For over four decades, AdventHealth Shawnee Mission (formerly Shawnee Mission Hospital) in Merriam, Kansas, has stood out by offering onsite childcare, a unique benefit that began in 1979 to attract and retain top healthcare talent. Candy Seltman was recruited to launch the childcare center, which started with 100 slots and now operates as part of the B.E. Smith Family Center, serving up to 200 children daily, not including those with special needs. The center has become an essential asset for employees, offering flexible hours, reduced rates, and high-quality care, fostering a supportive work environment. This case study highlights the ongoing importance of employer-based childcare in addressing workforce challenges and the critical role it plays in the lives of working parents, demonstrating a successful model that could inspire similar initiatives in other organizations.

A scenario from the COVID-19 pandemic or its aftermath? Hardly.

That real-life turn of events came more than four decades ago at Shawnee Mission Hospital in Merriam, Kansas.

Hospital leaders recruited Candy Seltman to fast-track the childcare operation. Seltman left her job running a home-based center in nearby Overland Park, and after a seven-month sprint, the 100-slot center opened in August 1979.

Forty-plus years later, the childcare program...