Taylor Capuano knows that numbers don’t lie—and those numbers can be sobering when it comes to child care for working families. When Capuano had her daughter four years ago, she ran the numbers for child care costs and found she’d only have $200 left each month after footing the bill.

“The financial and emotional stress of being a working mom in corporate America still haunts me,” Capuano says. “It’s borderline impossible to balance a career and being a parent in our society.”

Yet, Capuano is helping to make the seemingly impossible possible. She founded Cakes Body, an undergarment brand, with her twin sister and fellow working mother, Casey Sarai, in 2022. It’s given the co-founders more financial flexibility. Now, Capuano and Sarai are quite literally paying it forward, announcing on May 1, 2025, that Cakes Body would cover up to $36,000 in child care costs for parents with children under 6.

But how? In the United States, we’re often told that providing parents with necessary support at the federal level, like paid leave policies (which the U.S. doesn’t have, separating it from other developed countries), universal pre-K, and financial assistance for child care for young children is also impossible.

How, then, did a three-year-old company figure it out? Capuano talked with Parents about what went into the decision to extend financial child care assistance to parents with young children, the particulars, the response, and what notes she’d like other businesses to take.

“Who’s paying for this?” and “How are we going to pay for this?” are common questions people ask when subjects like child care assistance and paid leave arise. It might help to have some background on the costs involved and how Cakes Body managed to make it work.

Capuano came ready with receipts. She explains that Cakes Body:

“While it's a significant investment, we view it as a strategic one—supporting employee retention, reducing turnover costs, and increasing overall productivity and engagement,” Capuano says. “By proactively investing in our team, we anticipate long-term returns that go well beyond the initial expense.”

Plus, Capuano credited her team’s agility and output for making the benefit possible. 

“With the right people in the right roles, we've been able to operate efficiently and effectively—achieving more with less time and creating room for meaningful initiatives,” Capuano says.

The initiative is meaningful for more than the bottom line for families. Care.com’s Cost of Care Report highlighted that finding and cobbling together care had than a financial toll on parents. In the survey, 90% of parents reported that child care issues caused them to lose sleep, with 29% of respondents saying they’d experienced thoughts of self-harm and suicide.

Capuano can relate—she’s been there herself and is now using her platform to showcase that powerful changes are possible.

“By addressing this barrier, we’re not only supporting working parents, but also creating a more inclusive, sustainable environment where talented people don’t have to choose between family and career,” Capuano says.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the internal response was “incredibly positive,” Capuano shares.

“There were a lot of emotional reactions—happy tears included—when we shared the news with the team,” Capuano says. “Several employees mentioned they had delayed starting families due to the high cost of child care, which in some cases rivals their mortgage payments. Being able to lift even part of that burden and give back to our team in such a meaningful way has been deeply rewarding.”

Reaction has also been outpouring on the brand’s social media pages.

“It’s...been deeply emotional,” Capuano says. “We’ve received thousands of comments—particularly from women—sharing their difficult experiences of having to choose between pursuing a career and becoming a parent.”

Here’s just a sampling of comments on an Instagram post about the benefit:

"While we’re grateful for the support, it’s also a stark reminder of the broader challenges families face when it comes to affordable child care,” Capuano adds. “The reaction has reinforced just how important and necessary this kind of support truly is.”

Capuano hopes the reaction to Cakes Body’s decision to give employees with children under public school age extends beyond social media and internal happy tears and gratitude. She hopes it serves as a role model to other companies that it is possible to provide structural support. More than that, it’s vital.

“This program isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’—it’s central to our talent retention,” Capuano says. “Working moms are some of our most valuable employees, and by supporting them with child care coverage, we can attract and retain top talent. We hope this sets an example for other businesses that your employees are your most important customers.”

For Capuano, Cakes’ employees’  success—and stability—is hers.

“When they feel supported, they’re more likely to deliver exceptional service and contribute to the company’s success,” Capuano says. “Child care coverage should become the norm, not the exception, and we’re excited to help lead the way in making that a reality.”