Meeting the Needs of Today’s Working Parents

To head back to work or to stay at home—that is the question many parents ask themselves as they await the arrival of their newborn.

In the past, it was normal for mothers to stay home with their children. But these days, more and more women are committed to keeping their jobs and raising a family. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, nearly two-thirds of American moms (64.4%) are breadwinners in the family. The report also noted that the days when the majority of middle and upper income women stayed home to raise families full time are a thing of the past. That’s why, companies across the nation are adjusting their services to meet the needs of working parents. Lightbridge Academy* is one franchise doing just that.  

Lightbridge Academy is an early childhood education daycare and development center. Recently, the brand proudly launched a new program, BottleBridge, which is catered toward working mothers.

“BottleBridge was designed because of an increased trend in working mothers who were desiring to continue nursing after they returned to work," said Brenda Febbo, the chief marketing officer for Lightbridge Academy.  

The 2016 Breastfeeding Report Card highlights that 4 out of 5 children (81.1%) were breastfed for part of their life. It is clear that many mothers are choosing to breastfeed. Perhaps more interesting, however, is the percentage of babies breastfed over three months or more. When it comes to longer term figures, 34.6 percent of babies were breastfed from 1986 to 1988 and between 2009 and 2010, this had increased to 49.9 percent. However, a lot of child care centers aren’t equipped with the proper tools and know-how to provide for children who are nursing. That’s where BottleBridge comes in—a first-of-its-kind training program certified by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. The program provides all Lightbridge Academy infant caregivers with the depth of knowledge necessary to support nursing infants and mothers.

“We recognize and understand that it is every mother’s personal decision on what they choose to feed their infant formula or breast-milk.,” said Febbo. “Because more studies have come out touting the benefits of breastfeeding, we have experienced an increase in the amount of mothers wanting to continue providing breast milk after they return to the workplace. Our BottleBridge Certification Program provides in depth training to all infant caregivers on how to facilitate these desires and develop the strong bonds necessary for moms to continue providing breast milk to their babies—even when they aren’t physically there.”

Parents also have the option to come in during work breaks and go into private rooms to feed their baby. Lightbridge Academy’s main goal is to become the solution for working parents and create something that feels more like a home away from home than a child care center.  

Another company that’s helping working parents is WT Café. WT Café is a company that delivers fresh food to children or families where they live, learn, and play. They, too, provide convenient solutions for working parents.

“A lot of parents don’t have time to pack lunches every day and find it hard on a daily basis to have enough variety and keep them healthy. A lot of kids don’t enjoy healthy things either, so being creative is a must when making their food. Parents typically turn to making cold lunches. It’s our goal to show them how many fresh, healthy options exist,” said Debbie Blacher, CEO of WT Café.  

WT Café makes it easy for parents to pick healthy, convenient meals. Parents can go to their website, look at menus, and order products, whether they are cold or hot meals, online. They even have a range of options for kids with allergies. Health is of the utmost importance to WT Café.

“So many kids today have allergies, and there are families that are going gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan. There needs to be options for them, and our website is very transparent about what goes into the lunches we offer,” Blacher noted. “There are menu filtering functionalities where parents can filter out certain products and parents can even build a profile for their child with their dietary needs and menus will be catered to them.”

Being a working parent can be tough, and there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. But thanks to companies like Lightbridge Academy and WT Café, they are making lives a little bit easier, convenient, and stress-free.