Meet the El Paso Employers Redefining What "Family-Friendly" Looks Like
We're running the 2026 Best Place for Working Parents® campaign, and the data so far tells a great story: El Paso employers, of every size and industry, are proving that supporting working parents isn't just good practice, it's good business.
The Numbers So Far
Since 2024, 97 Borderplex employers have applied for the Best Place for Working Parents® designation. A few things stand out:
Every size of business is showing up. Micro businesses (under 25 employees) make up 38% of applicants, and small businesses (25–200 employees) make up another 33%. More than 7 in 10 applicants are small or micro operations, proof that family-friendly policy isn't just a big-company perk.
Flexible hours are becoming the norm. 95.7% of 2026 applicants already offer flexible scheduling, up from 85.7% just two years ago.
Paternity leave is climbing too. Adoption has grown steadily from 42.9% in 2024 to 52.2% this year, a sign that supporting new parents is no longer seen as a "maternity-only" issue.
But the numbers only tell part of the story. Here's what some of these businesses are actually doing.
Real Policies, Real Employers
Some examples of employers walking the talk:
Flowers in the Garden Child Development Center (2026) A child care center that practices what it preaches: staff receive a 50% discount on child care for their own children, meaning the people caring for El Paso's kids can actually afford care for their own.
Project BRAVO (2026) With fewer than 50 employees, Project BRAVO isn't legally required to offer FMLA protections, but they do it anyway. They've also built a culture of mutual support, allowing staff to donate PTO hours to coworkers who need it.
Lauterbach, Borschow & Co. (2025–2026) This El Paso accounting firm hosts diaper raffles for expecting parents and offers free virtual mental health care that extends to the employee's entire family, not just the employee.
El Paso Community Foundation (2025-2026) EPCF backs up its mission with its own internal policy: employees can be reimbursed up to $2,400 a year for child care, and staff are welcome to bring their kids into the office or work from home during emergencies and school closures.
There's Still Time to Join Them
Employers can take the assessment to see if they qualify for the 2026 Best Place for Working Parents® designation on a rolling basis through the end of the 2026 calendar year. The self-assessment is free, confidential, and takes about three minutes. Every employer that completes it has its logo featured on Early Matters El Paso's website and social media.
If the employers above prove anything, it's that family-friendly policy doesn't require a Fortune 500 budget. It just requires putting people first.
Take the assessment: https://bestplace4workingparents.com/el-paso/
