Child Care’s Growing Role in Office and Workplace Strategy
By Chris Rohrer, Broker & Pete Kostroski, Broker | Rokos Advisors
For the past few years, the return-to-office debate has focused on flexibility, amenities, and hybrid policies. But there’s a much bigger — and often overlooked — factor quietly shaping workplace decisions: child care.
As companies push for greater in-office presence, many employees aren’t pushing back because they dislike the office. They’re pushing back because the logistics of daily life don’t pencil anymore. For working parents, access to reliable, affordable child care isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the gatekeeper to whether returning to the office is even feasible.
Why This Matters for Employers — and Real Estate
From a business perspective, child care is no longer just a social issue. It’s a workforce strategy issue that directly impacts recruitment, retention, and productivity. Employers across industries are discovering that without solutions for working parents, return-to-office mandates can unintentionally shrink the talent pool — particularly among mid-career professionals and women. That reality has real implications for how companies evaluate their real estate decisions.
Office space can’t just be functional anymore. It has to support the full ecosystem of work.
The Rising Cost of Child Care Is a Real Constraint
Childcare costs have risen dramatically over the last decade, often rivaling or exceeding housing expenses for young families. At the same time, availability has tightened as providers struggle with labor shortages and rising operational costs. The result? Employees juggling long waitlists, limited hours, and unpredictable coverage — all while being asked to commute, collaborate, and be present in the office more often.
When companies ignore this constraint, office attendance struggles. When they acknowledge it, they gain leverage.
How Some Employers Are Getting Creative
Forward-thinking organizations are starting to approach childcare the same way they approach transit access, parking, or wellness amenities—as infrastructure that supports work.
We’re seeing a few strategies emerge:
On-site or nearby child care partnerships in larger office campuses
Subsidized care or reserved slots with local providers
Flexible scheduling tied to care availability, rather than rigid attendance rules
Hub-and-spoke office strategies that reduce commute time for working parents
These aren’t one-size-fits-all solutions, but they all share one mindset shift: recognizing that successful offices support employees beyond the desk.
What This Means for Office Strategy in 2026
For tenants, the conversation around office space is evolving from “How much space do we need?” to “How does our space support how our people actually live?”
For landlords and developers, this creates both a challenge and an opportunity. Buildings that can integrate family-friendly amenities, support services, or partnerships may gain a competitive edge as companies rethink long-term occupancy decisions.
And for companies planning leases today, it’s a reminder that workplace strategy doesn’t stop at floor plans. The most successful offices going forward will be the ones designed around real life, not just idealized workdays.
If the goal is to bring people back to the office in a sustainable way, child care can’t stay on the sidelines of the conversation. It’s one of the clearest examples of how real estate, workforce strategy, and quality of life are now fully intertwined. As the office continues to evolve, the smartest strategies will be the ones that meet employees where they actually are.
Looking for a space that supports the people who use it? Connect with Rokos Advisors today, we help companies think beyond square footage to align their real estate with workforce strategy, culture, and long-term business goals.
Rokos Advisors is an award-winning Minneapolis - St. Paul based commercial real estate/tenant representation firm specializing in helping businesses find the perfect office or industrial space for their company.