The workforce is becoming more deeply intertwined with caregiving. The number of family caregivers in the U.S. has grown from 43 million in 2015 to 63 million, and nearly one-third now care for both children and adults as part of the “sandwich generation.” As people have children later in life, caregiving responsibilities that once occurred at different stages are increasingly overlapping within the same working years.
For employers, that overlap changes the equation. Supporting employees effectively means looking beyond child care alone to a family care strategy that can adapt as caregiving needs evolve.
Child care benefits vs elder care benefits: What’s the difference?
Both child care and elder care benefits help employees manage caregiving responsibilities, but they support different life stages and needs:
- Child care benefits help employees with young dependents find reliable, affordable care and early education that enables them to remain engaged at work.
- Elder care benefits help employees with aging loved ones identify care options, coordinate support, and navigate practical, financial, and emotional considerations.
Common child care benefits for employees
Child care benefits include offerings such as:
- Center-based care: Structured care through trusted child care providers at a center
- Back-up child care: Short-term care at home or at a center when regular arrangements fall through
- Camp programs: Care and enrichment options on-site or virtually during summer or school breaks
- Educational support: Resources, such as tutoring, for children’s learning and development
- Tuition assistance: Financial support to help offset care costs
Elder care benefits that support family caregivers
Elder care benefits include services such as:
- Care navigation: Guidance on care options, providers, and next steps
- Provider referrals: Connections to trusted senior care resources and services
- In-home care coordination: Support arranging and managing ongoing care needs
- Financial and legal planning resources: Guidance on costs, benefits, and legal considerations
- Caregiver coaching: Personalized support for managing caregiving challenges
Why employers can’t afford to choose one over the other
Caregiving doesn’t follow a predictable timeline. Employees may be called on to care for children, aging loved ones, or both, regardless of where they are in their careers.
Employers, therefore, need to support multiple caregiving realities at once, not assume employees move from child care to elder care as they advance through their careers. Offering both helps create a family care strategy that reflects today’s workforce while strengthening employee well-being, engagement, and retention.
The strongest family care strategies account for the different ways caregiving can show up in employees’ lives and work:
Employees raising children
School closures, sick days, summer breaks, and canceled child care arrangements can quickly disrupt the workday. Access to dependable infant care, preschool support, school break coverage, and back-up child care can provide greater flexibility when care needs change.
Employees balancing care for children and aging loved ones
Managing care across generations adds competing demands on employees’ time, finances, and attention. Flexible work arrangements and access to both child care and elder care benefits help employees coordinate appointments, manage changing schedules, and navigate unexpected care gaps without putting their careers on hold.
Employees supporting aging loved ones
A hospital discharge, fall, new diagnosis, or change in a loved one’s condition can create an immediate need for support. Care navigation, provider referrals, and back-up elder care help employees coordinate services and make informed decisions during stressful transitions. Ongoing guidance can also help them plan for future care needs before a crisis arises.
The hidden cost of overlooking elder care benefits
As more employees take on elder care responsibilities, employers that focus on child care benefits alone risk overlooking a growing workforce need. Elder care often involves ongoing time commitments that happen alongside full-time work and family responsibilities. In fact, the BLS reports that elder care providers spend an average of 3.9 hours on caregiving on days they provide care.
These responsibilities can become especially challenging during moments of crisis, including:
- Hospitalizations
- Dementia diagnoses
- Care transitions
- Other unexpected emergencies
Without meaningful support, employees may experience higher stress, reduced productivity, and greater pressure to scale back their roles or leave their organizations.
What employers gain when they provide both child care and elder care
A family care strategy that includes both child care and elder care can help organizations:
- Retain experienced talent
- Improve productivity
- Reduce absenteeism and caregiving disruptions
- Strengthen employee engagement
- Build a more competitive employer brand
- Advance workforce equity
Caregiving increasingly spans generations and employees’ working lives, and employers that respond with a broader family care strategy can better meet these evolving needs. This type of comprehensive support is becoming an increasingly important part of a resilient workforce strategy.
What a modern family care strategy looks like
A modern family care strategy goes beyond offering individual benefits. It connects employees to the right support as caregiving needs arise — and, increasingly, before those needs begin affecting their work. This includes:
Personalized support
Family care benefits should go beyond resource lists. Employees need personalized guidance, expert recommendations, and solutions that reflect their specific caregiving situations, from navigating care options to coordinating services.
Integrated benefits experience
Caregiving rarely exists in isolation. An employee managing a parent’s health needs may also need time away from work, mental health support, or help managing unexpected expenses.
Connecting family care with leave, financial well-being, mental health, and HR resources creates a more seamless support system and reduces the burden of figuring out where to turn.
Proactive communication and expanded support
The goal isn’t simply to make employees aware of their benefits. Employers are increasingly looking for ways to connect employees with support before caregiving challenges escalate into missed work, burnout, or other workforce impacts.
Proactive outreach, clear guidance, and services such as back-up care can make that support available earlier.
Manager training and a supportive culture
Managers are often among the first to hear when caregiving responsibilities begin affecting an employee’s work. Training can help leaders recognize these moments, respond appropriately, and connect employees with available resources before challenges become more disruptive. This also helps normalize caregiving conversations across the workplace.
How Bright Horizons supports employees through every stage of caregiving
Bright Horizons helps employers deliver family care benefits that evolve with employees' changing needs. From child care and back-up care to elder care navigation and personalized guidance, our solutions make it easier for employees to access the right support at the right time.
Explore Family Care Solutions from Bright Horizons to create a more comprehensive caregiving benefits strategy.
