How One Firm Paid for Child Care to Retain Working Mothers

Lucas and Luna explore how one mid-size accounting firm—Bennett Advisors—funded a child care subsidy program that cut turnover among working mothers by 40 percent in two years. They break down the program's structure: a flat $500 monthly subsidy per child under age six, funded by reallocating 5 percent of the partner bonus pool. Lucas cites the firm's retention data: before the program, annual turnover for mothers with young kids was 28 percent; after two years, it dropped to 17 percent. The hosts also discuss the cost-benefit math: each retained employee saved roughly $35,000 in recruiting and training costs, so the program paid for itself within 18 months. Luna raises the question of scalability for smaller firms, and Lucas suggests a sliding-scale model tied to salary. The episode closes with a reflection on whether child care support is the single highest-leverage intervention for gender equity in professional services. #ChildCare #WorkingMothers #Retention #Turnover #BennettAdvisors #AccountingFirm #GenderEquity #ParentalSupport #SubsidyProgram #CostBenefit #Careers #DiversityPodcast #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #FamilyPolicy #TalentRetention #HRStrategy #EmployeeBenefits Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo