Community involvement is vital in the life of a young child and their family. Children receive the best care and positive experiences when the adults in their lives are supported by their community, including local businesses and government. 

Positive community support for children and the adults enables those adults to help children build strong brain skills, creating a foundation for lifelong physical and emotional wellbeing. Dedicating resources, time, and money in the lives of young children and their families is an investment. Local businesses and government at the municipal, county, state, and federal levels have the ability to shape and influence the conditions that lead to prosperity and success for the community. 

Parents and caregivers face challenges every day, such as 

• demanding work schedules
• high costs of housing
• child care
• transportation
• difficulty accessing fresh food and health care
• a changing economy

This makes it difficult to strike a balance between workplace and family obligations. Some parts of our community are particularly hard hit by these and other barriers, including social isolation, discrimination and racism, and services not offered in their native languages. In order to overcome these barriers, families need external support. Business and government partners coming together to support families and children can make it possible for us to help them overcome these barriers.

By providing resources, promoting policies, and creating family-friendly workplaces that benefit employees who are parenting, local businesses and government agencies can positively impact the lives of children in the community. 

Fostering a family-friendly workplace is an investment in both the community and the workplace, and there are real-time benefits for businesses and agencies.

Research has proven that it pays to create a family-friendly work environment. A groundbreaking study by Nobel Prize winning Professor James Heckman, The Lifecycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program, shows that, “high-quality, birth-to-five programs for disadvantaged children can deliver a 13% per year return on investment (ROI).” The study shows that this investment impacts a wide range of outcomes, such as “health, the quality of life, participation in crime, labor income, IQ, schooling, and increases in mothers’ labor income as a result of subsidized child care.” 

• Read more about the study here.

In order to create meaningful, lasting changes in the community, it's important for local businesses and the government to lead the way. Below are examples of actions that a business or government agency can take to support families. 

 Ways Business & Government Can Support Families 

• Provide access to affordable, high-quality, and safe child care
• Supporting universal Pre-K and quality public schools
• Supplying paid family leave and sick leave 
• Allowing flexible schedules for employees who are parenting
• Offering health insurance options with family plans
• Promoting transit systems that connect people to work, child care, school, and other services
• Helping to provide access to safe affordable housing
• Donating and volunteering with local charities and organizations
• Promoting and sharing free resources from the IECC website to employees

Immediate Benefits

Higher productivity: When an employee’s children are well-cared for, they are able to focus on their work. 

Higher retention rates: Employees are motivated to continue working for a supportive employer, which reduces re-training costs.. Better recruitment: Being family-friendly is highly attractive for people seeking employment.

•  Quality workforce: Creating successful, future employees in the community starts with early childhood development.
• Overall economic stability: The prosperity of individuals and the community is impacted by the well-being of families who are raising future generations.
• Responsible citizens: Investing in a society at its infancy lays the foundation for stable, successful, and productive citizens in the future. 
• To learn more about how a family-friendly workplace is a worthwhile investment, find other studies and helpful information in the Resources tab.

The goal of the IECC is to support young children and their families in Frederick County by working with different agencies and organizations throughout the county, including local business and government partners. This collaboration and sharing of expertise strengthen and support the efforts of everyone involved, resulting in a greater impact together.

The IECC can provide partner organizations with valuable, evidence-based resources for creating family-friendly workplaces. In turn, having local businesses and government partners involved in the work of the IECC provides a diverse perspective on the state of the community. 

Partnering with the IECC builds a valuable network between the individual sectors of Frederick County. Our partners have the opportunity to be a voice and champion for children, as well as represent the interests and insights of the business and government sectors. Every member of the community has a role to play. 

Here are examples of ways a business or organization can partner with the IECC:

• Use and share the free materials available on the Resources page
• Invite IECC representatives to speak at staff or planning meetings
• Communicate your family-friendly workplace practices in job postings
• Share information from the IECC website with employees 
• Distribute the Strong Families infographic to your employees via payroll stuffers, workplace posters, intranet emails, social media posts
• Promote parents being involved with their families as part of the corporate culture
• Volunteer at events such as the annual Children’s Festival

For more information on how to partner with us, please contact:

Division of Family Services | Email | 301-600-1074

 Reports & Studies

• This collection of resources provides data-based research and studies for understanding the importance and current state of early childhood in our community. 
  • 2020 Effective Workplace Index
    • Research on the importance of creating a mutually-beneficial workplace for employers and employees
  • Maryland Child Care Resource Network: Child Care Demographics 2020
    • 2020 child care demographics report for the state of Maryland 
  • Counting Our Losses: The Hidden Cost to Marylanders of an Inadequate Child Care System
    • Research that illustrates the costs of failing to provide quality child care for the community
  • The ABC’s Of Early Childhood: The Building Blocks of Child Development, Practice, and Policy
    • A breakdown of how investing in early childhood education results in a positive return on investment
  • 2020 Kids Count Data Book
    • A comprehensive guide to the state of early childhood in Frederick County and Maryland
  • 13% ROI Research Toolkit - The Heckman Equation. 
    • This study discusses how a family-friendly workplace is an investment that benefits employers and the community. 
  • View recent reports on Frederick County's Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. 
    • 2018-2019
    • 2019-2020
    • 2021-2022
  • Advocate for the policies and programs that you value with The Child Care Aware of America Advocacy Toolkit.
  • Follow the Frederick County Child Care Market Study to be released in early 2024.
  • See the What We Can Do to Build Strong Families infographic developed by the Frederick County ACEs Workgroup.

 Ideas & Helpful Information

• These resources provide concrete, actionable items that you can implement in your workplace in order to support young children and their families.  
  • Family Friendly Workplaces
    • Find advice and insight for implementing family-friendly practices in your business. 
  • Promoting Family-Friendly Policies in Business and Government
    • An overview of family-friendly practices with ideas for businesses and government
  • How To Be Family Friendly: A Guide For Employers
    • Learn more about the case for being a family-friendly workplace and get helpful tools.  
  • 10 Best Companies to Work For: Family-Friendly Benefits
    • A list of top businesses that support families, and what they’re doing to stand out from their competition

Printouts

• These resources are available in printable formats, which can be used for distribution and sharing information easily. 
  • Family Friendly Toolkit
    • A complete guide for helping employers explore the benefits and ways to implement family friendly practices
  • Strong Families Infographic (Spanish Infographic)
    • This one sheet provides clear, helpful information about early childhood development that can be shared with employees and members of the community. 
  • Heckman’s 13% ROI Research Toolkit 
    • This toolkit provides information and materials to support research findings that state there is a 13% ROI for comprehensive, high-quality, birth-to-five early education.