Success comes with a cost. For parents, it often comes down to the cost of balancing between parenting and work hours. The parents’ success is glorified, leaving a shadow beneath. This is the shadow of stress that builds up around time management.
Many working parents quietly absorb the pressure of school schedules, sick days, and unreliable care, hesitant to appear “less committed” at work. This is where the corporate daycares come into the picture.
A small but growing number of employers are challenging this unspoken norm through corporate daycare collaborations, signalling that caregiving is not a personal inconvenience, but a workplace reality worth supporting.
Ketika Kapoor, CEO & Co-founder, Proeves, a Pluxee Company, said, “Daycare reduces the daily pressure of coordinating schedules and backup care, which often leads to more predictable routines and fewer unplanned leaves. For single parents, the impact is even more direct. A dependable daycare option can act as a stable support system, reducing dependence on informal or ad hoc arrangements and enabling continued employment and career continuity.”
But how does a corporate daycare work? What are the prerequisites? Let’s take a look.
According to the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, companies in India with 50 or more employees must provide mandatory, accessible crèche facilities for children aged 6 months to 6 years, either on-site or within 500 meters of the workplace.
The prerequisites for a daycare are well-ventilated, well-lit spaces with child-friendly toilets, clean drinking water, and designated areas for sleeping, eating, and breastfeeding. Requires one supervisor and one helper for every 10 children (under 3 years) or every 20 children (3-6 years).
But what about the fathers?
Parental leaves, whether maternity or paternity, are offered for special needs such as birth, childcare, etc. But the elephant in the room often goes unnoticed, which is caring for the child till the time he/she grows enough for self-care.
The Banyan’s Director, Swati Jain, said, “While the exact numbers shift depending on location and age groups we cater to, mothers often form the majority among those first reaching out or signing up. That reflects wider social trends: women tend to take the lead when choosing schools or care options for their young ones. However, we’re increasingly seeing greater participation from fathers, from involvement at events, engagement in parent-teacher meetings, to active interest in their children’s development. This shift is a positive sign of evolving parenting roles.”
Aligning with this, Ketika Kapoor said, “Our current utilisation split is 40% men and 60% women. What’s encouraging is that this is not static. The latest ProEves (a Pluxee company) childcare study shows benefits are becoming more inclusive, with 64% of organisations funding daycare benefits for fathers, up from 48% in 2022. The share of organisations that don’t fund or are only planning to fund has reduced from 49% to 31%, while 5% restrict the benefit to single fathers only.”
But irrespective of such marital status and gender of the parents, how do these daycare units support employees with productivity?
On this, Ketika Kapoor said that for married parents, daycare reduces the daily pressure of coordinating schedules and backup care, which often leads to more predictable routines and fewer unplanned leaves. For single parents, the impact is even more direct. A dependable daycare option can act as a stable support system, reducing dependence on informal or ad hoc arrangements and enabling continued employment and career continuity.
Daycare centres support employee productivity in ways that go far beyond the obvious benefit of childcare. At a very basic level, they remove the constant background anxiety many working parents carry into the workplace. The worry about whether their child is safe, settled, or cared for during working hours. When that mental load reduces, focus improves.
Employees stay present in meetings, meet deadlines, and engage more deeply with their work instead of being distracted by frequent check-in calls or emergency arrangements.
In India, the absence of grandparents is severely felt by the people struggling to manage childcare and work. This bothers more when the distance between the workplace and home increases. The pressure is felt immensely. That’s when the daycares become the most efficient for the parents.
On-site or near-site daycare centres significantly cut down commute-related stress and time loss. Parents no longer have to plan their workday around distant drop-offs and pick-ups, which often leads to late arrivals or early exits.
Here are some additional ways in which the daycare facilities support the parents:
Safeguards from burnout: Daycare support also stabilises work continuity during critical career phases. For example, Many employees, especially women and single parents, experience productivity dips or career breaks during early parenthood due to the lack of reliable childcare.
Access to a dependable daycare enables them to return to work sooner and remain consistently engaged, preserving institutional knowledge and reducing the productivity loss associated with attrition and rehiring.
Better employee experience: Employees who feel supported by their organisation tend to demonstrate higher levels of commitment and discretionary effort. Corporate daycare signals trust and long-term investment in employees’ lives, which often translates into stronger engagement, lower burnout, and higher motivation. Over time, this sense of security fosters a more resilient and productive workforce.
Noise reduction: When dependable care is in place, employees are less likely to take emergency leave or work in fragmented bursts. This predictability helps reduce unnecessary noise during work. With such support, teams plan better, managers allocate workloads more effectively, and organisations maintain momentum without frequent interruptions, all of which directly contribute to sustained productivity.
On these lines, Ketika Kapoor added that daycare helps working parents manage work and life by providing reliable, safe childcare during working hours. When parents know their child is cared for in a structured environment, they can plan their day better, stay focused at work, and reduce last-minute disruptions.
According to her, beyond supervision, quality daycare also supports the child’s early development through routines, social interaction, and age-appropriate learning.
“Finally, by fostering community and support networks among parents, we create spaces where they can share concerns, exchange advice, and feel understood. The Banyan is not just a service provider — it’s a partner in helping families thrive, both at home and at work,” said Swati Jain.
What lies in the future?
Corporate daycare is not merely about infrastructure but about intent. It forces organisations to confront uncomfortable questions about availability, flexibility, and what commitment at work truly looks like.
Reliable childcare enables continuity, financial independence, and mental stability in a way few other benefits can. Yet, the current ecosystem remains uneven, accessible largely to employees of large organisations and concentrated in urban centres. If corporate daycare is to become a true culture-shaping intervention, it must move beyond compliance and scale with empathy.
Going ahead, the ecosystem of these daycare facilities will also identify the missing link in helping fathers (both single and married). Given the evolution of society, it is a shift that modern workplaces would require.
As India’s workforce becomes more diverse and family structures more fluid, childcare will emerge as a litmus test of inclusive leadership.
