At colleges and universities across the country, leaders are navigating a common challenge: how to attract, retain, and support talented faculty, staff, and students while meeting the evolving needs of today’s families.
At Elon University, the answer includes investing in high-quality, on-site child care.
Through a partnership with Vivvi, Elon opened Acorn Academy, an on-site early childhood center designed specifically for the children of faculty, staff, and students. More than a convenience, Acorn Academy serves as a strategic investment in the university community—helping families thrive both at home and at work.
As Elon University President Connie Ledoux Book shares, the impact is already being felt across campus.
“The child care center is making a critical difference in the worklife of our faculty, staff and students.”
A Child Care Solution Designed for the Higher Education Workforce
Higher education institutions face unique workforce challenges. Faculty and staff often balance demanding schedules, while student parents are managing coursework, employment, and caregiving responsibilities simultaneously.
Access to reliable, high-quality child care can make the difference between staying and leaving, accepting a new role or turning it down, feeling supported or feeling stretched too thin.
Acorn Academy helps address these challenges by providing:
- Convenient, on-site care for infants through preschool-aged children
- Extended hours designed to meet the needs of working families
- A trusted, play-based curriculum that supports early learning and development
- A community where parents can stay connected to their children throughout the day
For Elon, investing in child care isn’t simply an employee benefit—it’s an investment in the long-term success and wellbeing of its community.
Why Child Care Matters at Elon
President Book says access to high-quality child care has become an essential part of supporting the Elon community.
“We have an excellent partnership with Vivvi. We are so proud to be an employer that can bring this kind of asset into the workplace.”
Supporting Faculty, Staff, and Student Parents
Learn how Acorn Academy helps alleviate one of the biggest challenges facing working parents and student families: finding accessible, reliable child care.
Helping Women Stay and Thrive in the Workforce
The reality facing families and employers across the country is that too many women are forced to scale back or step away from their careers because they lack access to reliable, high-quality child care.
By investing in Acorn Academy—Vivvi’s on-site child care center serving the children of Elon faculty, staff, and students—Elon University is helping remove one of the biggest barriers to workforce participation and creating a more supportive environment for working parents.
Access to child care isn’t just a family benefit—it’s a critical strategy for retaining talented employees, supporting career growth, and advancing gender equity in the workplace.
Employer-Sponsored Child Care Is More Than a Benefit
Organizations across industries are increasingly recognizing that child care isn’t just a family issue—it’s a workforce issue.
For higher education institutions, offering on-site child care can help:
- Improve recruitment and retention
- Reduce employee stress and absenteeism
- Increase workforce engagement and productivity
- Support student parents and expand access to education
- Strengthen institutional culture and community
Acorn Academy demonstrates what’s possible when employers invest meaningfully in the needs of working families.
We’re proud to partner with Elon University to bring this kind of asset into the workplace—and to help create a stronger, more supportive environment for the faculty, staff, students, and children who make up the Elon community.
Interested in bringing child care to your campus or workplace?
Learn more about how Vivvi partners with employers and higher education institutions to create customized child care solutions that support families and strengthen organizations.