CARY— SAS is now outsourcing management of its on-site daycare center to Bright Horizons, one of the largest employer-sponsored child care providers in the United States.
SAS daycare employees were notified 30 days in advance of the official transition date, which is Oct. 1.
They must now decide: accept a job with Bright Horizons at their same pay scale and tenure — or resign.
Should they accept employment with the new provider, they will also receive a competitive benefits package, including the ability to earn a free Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in early education.
“We anticipate and hope that most daycare employees will continue with Bright Horizons in caring for and educating the children of SAS employees,” company spokesperson Shannon Heath told WRAL TechWire on Tuesday.
“Those that wish not to make the transition will be making the choice to resign.”
The Cary-based software analytics firm is regarded as one of the world’s top employers by a variety of surveys. Forbes recently named the company at the top of the 100 best companies to work for across North Carolina.
Its child care benefit is made up of two components: the onsite center, which currently serves approximately 200 Cary-based employees, and the community child care tuition reimbursement, which serves approximately 400 employees across the US.
Heath added that, through this new partnership, SAS will be able to increase the number of parents served on site post-COVID, as well as offer preferred enrollment and a registration fee credit at select Bright Horizons childcare centers. That, in turn, gives parents more child care options as remote work continues.
“Over the past four decades, SAS has grown and evolved, and so must our family support benefits,” she said.
In addition to managing the child care centers, Bright Horizons will offer SAS employees additional offerings.
Among them: free online access for help finding babysitters, educators, elder caregivers and more; discounted nanny placement services; discounted tuition for full-time care at select partner centers in the Bright Horizons child care network; academic support, tutoring, test prep, and homework help services.
