Access to Child Care Set to Expand with New Facility at Keysight Technologies

Keysight Technologies, Inc., the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber, and the City of Santa Rosa are thrilled to announce that Keysight will soon break ground on a new on-site child care facility for Keysight employees and the public. The site will add approximately 100 much needed child care slots to our community, and will serve an important role in Keysight’s employee retention and recruitment plan.

Hamish Gray, Senior Vice President at Keysight, stated, “Keysight fully understands that offering on-site childcare is important to attracting and retaining the best talent in the North Bay and surrounding areas. Ron Nersesian, Chairman, President and CEO of Keysight, was a driving force behind this investment decision, which is reflective of the company’s commitment to our employees and to all of Sonoma County.”

The City of Santa Rosa recognizes increasing access to quality child care is an important economic development initiative and has updated policies to reflect this position. The City has met with Keysight’s project managers, outlining the streamlined pathway to support their project through its development timeline. According to Raissa de la Rosa, the City’s economic development director, “Quality early childcare is critical to healthy communities. Access to childcare and child development resources aids the economic stability and well-being of families, which in turn helps improves productivity and the economy in general.”

Funded by First 5 Sonoma County for its work on employer supported child care, the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber has been working with major employers and community partners to increase access to quality early care and education in Sonoma County. Key pieces of this effort include presenting the business case for employer supported child care, providing assistance by bringing in experts and providers, and serving as a convener and advocate from investigation to implementation. First 5 Commissioner and Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins celebrated the announcement saying, “Here we have a perfect example of how the private sector can lead the way. Keysight has set an example that I hope our government agencies, as large employers, can follow.”

“From those early discussions with Keysight, it was apparent that expanding child care options for working families was a shared priority,” says Ananda Sweet, VP of Public Policy & Workforce Development at the Metro Chamber. “These additional slots will have a real impact on our community. Of course, it’s primarily about doing the right thing for kids and families, but it also enhances the stability of our current workforce, improves health and education outcomes, increases self-sufficiency and economic prosperity.”

High-quality, affordable, and accessible child care has a significant impact on the economic growth and competitiveness of companies in our region, and is vital in supporting and retaining working families in our community. The data are clear that quality child care provides significant returns for children, parents, employers and our community:

Research shows that babies form over 90% of the brain connections that determine how they talk, think and grow by the time they are five years old.
On average, half of parents miss over eight days of work due to child care issues, and 80% of parents would leave one job for another that provided child care.
Businesses typically see up to and beyond a 100% ROI resulting from tax savings, increased retention and productivity, and decreased absenteeism.
Studies show that for every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood education programs can lead to $16 back in the pockets of the community from higher wages later in life, increased tax revenue, more effective public schools, improved personal and public health, less crime, and more educated, skilled workers.

The new child care center at Keysight will be run by Bright Horizons, a national leader in high-quality employer supported child care. The site will offer early education and care for children ages 0-12 years from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The facility is anticipated to open by August 2020.