Micron seeks to improve child care access with new facility

Micron Technology employees will soon have access to a child care center near the company’s Boise campus.

On Thursday, executives for the semiconductor manufacturer and Idaho public officials — including Gov. Brad Little and Boise Mayor Lauren McLean — cut a ceremonial ribbon in front of the 20,000-square-foot facility, which is scheduled to open next month.

“This is a place where kids are going to thrive,” said April Arnzen, Micron’s chief human resources executive. “Parents are going to have the peace of mind so that they can pursue the careers that they deserve, and they can pursue jobs that provide for their families.”

Executives and leaders at Micron Technology and the Treasure Valley Family YMCA, along with Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Boise Mayor Lauren McLean, cut a ceremonial ribbon to signify the opening of the Micron Early Learning Center. (Photo: courtesy, Micron Technology)

The Micron Early Learning Center, located on Federal Way, across from the company’s corporate headquarters, was financed by the company but will be operated by the Treasure Valley Family YMCA. It’s meant to relieve child care obstacles for Micron employees and job candidates as the locally based company expands its Boise footprint.

In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the $53 billion CHIPS and Science Act, subsidizing U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and delivering $6.1 billion to Micron. The money will help fund the company’s forthcoming semiconductor fabrication plants in Boise and upstate New York.

Some public money could offset the cost of the Early Learning Center, according to Amanda Blumenstein, director of team member experience at Micron. She told Idaho Education News that plans for the facility were underway before the CHIPS Act became law, but the company is awaiting a $100,000 grant from the Idaho Workforce Development Council, which could cover a small part of the construction costs.

It’s not Micron’s first investment in child care for employees, Blumenstein said. The company operates a similar facility in Malaysia, and Micron has long offered benefits to employees needing backup child care.

“We do a good job of listening to our team members, and we heard from them that child care was a barrier for people,” Blumenstein said. “We definitely believe it will bring more people in.”

A classroom at the Micron Early Learning Center, which is scheduled to open next month. Curriculum, delivered by the Treasure Valley YMCA, will focus on STEM. (Photo: courtesy, Micron Technology)

Elected leaders lauded Micron for helping to address the child care shortage that has plagued Idaho in recent years and called on other companies to follow suit. A study from 2019 — the most recent available — found a 28% gap between the number of children needing care and the number of spots available, the Idaho Statesman reported. Another study found a 37% turnover rate among the child care workforce in 2023.

Little, a Republican in his second term as governor, said Thursday that investing in child care access is “critical” for recruiting quality workers to the state.

“It’s the right thing to do for world-class competitiveness, for this country, for this company, but it’s the right thing to do for families,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do for Idaho.”

McLean encouraged other companies to seek out similar opportunities. She also criticized the state for providing “so few tools” to advance child care access. State lawmakers in recent years have resisted investing in education prior to kindergarten and, at times, rejected federal money for preschool programs.

McLean touted Boise’s “creative” approaches to supporting child care, such as waiving licensing fees for facilities and creating tax rebates for in-home child care facilities.

Child care “is a big part of how we secure … the workforce that we need so that companies here can thrive, and ultimately, our city and our state is as successful as possible,” said McLean, a Democrat in her second term as mayor.

The Micron center will have capacity for 124 children, company leaders said Thursday. And it will have a curriculum, delivered by the YMCA, that focuses on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at an “age appropriate level.”

David Duro, president and CEO of the Treasure Valley Family YMCA, said the nonprofit has a couple other corporate-sponsored child development centers in the area, but the partnership with Micron is unique. The YMCA worked with the company to design every room in the building, from the furniture to learning tools and toys, Duro said.

“I hope it’s not, but it very well could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said.