January 11, 2023 3:35 a.m. 

Business Champions for Kids, known as Biz4Kids, is a announcing the relaunching of its website at www.biz4kids.org and a new partnership through Best Place for Working Parents, a national network of business leaders who believe that family-friendly is business-friendly.

A release said Biz4Kids is a program of the Douglas Education Service District. For more than 10 years, the program has worked with employers throughout Douglas County to adopt family-friendly practices.

The program believes that family-friendly working environments provide a significant return on investment for employers, including better recruitment, stronger employee retention, and higher productivity and engagement. That means those environments help families build safe, stable and nurturing relationships for young children during child development.

Early Learning Program Facilitator Business Champions for Kids and Douglas County Childcare Coalition’s Robin Van Winkle said, “At a time when workers have so many choices about where and when to work, Business Champions for Kids provide solutions that help employers experience significantly better recruitment and retention by adopting proven family-friendly policies”.

Van Winkle said all local public and private employers of all sizes are encouraged to access resources on the Biz4Kids website. The “Getting Started Guide” provides steps to design a family-friendly workplace. By taking an assessment, employers can learn whether their organization qualifies to earn a Best Place for Working Parents designation. Other designations are available as well.

In addition to the website, Van Winkle is available to meet with employers, make presentations and support businesses with family-friendly tools. Biz4Kids hosts quarterly round tables and business events to strengthen their work.

Call Douglas ESD at 492-6620 for more information.