Recognizing Louisiana businesses that put families first
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children have partnered to launch The Best Place for Working Parents® Louisiana, joining the national network that recognizes employers with family-friendly policies. Through a first-of-its-kind, 3-minute online self-assessment, Louisiana business leaders can instantly determine whether their organization qualifies to earn a Best Place for Working Parents® designation, positioning them among the leading family-friendly businesses in the U.S. Business leaders can complete the free assessment now to see if they qualify and to earn the designation.
The confidential online business self-assessment allows businesses of all sizes to promote innovative practices that help today’s working parents provide for their families, and adapt and thrive at work during extraordinary times. The Best Place for Working Parents® assessment highlights the top 10 research-backed policies proven to benefit working parents and businesses’ bottom line.
While family-friendly policies have a direct impact on working parents, state and national research prove that there is also a serious business case to being family-friendly:
- Employees with family care benefits report 45% higher productivity and 40% lower absenteeism.[1]
- Parental absences cost Louisiana businesses $762 million annually from missed work, turnover, and other related costs.
- The total impact of parental absences on the Louisiana economy is $1.3 billion annually.[2]
- Child care enables parents to work. More than 70% of parents could not work without a reliable child care arrangement for their children.
- Even with their current child care arrangements in place, many parents still lack the care they need throughout the workday. Most parents had to take at least one day off of work in the last three months due to a child care disruption.[3]
“Louisiana’s children and families thrive when employers recognize that supporting working parents is good for business and for our state’s future,” said Dr. Libbie Sonnier, Chief Executive Officer of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. “Through The Best Place for Working Parents® Louisiana, we’re proud to celebrate businesses that lead by example, offering family-friendly policies that strengthen their workforce and our economy.”
“Louisiana’s business community understands that policies supporting working parents are not only the right thing to do for families, they’re also a competitive advantage,” said Tim Magner, 2025 Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Chair. “By partnering on The Best Place for Working Parents® Louisiana, we’re spotlighting employers that invest in their people and, in turn, drive a stronger Louisiana.”
The Best Place for Working Parents® online self-assessment provides a real-time dashboard of how a business fares against other businesses of like size and industry across each of the top 10 family-friendly practices in their region. Each of the top 10 policies include research on their business ROI and case studies that tell the story of how local businesses’ practices have impacted their productivity, retention, job satisfaction and attraction. The 3-minute self-assessment, real-time dashboard results, and the Best Place for Working Parents® designation for qualifying businesses can be accessed at business.bestplace4workingparents.com.
[1] Care for Business. (2025). 2025 Future of Benefits Report: Combatting the employee burnout crisis. Available online at https://www.care.com/business/reports/2025-future-of-benefits-report/?utm_source=cfb_ws&utm_medium=M-PRS&utm_campaign=CFB_US_C-PRS_PRA_P-OTH_B2B_V-PRO_ACQ_TOF_T-DOW_L-ENG_28___FutureOfBenefits2025.
[2] Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center. (2021). Blanco Center Policy Brief: Child Care and the Economy in Louisiana. Available online at https://policyinstitutela.org/research/child-care-and-the-economy-in-louisiana/.
[3] Louisiana Policy Institute for Children. (2024). Caught in the Middle: Louisiana Parents Work, and the Struggle for Affordable Child Care. Available online at https://policyinstitutela.org/research/caught-in-the-middle-louisiana-parents-work-and-struggle-for-affordable-child-care-full-report/
About Louisiana Policy Institute for Children: Louisiana Policy Institute for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that Louisiana’s young children, from birth to age four, are best prepared for success in school and in life. The Policy Institute develops policy proposals informed by data, research, best practices and the experiences of other states to improve the outcomes of Louisiana’s youngest citizens, and further provides educational and outreach activities based on recommended policy solutions. The organization works to ensure children are safe, healthy and have the opportunity to reach their full potential. For more information, visit www.policyinstitutela.org and follow the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About The Best Place for Working Parents®: The Best Place for Working Parents® is a growing national network of business leaders proving that family-friendly IS business-friendly. Originating in Fort Worth, Texas, The Best Place for Working Parents® seeks to support businesses with research-backed strategies that benefit working parents AND businesses’ bottom line. Learn more at https://bestplace4workingparents.com/louisiana/ and www.bestplace4workingparents.com.