About Stephen Kramer
Stephen Kramer, CEO of Bright Horizons, has stated that a lack of affordable, high-quality childcare is holding back the U.S. economy by preventing working parents from fully participating in the workforce. He has argued that the primary driver of childcare costs is the expense of attracting, retaining, and training high-quality teachers, which he described as the largest component of any childcare organization's cost structure. Kramer has advocated for a multi-pronged approach to address the issue, including direct government subsidies, tax incentives for families and employers, and increased investment from employers. He noted that Bright Horizons partners with 1,400 employer clients to provide on-site subsidized childcare and backup care, describing this employer support as a "critical support" for working families.
Kramer has said that working parents are becoming more vocal about prioritizing work-life balance and are willing to leave roles if their needs are not met. He identified the top requests from employees as access to affordable childcare, financial subsidies, and backup care for when regular arrangements break down. Kramer has also commented on the expiration of pandemic-era childcare stabilization grants, stating that while Bright Horizons managed its business in anticipation of the funding ending, many community-based providers may face significant challenges, potentially needing to raise tuition by 10-15%. He has described childcare as an "essential service" that allows parents to work and is foundational for the future workforce.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Stephen Kramer's recent appearances.
Browse all interviews →
Transcript (10 segments)
N
Narrator0:00
Working parents are prioritizing their home life more and more, according to a new survey from Bright Horizons. 70% of all working parents say that a strong work-life balance in this day and age is not negotiable when looking for a job. So, are employers doing enough to keep their working parent employees happy, and what exactly do working parents want from their employers that they aren't currently getting?
I
Interviewer0:29
So for more, we welcome in Stephen Kramer, who is the Bright Horizons CEO. Great to see you here. All right, let's break this down because work-life balance has certainly become more commonplace to discuss, especially after some time working from home, whether that was induced by the pandemic and then after that, some return-to-office policies that parents said, 'You know what, I've actually become accustomed to having more time in front of my family and my children's lives, and being there for some key events.' So now, what are we seeing in terms of the dynamic that's playing out right now?
S
Stephen Kramer1:05
Yeah, thanks for having me on, Brad. Employees are certainly being emboldened and speaking out on the needs that they have. And as you rightly said, they are absolutely prioritizing the idea that they need to be able to be successful at home and successful at work simultaneously. So they're really looking for their employer to provide supports that allow them to create that level of success.
I
Interviewer1:35
Are we seeing employers be able to meet that request right now?
S
Stephen Kramer1:37
Look, we have worked for over 35 years with many, many progressive employers. In fact, we work with 1,400 progressive employers that really do focus on their employees and recognize that in order to attract and retain the best talent, they are going to have to lean into these kinds of supports. But there are still a lot of employers that have not gotten switched on to the idea that in order to have the best workforce, they need to be availing of these kinds of supports. So employees need to speak up, and they are speaking up in order to garner these kinds of supports.
I
Interviewer2:18
You know, thinking about some of the survey data as well that our viewers are hearing about here today, and the Bright Horizons study showing working parents are becoming more vocal, but also saying, 'You know what, I'm willing to step away from this role if I don't feel like my work-life balance is being met here.' So what are the top three things that you hear the parents who are employees asking for?
S
Stephen Kramer2:41
Yeah, so first, access to high-quality, affordable child care is the number one ask that working parents are approaching their employers with. And the reality is, in the community, high-quality care is a large investment for working families. So first, gaining access is difficult, and then secondarily, finding it to be affordable for most working parents is very challenging. So they're asking their employers to first and foremost lean into providing these kinds of supports. Secondly, they're asking for actual financial subsidy against providing for child care. And then the third is, when they have breakdowns in care arrangements, they are asking their employers to provide benefits that allow for them to be able to have a secondary form of backup care to accommodate needs when they have a breakdown in their traditional care arrangements.
I
Interviewer3:38
What does that mix look like between and among families that are going to employers and saying, 'Okay, hey, I need some type of help with being able to create a reality where I can afford or go up against some of the elevated child care costs,' in tandem with what some of the government subsidies or offers are that are on the table, whether that be through some of the child care tax credits? And how does that mix kind of offset some of the costs?
S
Stephen Kramer4:08
Yeah, I think it's a great question. I think that in the United States, there is a long history of government support for those families that are in the highest need. So those that are the neediest families are provided with government support, government vouchers that allow them access to be able to afford child care. I think there has been an incredible squeeze on the middle-income families, and those middle-income families generally earn an income that is greater than what the government supports allow for, but at the same time, don't make enough money to be able to afford high-quality child care. And so that's why employers become such an important support for the vast majority of families in this country that are seeking high-quality care at a rate that is affordable to their family.
I
Interviewer5:03
Stephen Kramer, who is the Bright Horizons CEO, Stephen, thanks so much for joining us to discuss this very important topic. Thank you.
