Iowa State was named a 2023 Best Place for Working Parents by the Iowa Economic Development Authority, a recognition of the university's support for its employees with family-friendly policies and practices.
"It's a testament to ISU's commitment to the personal and professional well-being and success of its parenting employees," said Cris Broshar, child care and family services coordinator.
System of care
Child care and family services, a unit of university human resources, provides assistance for working parents and parenting students as they navigate supporting their families and succeeding at ISU. Broshar recommended the resource library on the child care and family services website, which provides links to parenting resources, lactation support, adult and elder care, community assistance programs -- which will be updated this fall -- and more.
Learn more
Connect with child care and family services via email or find additional information on the website.
Broshar said employees enrolled in Adventure2 have access to the Parenting Success Solution, which features an extensive library of on-demand parenting videos, monthly parenting discussion groups and access to a one-on-one teleconsultation with board-certified behavior analysts. For employees looking for space to work with their children on campus, Broshar suggested the family-friendly room at the Parks Library -- it can be reserved for four hours at a time and has child-sized furniture, toys and computers with educational software.
Broshar said ISU Extension and Outreach also is a great resource for parents and families.
"ISU Extension and Outreach offer a variety of workshops, online and in-person, on topics across the lifespan, like ACT Raising Safe Kids and Powerful Tools for Caregivers," she said. "Their website includes a vast library of podcast episodes and blog articles from The Science of Parenting and more, and this fall they are offering two online workshops -- Understanding Research and Reality and Positive Discipline."
Important investment
This year marks the first time ISU has received the designation by Best Place for Working Parents Iowa, a local partner of the national Best Place for Working Parents initiative. Broshar said assessed criteria include flexible work arrangements, paid time off, onsite child care and parenting resources.
"Receiving this designation demonstrates the university's understanding of the challenges faced by working parents and its efforts to acknowledge and proactively address these challenges," she said.
