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ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe do hear from people sometimes that they just canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t keep working because they donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t have anybody to take care of their kids, or they canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t come and start at a certain time or they need a certain shift because they canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t get child care, things like that,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� said Myriah Sweeney, who works in management at Toyota. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œSo we do expect this will help with retention and recruiting.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Her team oversees all corporate shared services including dining, child care and uniform management.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s been a demand for all of our sites for child care. I think part of the issue is because we work such unique shifts. Having time overnight and having to go early in the morning before most traditional child care centers open really causes some issues for folks, and so thereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s been a demand for this one,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Sweeney said.

Toyota says each of the new child care centers is being developed in collaboration with third-party, high-quality child care providers and will align with plant production schedules, helping to ensure that team members can balance work and family responsibilities.

At the Buffalo location, Sweeney said, 20% of Toyota team members have children, and around 10% have kids who are 12 or younger. The site has 2,077 employees. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s unclear how many people will use the child care center, she said.

The Buffalo location will use Bright Horizons as its third-party provider.

Toyota already owns the property the child care center will need, but the building will be new and open by 2027. It will be able to care for up to 240 children over two shifts. Any time the plant is producing units, which includes Saturdays occasionally, the child care center will be open.

Sweeney said Toyota will help cover some of the operational costs, but team members do pay for the service, either by payroll deduction or another method.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe make it competitive with other centers that are in the local market,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Sweeney said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe havenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t decided on the rates yet for West Virginia, but weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ll be looking at other centers in the area and making sure that weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re competitive with those.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Children who attend the center will receive two meals per shift at no extra cost, or they can bring their own food. Sweeney says that food will likely come from the meal provider who already operates at the plants. For Buffalo, thatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Aramark.

There is a nap schedule built into the day. There are cots and murphy beds for school-age children.

Sweeney said that the plan for the center is to serve children from 6 weeks to kindergarten age, but they are also assessing the need for child care in the area overall to possibly adjust.

There also could be a separate child care program in the summer when need increases, and itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s also possible the center will work with local schools for transportation between school and the center.

All children who attend the center must be the legal dependents of a Toyota team member.

According to information from Toyota, all centers will introduce an age-based curriculum for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old, promoting learning through motor development, as well as physical, cognitive and social-emotional growth. They will be equipped with a commercial kitchen, STEM room, movement matters space (like an indoor playground) and an outdoor playground.

All sites will go through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation process, which establishes standards for quality child care programs.

There are already two child care facilities at ToyotaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Kentucky and Indiana plants. Production at the facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, started in 1988 and child care became available there in 1993.