Sara Mauskopf
Sara Mauskopf is the co-founder and CEO of Winnie. She’s also the mom of three young children and vocal advocate for high quality child care and early education for all.
In childcare, consumer preferences evolve over time often due to macro trends. Winnie offers a unique vantage point to observe and analyze these shifts. Our recent dive into search data has revealed some fascinating changes in parents’ childcare preferences between 2022 and 2023.
Normalizing for an increase in search traffic on Winnie in 2023 vs 2022, we still saw a 15% increase in parents searching for flexible childcare in 2023 over 2022 with a 50% increase in part-time childcare and a decrease in interest in drop-in childcare.
The data
- We use the term flexible childcare to refer to all searches for part-time daycare and part-time preschool, drop-in childcare, weekend and overnight care.
- Adjusting for the increase in traffic on Winnie, there was a significant 15% rise in searches for flexible childcare interest in 2023 over 2022.
- Within the flexible care category, the terms “part-time daycare” and “part-time preschool” refer to regular care that occurs for reduced hours in the day or only certain days of the week. Searches for part-time daycare and part-time preschool have seen a 50% increase from 2022 to 2023, the most significant increase within flexible childcare.
- On the flip side, the demand for “drop-in care” - sometimes called “backup care” - has declined by 6% from 2022 to 2023. This refers to one-time or infrequent care provided ad hoc when your usual form of childcare is unavailable. Even though it’s decreased from 2023, it is still a very popular form of flexible care.
Why we’re seeing this shift
Macro factors might help explain the shifts we’re seeing.
First, the rise in employees spending a mix of days at home and in the office could lead to parents seeking out childcare only on certain days. For example, you might seek out a center-based option only on the days you are commuting into the office. Especially in an economy with rising costs, some parents might be seeking to “get by with less” and utilize part-time options. These families may fill in the child care gaps with things like friends & family care.
It’s also important to note that flexible care is not just for very young children. We also see a lot of searches for flexible care by parents with elementary age children as well as spikes for that type of child care when the school year starts. Parents need coverage during times when their children are out of school.
Similarly, the need for “drop-in childcare” or “back-up childcare” could be decreasing with the increased flexibility of workplaces and parents’ desire to save money.
Takeaways for employers
As childcare search trends evolve, they provide valuable insights not just for parents but also for employers aiming to create family-friendly work environments. Employers who provide a stipend for backup care may want to consider instead a stipend or subsidy for parents’ regular childcare options.
The data underscores that parents are increasingly cost-conscious. By providing a childcare stipend and promoting workplace flexibility, employers can help parents save money.
As recent data suggest, child care is top of mind for parents in the workforce. More than half of employees with children considered changing their job to get better childcare benefits. Aligning any childcare benefits you do offer with what parents actually want is critical for employers.
