Daycare for Employees at Red Rooster Coffee

Red Rooster Coffee in Floyd, Va., opens an accredited on-site daycare for employees to spend time at work with their kids.

BY ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Photos courtesy of Red Rooster Coffee

The price of childcare can be costly and prohibitive, especially for working baristas whose hours can fluctuate in an industry where wages might not cover the cost. Red Rooster Coffee in Floyd, Va., is hoping to address this issue by opening a daycare center called Yellow Hen Child Care, which is housed in the same building as their café and roasting operations.

Employees are allowed to step off the floor to spend time with their kids, which is especially important for new parents who are nursing children. “Co-owner Haden Polseno-Hensley believes Red Rooster is the smallest company and the only coffee company in Virginia to offer employee daycare,” a press release states. “While large companies like Patagonia have received accolades and media attention for their employee daycare programs, Polseno-Hensley and [co-owner Rose] McCutchan (spouses and parents) believe that the investment can pay off for small rural companies in employee retention and job satisfaction.”

Red Rooster opened Yellow Hen Child Care to provide a childcare facility for their employees.

Although the facility is open to all residents in the area, it is specifically geared toward Red Rooster staff. “Red Rooster subsidizes 80 percent of the costs of childcare for their employees, many of whom are young working moms and single parents,” the press release shares.

Red Rooster wanted to invest in employees long-term, and felt that it was necessary to accommodate the changing lives and needs of its employees. Red Rooster staff members get an 80 percent reduction in childcare costs.

The facility, which serves children from one month to 12 years old, abides by Montessori standards. “Both the director and the lead teacher are Montessori-certified, and they have instituted a large educational component at Yellow Hen,” the press release states. Currently, the center has kids who are children of employees and non-employees alike.

Children at Yellow Hen receive a Montessori-style education from trained leaders.

Red Rooster opened in 2010 and is looking for other ways to support their staff. Along with the daycare facility, the business supports fair wages, and is looking into IRA options and other long-term financial initiatives. You can learn more about Red Rooster on their website.