The Modern Family Index

Bright Horizons has spent a decade tracking trends in working families, with the annual Modern Family Index research study highlighting parents' unique challenges and priorities over the course of a consequential period in history. In 2025, this landmark piece of thought leadership, conducted by the Harris Poll for Bright Horizons, focuses on important topics impacting families, with several waves of survey data released throughout the year.

The child care cliff: how lack of child care is costing a generation of working parents’ careers.

The rising tension between career ambitions and family responsibilities is becoming increasingly harsh, particularly for working parents who overwhelmingly report that current work environments fail to address the difficulty (and necessity) of finding child care. The latest Modern Family Index shows the consequences: a workplace out of sync with modern families, and the vast majority of parents feeling forced to choose between their professional growth and their caregiving responsibilities. The data underscores a stark reality: that for working parents, reliable child care is not just a support system, but a crucial pillar for career success and financial stability. Those with dependable child care say it offers significant benefits such as enhanced focus at work and the ability to chase career goals; those without it face increased workplace stress and blocked professional pathways. The data highlights the need to reevaluate workplace policies and support systems to better integrate the realities of parenting into professional domains, and to adapt in ways that genuinely support worklife balance and acknowledge the dual roles many employees must manage.