DEPC Named Family Forward Employer

Henrietta Zalkind

Down East Partnership for Children

Down East Partnership for Children has been named a Family Forward NC® Certified Employer by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation’s Family Forward NC initiative.

We are proud to be a Family Forward Employer, and we look forward to working with other employers who would like to help our community become certified as a Family Forward Community.

What does it mean to be a Family Forward employer?  A Family Forward NC Employer Certification designates employers that offer policies and practices that support the health and well-being of working families and children. The certification looks at employer benefits like paid leave and wages, accommodations for pregnant and breastfeeding workers, child care supports, health and wellness benefits, and scheduling practices.

This is important because attracting and retaining the talent we need to build this community even stronger is the goal.  We want to be known as a Family Forward Community.  We are working with area employers and hope they will consider surveying their own employees about what they want and seeing how we can move toward a family forward community.

Launched in 2018, Family Forward NC is an innovative initiative to improve children’s health and well-being and keep North Carolina’s businesses competitive. It is employer-led change to increase access to research-based, family-friendly practices — big and small — that improve workplace productivity, recruitment and retention; grow a strong economy; and support children’s healthy development. To date, Family Forward NC® has engaged with more than 10,000 employers across North Carolina.

According to Family Forward, the U.S. is facing a massive talent shortage that will result in a deficit of millions of workers by 2030, and a child care crisis coupled with lack of supports like paid leave mean pregnant workers and working parents and caregivers -especially women- are disproportionately forced to change jobs or leave the workforce entirely or are unable to rejoin the workforce after giving birth.

For more information about Family Forward NC® and the Family Forward NC® Employer Certification, visit www.familyforwardnc.com.