As children grow older, the needs of working parents shift significantly, yet workplace support often lags behind. While caring for young children is widely recognized, the challenges of raising school-aged children and teenagers—managing school schedules, demanding extracurricular activities, academic pressures, college preparation, mental health concerns, and navigating a digital world—are frequently overlooked.
The Stigma of Parenting Older Children in the Workplace
A major reason is workplace stigma. Many companies prioritize early parenthood in their policies, focusing on parental leave and childcare while neglecting the needs of parents with older children. A Journal of Vocational Behavior study confirms that family-friendly policies often serve as symbolic gestures rather than practical resources. While organizations implement these policies to signal support, they rarely offer actionable solutions for employees balancing careers with the evolving demands of older children.
Additionally, management perceptions shape employee experiences. When leaders are unaware of or indifferent to these challenges, parents may hesitate to ask for support. While some companies are adapting effectively, many simply don’t care to. Without meaningful workplace policies, parents of older children continue to face unnecessary hurdles in balancing work and family life.
Tara Henning, founder of Superkin, is a leading expert in workplace retention and productivity for caregiving employees. She helps companies move beyond performative policies to implement meaningful support for working parents. Through Superkin, Henning advises organizations on integrating impactful benefits, managerial training, and culture shifts that enhance employee satisfaction and business outcomes.
The Short-Term Thinking That Holds Companies Back
“Many companies resist expanding benefits beyond parental leave, seeing family responsibilities as outside their scope or failing to understand employees’ daily challenges,” Henning said. “Others take a short-term view, prioritizing immediate business needs over the long-term impact of family-friendly policies on retention and productivity.”
Though parents’ needs shift from caring for babies and toddlers to managing the complexities of raising school-aged children and teenagers, employers should provide consistent support. Some forward-thinking companies are beginning to recognize this. “At Superkin, we love seeing solutions like The Zutor Concierge and Wellthy’s teen support both parents and their teenagers,” Henning said. “Companies that bring awareness to or invest in these kinds of benefits help employees reduce stress and stay engaged at work. Employers can help working parents balance career demands while guiding their children through critical stages by offering access to tutoring, college counseling, financial literacy workshops, and workplace flexibility.”
While flexible work arrangements are essential, they alone do not fully address the needs of parents with older children. The Journal of Vocational Behavior study also confirms that, in addition to flexible schedules, companies should foster a culture of managerial support to ensure employees feel comfortable using family-friendly benefits without stigma. Workplace support—such as supervisor and coworker encouragement—impacts employee well-being and retention more than policies alone.
The Role of Leadership in Supporting Work-Family Balance
Parenting stress does not disappear but evolves over time. As such, management must evolve as well. Henning emphasized that employers can provide counseling for both parents and school-aged children to help manage stress. The study also highlights that supervisor support plays a key role in reducing work-family conflict. This means that beyond offering structured programs like college counseling or academic support, organizations should train managers to recognize the challenges working parents face and offer flexibility and guidance when needed.
As mental health concerns among older children rise, working parents are under increasing pressure to provide support while managing their jobs. “Providers like Lyra and Wellthy offer counseling and resources tailored for parents and their older children,” Henning said. “AI-powered tools like Milo and family-centric virtual assistants at Sundays are innovating in this space. Companies can provide awareness or benefits around such solutions. Bestselling author Eve Rodsky’s book Fair Play brings trained experts to workplaces and communities to dispel outdated narratives around the mental load.”
Parents of neurodivergent or older special-needs children face unique challenges, yet workplace support remains limited. Henning noted that some companies offer expert-led workshops, such as Superkin’s Raising Kids With Neurodiversity, and mental health services for families. However, key gaps persist, particularly in formalized support for parents managing IEP meetings or specialized education plans.
Recognizing the financial strain of education and extracurriculars, some larger employers, including Home Depot and Disney, offer tuition assistance and college savings programs. Henning pointed out that others provide financial literacy workshops to help parents navigate costs. Recent data from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) found that the percentage of employers offering student loan repayment assistance programs more than tripled from 2019 to 2024, rising from 4% to 14%.
The Cost of Ignoring Parents of School-Aged Children
“When direct funding isn’t feasible, offering access to experts and resources can save employees valuable time and reduce stress,” Henning said. Companies should not only offer resources such as formalized policies around after-school care, tutoring stipends, structured academic planning support, tuition assistance, and financial literacy workshops but also ensure that employees are aware of these benefits and feel encouraged to use them without fear of repercussions.
Henning sees an opportunity for companies to enhance the employee experience by adopting more innovative tech solutions—saving time, alleviating burnout risk, and improving workplace productivity. “Access to these modern solutions provides a more curated and digital-first experience, something today’s parents and caregivers have come to expect,” she said.
Some notable solutions addressing modern caregiving and financial challenges include HappyPillar, a therapist-designed mental health program that supports children’s emotional well-being, and ianacare, an AI-powered platform assisting the growing sandwich generation by helping caregivers and patients improve outcomes. Alix offers a streamlined solution for families navigating estate settlement after a loved one’s passing. Additionally, Greenlight provides a practical tool for teaching school-aged children and teenagers about saving and investing through joint accounts, equipping them with essential financial literacy skills.
Lastly, Henning stressed that companies should train managers on the full spectrum of caregiving responsibilities and encourage open discussions about work-family balance at all life stages. “Management training should focus on understanding these challenges, dispelling myths, and equipping leaders to support employees effectively,” she said. “Leaders must ask themselves, ‘What’s the cost of NOT showing up for these employees?’”
Countless studies show that companies investing in family-friendly policies, including those catered to school-aged children and teenagers, see improved employee retention and job satisfaction. Flexibility is now a baseline expectation rather than a competitive advantage—employees increasingly seek comprehensive, long-term support beyond parental leave. “Big companies like ADP, Salesforce, Capital One, Intel, and Visa are leading the way in creating modern employee experiences for families,” Henning said. “Whether you’re a leader at a small regional business or a Fortune 500 company, now is the time to revisit policies and benefits for this growing cohort.”