Celebrating a Decade of Impact: Family-Friendly Spaces Supports Nearly 10,000 Children Across China and Southeast Asia

‍17^th July 2025

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This year, the ESCP Family-Friendly Spaces (FFS) program proudly celebrates a significant milestone: ten years of creating safe, nurturing, and educational environments for children of supply chain workers.

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Since its launch in 2016, the initiative has positively impacted nearly 10,000 children, empowering thousands of families to better balance work and caregiving responsibilities. This initiative not only supports workers and their families but also strengthens their communities. The benefits for businesses are evident as well, with data highlighting increased productivity and enhanced worker satisfaction for employers.

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Family-Friendly Spaces (FFS) began as a small-scale pilot at two factories in China in 2016. Developed from an identified need and independent research uncovering childcare as the no.1 reason given by workers upon leaving employment.

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Since 2016, the Ethical Supply Chain Program has supported 95 factories and community centres to establish employer-funded childcare programs both year-round and during the school summer holiday months. Through establishing 95 childcare spaces, both in community and within the factory campus, the program has supported nearly 10,000 children and their families in mainland China and Vietnam.

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Strengthening Support in Vietnam
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This year, the Family-Friendly Spaces program has expanded to Vietnam, marking an exciting new chapter. In June, ESCP assisted a supplier member in launching the region's first childcare space. This community-based facility can accommodate approximately 30 children and represents a groundbreaking support initiative from an employer in the area.  
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Many other ESCP supplier members have implemented Family Days in Vietnam, which have proved hugely successful, supporting over 1,200 workers and their dependants since 2024. The provision of employer-funded childcare through ESCP in the region is expected to scale and grow following completion of this 1^st pilot center.  

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The Impact of Family-Friendly Spaces
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Globally, over 45 million children under five are left at home without adult supervision in low and middle-income countries and three in four parents have to make major financial choices, such as taking on more work and spending less on food, to pay for childcare. This is why the principles of the Family-Friendly Spaces initiative are so important; creating employer-funded childcare facilities in factories and communities during school summer vacations or throughout the year, offering safe, stimulating environments where young people can learn and play while their parents work – free from the stress of worrying about their children’s safety.
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The Family-Friendly Spaces program positively impacts workers, their children and their employers. Between 2016-2024, on average, the program reports 98% of participating workers said their children now had a safe place to go and had a good time during summer school holidays. 93%cited Family-Friendly Spaces as a reason to continue working in the factory and 81% of factory management shared the initiative had reduced their worker turnover rate.
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Beyond numbers, the program helps to shape lives. Since 2016, the program has reunited families – some separated for over 2 and half years – driven community change – with factories successfully advocating for local educational opportunities for the children of migrant workers.

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In 2023, one participating worker told us: “Without the Family-Friendly Spaces program, either my husband or I would have had to quit our job to look after our son. Our friends are very envious of the generous treatment we receive – the Family-Friendly Spaces program has enabled us to stay together as a family, so we wouldn’t even contemplate working elsewhere.”
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Amplifying Learning Through Play
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The FFS program is possible thanks to generous donor funding, which supports suppliers in establishing childcare spaces during their first year of operation. This funding also ensures that staff at the centers receive comprehensive training, creating an environment where children can enjoy their time, develop new skills, and have fun with friends.
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Teacher training for the program is delivered each year. In 2025, this began inearly July, with most Family-Friendly Spaces expected to open from mid-July. Thesummer childcare programs typically run for 4 to 6 weeks,providing vital support during the summer months when schools are closed.

Since 2022, the program has implemented the LEGO Foundation’s  ‘learning through play’ activities. This year, 41 spaces have committed to deploying the activities. To support them, we are providing 10 on-site sessions led by external education experts. These learnings will be shared widely across the program, benefiting all participating sites.
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Growing Global Impact
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2025 marks the biggest year for the Family-Friendly Spaces program with a total of 59 childcare spaces in 57 factories and 2 community centres – 17 new and 42 repeating across China and Vietnam. This continuous growth reflects a strong commitment to building more inclusive, family-supportive workplaces. The number of factories that repeat the program post 1^st year funding is important.  It shows the sustainability and scalability of the program. Factories are funding the activity directly year after year because it delivers measurable business benefits.  
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“Family-Friendly Spaces is more than just a summer program – it’s a testament to what’s possible when employers, communities, and families come together. We’re proud of how far we’ve come and excited about the future as we expand our impact across Asia.”  – Carmel Giblin, President & CEO, Ethical Supply Chain Program.
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Celebrating Impact
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To commemorate a decade of commitment, the program will host a 10-Year Celebration Event on 29th of August 2025, spotlighting key achievements and honoring factory management teams that have championed the initiative since the beginning.

To learn more about Family-Friendly Spaces and how it is supporting families and communities to thrive, visit: www.ethicalsupplychain.org

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-ENDS-

About the Ethical Supply Chain Program

The Ethical Supply Chain Program was founded by the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI), and now champions integrity and sustainability across all sectors. We facilitate communication, certification and cooperation between manufacturers, suppliers, licensors and retailers worldwide to build a network with transparency at its core. We’re much more than an ethical rubber stamp, our program is a commitment to respect, fairness, and inclusivity. Their mission is 'Together, we can create a better life for workers worldwide'. 

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Press Contact:
Aoife McCarthy
Marketing & Communications Manager
aoife.mccarthy@ethicalsupplychain.org
Ethical Supply Chain Program

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