A retention benefit HR can operate and finance can defend.
Offer employees meaningful choice through an excellent care network, with the option to keep existing providers and a net budget far below the headline value.
The business case
Child-care costs push experienced parents out in the middle of their careers. A meaningful employer contribution can change that decision, and the 2026 credit expansion changes the budget conversation.
A care experience worth offering
Families can browse a growing network of carefully selected licensed providers and find programs that fit their lives. They can also nominate an existing provider when continuity matters more than switching. The value proposition is both better discovery and respect for family choice.
What HR cares about
- A benefit employees can understand and actually use.
- A high-quality care network with search and matching support.
- Continuity for families who already have care they trust.
- Eligibility rules that are explicit, consistently administered, and reviewable.
- A family-support channel that does not become a new HR ticket queue.
- Effective-dated plan terms, enrollment records, and an audit trail.
What finance cares about
- A capped annual budget and transparent employer obligations.
- Separate views for estimated gross benefit, federal credit, state layer, and net cost.
- No hidden claim that every credit is immediately usable.
- Clean separation between qualified care spending and Care Assembly's service fees.
- An annual support file for the employer's CPA, who owns the tax position.
What this is not
It is not backup care, a dependent-care FSA, a senior-executive reimbursement, or an invitation to build an on-site center. It is a contracted employer contribution to licensed care, administered as a broad workforce program.
Outside tax counsel has formally reviewed the federal program-design requirements concerning fair access and contract terms. A summary is available on request. This does not replace employer-specific advice.