Survey Reveals Parents Prioritize Child Care Over Raises

KinderCare’s 2025 Confidence Index reveals seven out of ten parents feel the gender pay gap is caused by lack of child care support in the U.S.

KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (NYSE: KLC) (“KinderCare”), the nation’s leading provider of high-quality early childhood education, today announced results from its sixth annual KinderCare Confidence Index, revealing deepening concerns from parents about access to child care. Conducted in collaboration with The Harris Poll, the study indicates that the child care crisis is intensifying the gender pay gap as more parents are choosing child care over raises and advancing their careers. This underscores the increased value parents place on having quality child care for their families.

With the majority of working parents back in the office full-time or in a hybrid capacity, many have found it difficult to adjust to the return-to-office (RTO) mandates in effect. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of parents say the return to in-person work has impacted their child care needs. As a result, the majority of parents want more employers to provide more benefits as they roll out RTO mandates:

• 76% of parents believe employers should offset the cost of child care for their employees.
• 59% of parents would rather have their employer subsidize their child care costs than give them a raise, a 10% increase from 2024 survey results.
• 54% of parents are worried their company will scale back child care benefits in the future to cut costs, a 10% increase from 2024 survey results.

“Parents are telling us loud and clear that they need quality child care solutions more than ever, reflecting its essential role in the lives of modern families striving to achieve work-life integration,” said Jessica Harrah, Chief People Officer at KinderCare Learning Companies. “At KinderCare, we’re committed to providing high-quality child care for families, and work with policymakers, communities and employers nationwide to find creative ways to address this urgent need for support.”

Additionally, new data findings show there’s a discrepancy between the benefits employees want and what Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) perceive as important: 43% of parents think child care benefits are crucial, compared to just 33% of CHROs who share this view. Based on these findings, employers have a clear opportunity to alleviate child care stress and meet their employees’ needs by offering more customized family care benefits including employer-sponsored child care.

The report also shows a broader trend of parents demanding more child care solutions and support from their employers and the government:

• 71% of parents believe the gender pay gap is caused by the lack of child care support in this country.
• 53% of parents said they are worried that they will have to step back from their career to take on parenting responsibilities.
• 46% of parents hope that when their children grow up, women won’t have to leave the workforce for child care reasons.
• 45% of parents hope universal child care will be federally supported in their children’s future.

To download the full 2025 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 21, 2024, to December 2, 2024, among 2,504 parents with children age 12 and younger. Within the sample we surveyed 1,053 parents with children age 5 and under, and 1,451 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™

A leading 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 40 states and the District of Columbia with differentiated flexible child care solutions:

• In neighborhoods, with KinderCare^® Learning Centers that offer early learning programs for children six weeks to 12 years old;
• In The Crème de la Crème™ School, which offers a premium early education experience using a variety of enrichment classrooms; and
• In local schools, with Champions^® before and after-school programs.

KinderCare partners with employers nationwide to address the child care needs of today’s dynamic workforce. We provide customized family care benefits for organizations, including care for young children on or near the site where their parents work, tuition benefits, and backup care where KinderCare programs are located.

Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, KinderCare operates nearly 2,500 early learning centers and sites. To learn more, visit KC-Learning.com.

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