What Can Be Done for Working Parents

As more parents continue to join the workforce, a trail of systemic inefficiencies follows closely behind, ones that call for meaningful solutions. With national conversations intensifying around parental workplace benefits, the question remains: What can truly be done?

Companies such as CAKES Body are attempting to lead that conversation. Founded in 2022 by twin sisters Taylor Capuano and Casey Sarai, the California-based undergarment company is offering to cover up to $36,000 a year in childcare costs for employees with children under the age of 6.

“It’s not just about support. It’s about retention, productivity, and building a brand where people thrive,” Capuano said in an interview with CBS News. “After paying for childcare, I was left with $200 a month. That’s not sustainable” (CBS News, May 2024).

Other companies, such as MissPoppins, are taking a broader approach by integrating expert guidance and coaching into employer-sponsored benefits. The concierge-style parenting platform offers on-demand access to lactation consultants, sleep specialists, and early childhood experts. It also provides group coaching, 24/7 chat access, and a library of developmental resources for working parents.

MissPoppins was designed to solve a growing national problem: overwhelmed parents navigating a fragmented care system. The platform partners directly with employers to offer real-time parenting support in a wide vertical of childcare specialities. Specialties like speech therapy and lactation consultants are even often waitlisted due to a lack of access. 

The need for support is well documented. According to ScienceDirect, more than 73% of speech-language pathologists in the United States currently report having a waitlist for services. The BBC also recently reported a sharp increase in demand for speech therapists nationwide. Parents magazine further highlighted an acute shortage of lactation consultants, particularly in rural areas, leaving new mothers with few professional resources.

These access issues are driving more employers to rethink traditional benefit packages. By adding concierge-style parenting support and comprehensive childcare coverage, businesses are not just reducing employee stress, but also strengthening retention, engagement and overall company functionality.

While there is still work to be done, there is a clear momentum toward treating working parents not as afterthoughts, but as a central part of workplace strategy. Benefits like those offered by CAKES Body and MissPoppins may soon become industry standards, not outliers.

And for stressed-out parents across America, that shift couldn’t come soon enough.