New findings from KinderCare’s 2026 Confidence Index show child care is essential to productivity, retention, and loyalty, yet unreliable care is quietly pushing parents out of the workforce

Key highlights:

New data from KinderCare survey shows child care is no longer a perk – it’s a business imperative.

• Child care is now a core workplace benefit. 85% of working parents believe child care benefits as essential as healthcare benefits.
• Lack of reliable child care is driving workforce attrition. Parents are changing jobs, reducing hours or leaving the workforce entirely due to daycare challenges.
• Employer-sponsored child care benefits improve employee loyalty and retention. 79% of working parents would be more loyal to their company if their employer supported them better as a parent.
• Most employers are not keeping pace with employee child care needs. One in three employers offers no child care benefits, despite key links to productivity and performance.
• KinderCare helps employers close the gap between parent and workforce needs. KinderCare provides flexible child care solutions that support working parents and strengthen workforce stability.

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 2026-- Child care has overtaken retirement benefits as one of the most important workplace benefits for working parents, according to new data from KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (NYSE: KLC) (“KinderCare”). Findings from the seventh annual KinderCare Confidence Index, conducted with The Harris Poll, reveal that parents increasingly prioritize child care as essential to productivity, retention and loyalty. The KinderCare Confidence Index is one of the nation’s largest annual studies examining how child care access impacts working parents and employers.

Working parents increasingly view child care not as a perk, but as an essential infrastructure. In fact, and 85% of all working parents say child care benefits should be treated as essential – on par with health and retirement benefits.

However, only one in three employers offer child care benefits, according to survey respondents, putting workplace stability at risk.

A Quiet Parent Exodus Is Already Underway

Unreliable daycare is forcing parents to make difficult tradeoffs – often at the expense of their careers. Three-quarters of working parents say they know people who are leaving the workforce due to child care challenges, while more than a quarter say they have either considered quitting – or have quit – their job entirely as a result. Surprisingly, more than a quarter of working parents say they have no backup or emergency child care option if their primary care falls through.

The day-to-day impacts are already widespread. Parents report missing work (50%), reducing work hours (35%), and experiencing tension with managers (28%) and coworkers (24%) due to a lack of reliable child care.

“Employers have a real opportunity right now,” said Dan Figurski, President of KinderCare for Employers and Champions. “When companies make child care easier to access and understand, parents can stay focused on their careers – and businesses see the payoff in productivity, loyalty, and long-term performance. That’s exactly where KinderCare comes in, offering flexible child care solutions that meet employers where they are and give working parents the peace of mind they need to show up at work.”

The Business Case Is Clear

For employers, the implications extend far beyond a benefits strategy. Eighty-one percent of parents say they wish their employer understood that reliable child care is key to their productivity, and two-thirds admit that unreliable care has negatively impacted their work performance in the past. At the same time, support represents a powerful loyalty lever with 79% of parents saying they would be more loyal to their company if their employer supported them better as a parent. As daycare costs rise and access remains uncertain, parents are clear – child care is no longer a perk – it’s a business imperative.

To download the full 2026 KinderCare Confidence Index Survey or learn more about KinderCare’s child care solutions, visit here.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of KinderCare from November 5, 2025, to November 13, 2025, among 2,509 parents with children age 12 and younger. Within the sample we surveyed 1,056 parents with children age 5 and under, and 1,453 with children age 6-12. The presentation represents national sample; we then looked at the data cut by the following demographics: age, race/ethnicity, gender, income, region, and employment status. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About KinderCare Learning Companies™

KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (NYSE: KLC) is a leading private provider of early childhood and school-age education and care. KinderCare builds confidence for life in children and families from all backgrounds. KinderCare supports hardworking families in 41 states and the District of Columbia with differentiated flexible child care solutions through its portfolio of brands and services:

• KinderCare ^® Learning Centers offering early learning programs for children six weeks to 12 years old;
• The Crème School^®, a premium early education experience using a variety of enrichment classrooms;
• Champions^®before- and after-school programs in local schools, and
• Customized child care benefits in partnership with employers, including child care on or near the site where their parents work, as well as tuition benefits and backup care across all our programs.

Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, KinderCare operates more than 2,700 early learning centers and sites.

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Source: KinderCare