FLEXIBLE AND AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE Childcare has been an important benefit for Frontier Co-op employees and an integral component of our culture from our very beginning in 1976. Originally, founders took turns doing various jobs in the company, and providing childcare and organic meals for the staff were vital to running the company. Today, childcare is as important as ever to our growing workforce. Accessible and affordable childcare options are rare and competitive for parents anywhere, but especially hard to find in rural communities like Norway, Iowa. At Frontier Co-op, we provide subsidized childcare options for our employees so they can choose what works best for their family. Our onsite childcare facility at our Norway, Iowa headquarters is licensed to care for 112 children each day, and costs employees roughly $100 per child per week. This number expands in the summer when we provide a day camp as parents require more support during the day with school out. Additionally, we provide wraparound care for employees’ children by working with our local school district to become a pickup and drop off location before and after school. Frontier Co-op parents can bring their child to work with them, where they can wait in our childcare facility be picked up by their bus and taken to school. After school, they come right back to our facility where they can wait for their parents, who are able to simply walk down to the childcare facility to get their kids and take them home at the end of the day. Beyond our onsite services, we recognize that childcare is an incredibly important and personal decision for families, and in some cases employees are already committed to another provider, or based on where they live or what facility they work in, it may not make sense for them to bring their kids out to Norway each day. To continue to support these parents, Frontier Co-op has a subsidized reimbursement program that helps to cover the cost of these employees’ childcare services.
I love our Breaking Down Barriers to employment programs and the ways in which we support our employees. As a mom, finding good and afford- able childcare was always a challenge when my children were born. I am thankful now that our young parents have childcare options at Frontier Co-op. I love seeing the children playing outside and hearing their laughter during the day.
— Laura Kuykendall, VP of Marketing
EQUIPPED FOR 112 CHILDREN PER DAY
CURRENTLY SERVING 63 CHILDREN/DAY ON AVERAGE
PROGRAM EMPLOYS 15 CHILDCARE PROVIDERS
COST OF ROUGHLY $100
PER CHILD PER WEEK
2022 Social Responsiblilty Report | 49
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