Following successful implementation of affordable childcare for hourly-paid workers at Humboldt, TN and Amarillo, TX plants, Tyson Foods announced a state-of-the-art childcare center to serve employees in the soon to be expanded Springdale Headquarters campus. Tyson Foods will use the resources of Bright Horizons to establish “Tyson Tykes” to care for 200 infants and preschoolers and provide after-care for school-going children of employees.

Jane Duke, Project Leader for the expansion of Tyson World Headquarters, stated, “Caring for our team members and their families has always been at the core of the Tyson culture.”  She added, “Childcare is a barrier we can address that will not only support our team members but resolve needs so our employees can be successful at work and provide for their families.”

Following the advent of COVID it became evident that childcare was an important and previously underestimated share of family budgets. Tyson Foods is now following the lead of Israel and many E.U. nations in offering childcare. Companies competing for both hourly-paid workers and monthly employees with advanced qualifications and skills are obliged to either provide childcare as a benefit or pay higher wages to compensate for infant and after-school outlays.  A number of large federal and state institutions, including colleges and universities, offer childcare and this trend will expand to the benefit of both companies and employees. 

More importantly, infants and children benefit from safe, structured and enriching experiences offered through professional childcare.  In an economy with low unemployment and demand for advanced skills, childcare will allow women with advanced training to continue in commerce and industry and advance their careers without interruption during childbearing years.  The financial burden of childcare falls most heavily on hourly-paid workers.  Available and inexpensive care provided by employers is a major benefit and could place companies in a more favorable position in regions where competition for labor is intense.  Provision of childcare should receive the attention of legislators in framing tax law.