The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro has been named a Family Forward NC Certified Employer by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation’s (NCEC) Family Forward NC initiative. A Family Forward NC Employer Certification designates employers that offer policies and practices that support the health and well-being of working families and children.

To achieve certification, NCEC looks at employer benefits in the following policy and practice categories:

• paid leave and wages,
• accommodations for pregnant and breastfeeding workers,
• childcare supports,
• health and wellness benefits,
• and scheduling practices.

“I am proud that my employer, the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, has been designated as a Family Forward Certified Employer because we are a family-friendly workplace,” says Martin Acevedo, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. “I moved to Greensboro for a job, but I stayed for the quality of life that Greensboro and this job affords me.”

The U.S. is facing a massive talent shortage that will result in a deficit of millions of workers by 2030, and a childcare crisis coupled with lack of supports like paid leave mean pregnant workers and working parents and caregivers—especially women—are disproportionately forced to change jobs or leave the workforce entirely or are unable to rejoin the workforce after giving birth.

“Employers want to attract and retain the best employees, and they want those employees to be happy and healthy,” said Muffy Grant, executive director of the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation. The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro offers the following family-friendly benefits to employees and their families:

• Maternity Leave
• Lactation/Breastfeeding Accommodations
• Parental and Family Leave
• Bereavement Leave
• Volunteer Involvement
• Personal Leave
• Jury and Witness Duty Leave
• Military Leave
• Professional Development Leave
• Professional Development
• Education Assistance Benefits
• SEP (7% ER contribution), 403b
• Flex Spending and HRA
• STD, LTD, and Life Insurance – 100% Employer Paid
• Medical and Dental benefits – 100% Employer Paid
• Vision Plan
• PTO
• Office closes on Fridays at 3pm
• Remote Work
• Flex Schedules
• 12 Paid Holidays plus week of July 4^th  (17 days annually)

Decades of research have established that children need supportive and supported families and communities to build strong brains, along with health and development on track from birth and high-quality birth-through-age eight learning environments with regular attendance.

“For children, our future workforce, there is a critical window of time for brain development during the earliest years of life. In fact, the first 2,000 days of a child’s life are so defining that by the time that child turns eight, his or her third grade reading outcomes can predict future academic achievement and career success,” Grant said.

Launched in 2018, Family Forward NC is an innovative initiative to improve children’s health and well-being and keep North Carolina’s businesses competitive. It is employer-led change to increase access to research-based, family-friendly practices — big and small — that improve workplace productivity, recruitment, and retention; grow a strong economy; and support children’s healthy development. To date, Family Forward NC has engaged with more than 6,900 employers across North Carolina.

For more information about our employee benefits and culture, visit cfgg.org. For more information about Family Forward NC and the Family Forward NC Employer Certification, visit www.familyforwardnc.com.