Family-friendly workplaces strengthen our state

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.

Business Smart.

Family-friendly workplaces have a strong competitive advantage.

Family Friendly.

The benefits of family-friendly workplaces are numerous and long-lasting.

Future Ready.

To prepare our future workforce for success, we have to start in early childhood.

Families Have Changed.

But workplaces haven’t.

75% of moms
and
50% of dads

Seventy-five percent of US mothers and fifty percent of US fathers say they’ve passed up work opportunities, switched jobs, or quit to care for their children.Footnote # 1

According to the Federal Reserve in San Francisco, there would be 5 million more workers in the US workforce if parents had access to more family-friendly benefits.

40% of parents nationwide say they’ve left a job because it lacked flexibility.

North Carolina employers engaged

Family Forward in Action

First in Business, First for Families?

June 24, 2026

This spring, Virginia became the first Southern state to establish a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance (PFMLI) program. Beginning in 2028, nearly all workers in the state will…

 Small Business Month Spotlight: A New Tool to Help You Invest in What Works

May 4, 2026

Explore Family Forward NC®’s new Paid Family Leave ROI Calculator, designed to help employers make smart, data-driven decisions about paid family leave. May is National Small Business Month, a time…

Family Forward NC® Summit: Employers Pledge Action

April 21, 2026

More than 100 business leaders from across North Carolina gathered in High Point on March 25 for the Family Forward NC® Summit. The theme – Future-Proof Your Workforce – focused…

Show 1 footnote
  1. Craighill, Peyton and Danielle Paquette. “The surprising number of parents scaling back at work to care for kids.” The Washington Post. August 6, 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/the-surprising-number-of-moms-and-dads-scaling-back-at-work-to-care-for-their-kids/2015/08/06/c7134c50-3ab7-11e5-b3ac-8a79bc44e5e2_story.html?utm_term=.bd7035932210. Return to footnote #1 referrer