Frequently Asked Questions

The application has two parts. First, the eligibility quiz takes about 5 minutes to complete. If eligible, you’ll receive an email link to the full application, which takes about 30-60 minutes to complete, depending on how familiar you are with your policies.

If you pass the eligibility quiz, you'll receive an email inviting you to complete the full application and a pdf preview of the application. Use the pdf to review and think about your answers before completing the application online. In addition, once you begin your application, you can save your answers and return later as needed.

The online survey that we will ask you to distribute to your employees is available in English and Spanish and can be toggled between the two languages.

Only employees physically working in NC (in-office or remotely within NC) will participate in the employee survey. Employees of your organization located outside of NC do not participate in the survey. 

All of our application process is conducted electronically, including the employee survey. If your employees do not have access to a computer on a daily basis, we can provide a pdf of the survey to distribute. If this is a need for your organization, please contact the Family Forward NC team.

Yes. Employers will receive results, in aggregate, from the employee surveys. Total data is presented in graphs and charts, as well as the open-ended comments from employees. We provide this information so employers can identify areas for review within their own policies and organization.

If you are a subsidiary, franchise, or entity of a larger corporation, you are eligible to certify only your NC location, based on the policies and benefits applicable to NC employees. 

The Family Forward NC team will be in touch via email within 15 business days of receiving your application, if not sooner. Depending on your ability to provide verification documents and distribute the employee survey to your workforce in a timely manner, the time from application to certification could take as little as two weeks or as long as a few months.

Nearly all employers who pass the eligibility quiz become certified after completing the full application and verification process. However, it is possible that upon review of your application and handbook against our standards for your size of organization, you may not be eligible for certification. If this is the case, we provide resources and recommendations to help get you there next time.

All applicants must pay the non-refundable $50 Application Fee. The Certification Fee, due upon certification, is based on the total number of employees in your organization (full and part-time employees physically working in the US):

• 5-49 employees: $200
• 50-99 employees: $450
• 100-499 employees: $750
• 500+ employees: $1,500

Yes. If you choose to recertify after two years, all applicants must pay the application fee ($50) and applicable certification fee.

Family Forward NC is an initiative of the NC Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF). Your fees go directly back to NCECF to help cover some of the costs for processing applications.

Your Family Forward NC Employer Certification is good for two years from the date of certification. We will notify you when it is time to recertify.

We mostly communicate via email, from familyforwardnc@buildthefoundation.org. If you are not receiving communication, it is likely that our email address is going to your spam folder or has been blocked by your server. Please take internal measures to prevent this from happening, as our emails contain important links and steps in the process to becoming certified.

Yes! Email us at familyforwardnc@buildthefoundation.org or call the NC Early Childhood Foundation at 919-895-3290.