(PIONEER VALLEY, MA – date) For most employers and employees alike, childcare is a significant economic issue. Employee productivity, recruitment, retention, and absenteeism are all affected by an employee’s ability to secure and maintain stable childcare arrangements. Employers now recognize that integrating policies to support the work/life issues of employees such as childcare with traditional business practices is more than just a good will gesture – it’s good business.

Understanding the critical role childcare plays in a company’s competitive advantage, Health New England is working with Springfield Day Nursery, Inc., the Pioneer Valley’s oldest and the state’s largest non-profit provider of early care and education (the organization was founded in 1883), to provide a variety of resources and corporate support services to assist members in meeting the work/life demands of its workforce. Offering access to childcare and other family-support services such as those provided through the new affiliation is unique, and unduplicated by any other carrier. Here’s how this two-part benefit works:

1. Effective July 1, 2002, all Health New England members will be eligible to receive a 5% discount on any available infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten, and school age care in nine Springfield Day Nursery Children’s Centers in Springfield, East Longmeadow, and West Springfield; before- and after-school care in four public schools; and home-based Family Care in 75 area locations.

2. This exclusive Health New England benefit also provides employers access to Springfield Day Nursery’s Corporate Support Sales Staff to assist companies in utilizing childcare as a strategy to create and sustain a competitive advantage.  These services, include

Childcare Feasibility and Needs Assessments:
       -       Surveys
       -       Cost/benefit analysis
       -       Workforce profiles
       -       Community resource assessments

Family Support Programs and Services
       -       Information & Referral      
       -       Government relations and advocacy
       -       Counseling
       -       Child wellness, development, and nutrition

Childcare Access:
       -       On-site programming
       -       Facility design
       -       Non-traditional care arrangements/back-up

“It’s our ability to identify and adapt to the evolving work/life issues of employers that sustains Springfield Day Nursery and Health New England as premiere service providers in the Pioneer Valley,” said Bruce Ruder, Vice President of Marketing for Health New England. “At Health New England, we are continually looking to identify new and innovative approaches to meeting the varied needs of our all our members. Our new relationship with Springfield Day Nursery strikes a chord with thousands of parents who rely on childcare to sustain employment, and hundreds of employers who rely on working parents to sustain productivity.”

According to Jon W. Baker, President and CEO of Springfield Day Nursery, the relationship catapults the organization into a new strategic direction for the nearly 120 year-old organization.

“We have never aggressively ‘sold’ our services to companies in the past,” said Baker. “But with the need for childcare placing increasing demands on working families, and in turn, their employers, we knew we were positioned to provide a vital and timely service. Employers understand the connection between stable childcare and productivity, but need assistance in assessing their workforce needs and designing access to programming. That's where Springfield Day Nursery comes in. We work in tandem with companies to identify the need and then identify the Springfield Day Nursery and non-Springfield Day Nursery resources available in the community to support them.”

Springfield Day Nursery is fully licensed and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young People and licensed by the Office of Child Care Services.

Health New England is a managed care company located in Springfield, with a branch office in Pittsfield.  Health New England currently provides health care benefits for over 5,000 employers throughout Western Massachusetts.…