Tyson Foods opened a new employer-sponsored child-care facility near the company’s Humboldt, Tenn., poultry processing complex. The Tyson Learning Center (TLC) offers access to affordable child-care for Tyson Foods team members. The nearly $5 million investment will support more than 100 children, 5 years of age and younger, and employ a staff of 20. It will be operated and managed by KinderCare. Tyson Foods will subsidize tuition to help lower its team members' costs.

“I’m proud of our company’s approach to make high-quality child-care accessible and affordable for our team members. We recognize child-care services can be a barrier to enter the workforce, which is why have worked on this solution to provide childcare options that support our team members,” says Johanna Söderström, executive vice president and chief people officer at Tyson Foods.

According to data compiled by Child Care Aware, the average price of child-care in 2022 was nearly $11,000. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that childcare costs no more than 7% of a parent’s annual income. However, research shows many couples spend 10% of their median income, and a single parent can spend as much as 33%, on childcare. Through the TLC facility, parents receive a childcare cost benefit that can be used to reduce other family expenses.

By partnering with KinderCare, Tyson Foods offers team members childcare near their workplace. 

“We know from [KinderCare’s] Parent Confidence Report that child-care benefits are second to health insurance in retaining employees, a benefit all the more important in rural areas like Humboldt where there are more families needing care than there are child-care options,” says Dan Figurski, president, KinderCare for Employers and Champions. “We’re proud to partner with Tyson in supporting their working families in a center custom-designed to meet their specific needs. We’re looking forward to welcoming children to the Tyson Learning Center later this month.”

Tyson Foods was honored with the Best Place for Working Parents Innovator award in a grand opening program attended by Tyson Foods and KinderCare executives and local and state leaders. Parents who work at the Tyson Foods’ Humboldt plant, whose children will attend the learning center, helped cut the ribbon and officially open the facility.

During the grand opening program held outside TLC, Jude White, assistant Commissioner for care and community services with the Tennessee Department of Human Services, recognized the need for more employers to make child-care more accessible. She announced the facility would award a $150,000 Establishment Grant providing financial support for furniture, equipment and curriculum costs associated with opening a new childcare agency. Team members can also apply with the state for additional subsidies to further lower the cost of child-care.