These companies are offering free childcare to working parents, so they can go vote

By Lydia Dishman

Although Election Day isn’t officially a federal holiday, many employers grant workers paid time off to cast their votes without worrying about missing a day of work. This year is trickier as the pandemic put the kibosh on standard operating procedures. While there’s been a surge in mail-in ballots and in-person polling places open early (in some states for the first time), a small but growing number of companies have instituted even more voter-friendly policies to accommodate employees with children.

Expedia Group, ViacomCBS, Airbnb, S&P, Cantor Fitzgerald, and others are partnering with Bright Horizons—a provider of childcare and early education, back-up care, and workplace education services—to offer free childcare to working parents so they can go vote. Employees at participating organizations can use Bright Horizons to find a childcare provider to come to their home or a Bright Horizons childcare center. Free childcare is available when they choose to vote, either early or on November 3.

“As our work, home, and personal lives continue to intertwine, Americans need their workplaces to play an increasingly supportive role in helping them manage it all,” Stephen Kramer, Bright Horizons CEO, said in a statement. “These employers are truly stepping up to allow their employees to make an important impact this election season.”

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