Tyson breaks ground on new childcare facility "Tyson Tykes"

HUMBOLDT, TENN (WNBJ)-

A factory in Humboldt is getting credit for leading the way when it comes to helping meet the needs of its employees. Our alexander bitterling tells us about the groundbreaking for a new childcare facility at Tyson.

Tyson foods broke ground today for Tyson Tykes - a new childcare facility at its Humboldt poultry processing plant.

"It is an exciting day for all of us, but especially for our front-line team members. They're the ones that communicated to us that they need high quality, affordable childcare, and we're providing it for them and it's a great day for us," said David Bray the group president of poultry for Tyson Foods.

The childcare and learning facility at the poultry-processing factory is a pilot project in collaboration with KinderCare.

Tyson hopes to make the new childcare facility as affordable as possible for employees. "There is a portion that they will be responsible for. It's based off of what they what they earn on an hourly basis. But tyson is covering a large percentage of the cost," Bray said.

The $3.5 million Humboldt childcare facility will support as many as 100 children up to age five.

A study by child care aware shows that in 2020 it costs on average about $12,300 a year to care for one child in a center.

Tyson’s Humboldt poultry complex in Humboldt has a workforce of more than 1,200 people and is expected to eventually employ 1,500.

Tennessee governor Bill Lee (R) believes Tyson is helping improve the quality of life here in the volunteer state, "I think that any time that we can address a need of our of our people in our state and one of those needs is childcare. Any time we see partnerships that come together like this to address that, that's a benefit to the people that live here."

Congressmen David Kustoff (R) agrees providing childcare is more important than ever, "We hear from employers all over the country about the need to get their employees back to work. And the challenges that employees have had, pre-covid and now and now after covid with childcare."

The congressman is proud of what is happening here in west Tennessee

“It's a win for Tyson it's a win for the employees. And frankly, this will probably be a model for larger employers, not only in west Tennessee, but across the nation,” Kustoff said.

The project is set to be finished in about two years.