KinderCare locations will increase to 30% at all facilities when MCKids Care opens in 2025. Employees who enroll their children now will receive this additional discount when it becomes available.
Finding reliable and affordable childcare remains one of the biggest barriers to employment and career advancement, particularly for women. I’m so grateful that the Board has made it a priority to provide this additional support for working parents.
Of course, this is just one part of Maricopa County’s generous benefits package which includes top-tier health care plans with low premiums, paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave; a variety of retirement savings plans; and free public transit. You can sign up for those benefits during our Open Enrollment period which began on Monday and runs through November 3rd. I encourage you to take a look at this guide, and then sign up via Workday. If you have any questions, you can contact the Benefits team at 602-506-1010 or benefits@maricopa.gov.
As always, I appreciate the work you do and I’m committed to providing the support you need to be successful at work—and beyond.
Take care,
Jen
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