Summary
Practical, proactive back-to-school benefits communications can be one way for employers to show support for working parents. This August engagement campaign guide gives HR managers and benefits administrators a practical framework to consider that includes:
- An overview of DCAP limits and childcare tax credits.
- Which employee benefits to promote during back-to-school season.
- Tips to create a back-to-school benefits checklist.
- A five-day employee engagement timeline.
- How to measure the impact of your benefits engagement campaign.
Back-to-school season could be one of the most underutilized opportunities in the annual employee benefits engagement calendar. Here is the insight that shapes everything in this guide: timing may be as important as frequency. One well-placed, well-targeted message in early to mid-August — when working parents are already in planning mode — may generate more engagement than repeated benefits reminders. For the many working parents and caregivers in today’s workforce, the start of a new school year may directly affect productivity and wellbeing.
Why Back-to-School Benefits Matter More Than Ever
The back-to-school season has always been a pressure point for working parent benefits, and recent legislative changes have raised the stakes. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) brought a significant update to dependent care benefits. Here's what HR leaders and benefits administrators need to know as they build this year's campaign:
Dependent care limits at a glance
Note: Verify figures against the latest IRS guidance before each annual campaign.
Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP / Dependent Care FSA): This benefit can be meaningful relief for working parents paying for before- and after-school care, licensed childcare centers and summer day camps. The contribution limit can be found on the FSA Feds website here: https://www.fsafeds.gov/explore/dcfsa.
Expanded Employer Childcare Tax Credit (Section 45F): This gives employers a financial incentive to offer childcare benefits to employees. This might include on-site care or investing in backup childcare partnerships and childcare subsidy programs. More information can be found on the IRS website here: Employer-provided child care credit: Tax year 2026 and later.
For the most current figures, always link out to the official IRS dependent care benefit limits page in your benefits communications.
Understanding Your Audience: Working Parents and Caregivers
One of the first steps in your engagement campaign strategy is understanding the challenges that working parents and caregivers in your workforce are navigating. KinderCare’s 2025 Parent Confidence Index1 found that 76 percent of parents want employer help covering childcare costs, and 59 percent would prioritize subsidized childcare benefits over a raise. Meanwhile, 57 percent reported that unreliable childcare has negatively impacted their work performance.
As you design this campaign, keep these employee segments in mind:
- Primary caregivers with school-age children navigating schedule changes, transportation, before/after-school programs and childcare costs.
- Sandwich-generation employees balancing parenting responsibilities alongside elder care.
- Employees without school-age children who still benefit from flexible work arrangements and a culture of whole-person support.
- Managers who need guidance on supporting their teams empathetically through seasonal transitions.
Employee Benefits to Promote in Your Back-to-School Campaign
A well-designed benefits engagement campaign gives HR teams a structured opportunity to spotlight caregiver benefits, dependent care resources and work-life balance benefits that employees may not be actively using. Consider designing your benefits engagement campaign to promote employee benefits that might be underused, such as:
Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP)
With the recently expanded DCAP limit, employees who enroll have the opportunity to contribute more pre-tax dollars for qualifying expenses including before- and after-school care, licensed daycare centers, nursery schools, and summer day camps. (See the current limit in the callout above.)
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Back-to-school transitions can carry real emotional weight. EAP counseling and stress-management resources may help employees manage stress during this high-pressure period.
Caregiver Support Services
For employees managing complex care situations, a dedicated caregiver platform may provide meaningful support for employees managing complex care situations. Caregiver support services pair employees with licensed care advocates who coordinate care solutions.
Workplace Flexibility and Paid Time Off
Flexibility is one of the most valued employee support programs for working parents, according to the 2025 KPMG Working Parents Survey.2 Understanding the options available can help employees proactively prepare for any challenges that can arise during the back-to-school season.
529 College Savings Plans
August offers a timely opportunity to introduce or re-engage employees with employer-sponsored 529 college savings programs.
The Back-to-School Benefits Checklist
Back-to-school season creates a narrow but powerful window where a single, practical communication can genuinely change what employees do next. Package the items below into a downloadable checklist or one-pager that employees can save, reference, and act on. Providing timely information can help employees better understand and consider the benefits and resources available under their plans.
Physicals and Vaccinations
Some schools require updated immunization records and youth sports leagues may require current physicals. Point parents toward in-network urgent care or clinics offering quick-turnaround appointments.
24-Hour Nurse Lines
A well-timed reminder that this resource exists may help mitigate unnecessary emergency room visits when a child gets sick the night before school starts. Some employees may not know it’s available to them. Highlight it prominently in your August communications.
EAP Family Support Resources
Back-to-school stress can affect children adjusting to new routines and for parents managing the mental load of the season. A reminder that EAP support is available, and also informing them when support is available to family members, rounds out the healthcare checklist with genuine empathy.
Dependent Care FSA — Current Limit
Don't forget: remind employees of the current DCAP limit and qualifying expenses — see the callout above for the up-to-date figure.
Benefits Portal Access
End the checklist with a simple nudge: encourage employees to log into their benefits portal, verify their dependent information, and bookmark the resources they’ll need throughout the school year. This is a low-friction re-engagement prompt that may encourage engagement and utilization. And, as always, make sure they know where to go with questions they can’t answer on their own.
Building a Family-Friendly Benefits Communications Strategy
One benefits email in August can be helpful but a truly effective employee benefits communications strategy during the back-to-school season will likely need a few more touchpoints. A multi-channel, multi-day campaign structure that meets employees where they are and makes information available in different ways may be more impactful. This structure can distribute information through email, a benefits hub or intranet, and through 1:1 conversations with their managers.
The business case is simple: well-timed, personalized benefits communications may support enrollment and benefits decision-making. The Benefitfocus State of Employee Benefits Report 20263 highlights that employees offered personalized, decision-support-driven benefits education demonstrate meaningfully higher voluntary benefit adoption rates.
Five-Day Back-to-School Employee Benefits Engagement Campaign
Dedicating a focused campaign week to back-to-school benefits engagement is one approach. Here is a five-day communications plan, timeline and sample subject lines that HR teams and benefits administrators can adapt to their organization's size, culture and preferred communication channels:
Day 1: Launch and Set Expectations
Send a kickoff communication naming your working-parent benefits and sharing your flexibility, remote-work and accommodation policies; pair it with a manager lunch & learn on supporting parents empathetically.
Subject line: "Time to go back to school—use these resources to help"
Day 2: Family Benefits and Caregiver Resources
Publish a post about the full portfolio of family benefits you offer—DCAP, EAP, caregiver support, backup childcare—and use the moment to launch or promote an employee resource group (ERG) for working caregivers.
Subject line: "The family benefits you may not know you have"
Day 3: Lead with the Dependent Care FSA
Inform employees of the current DCAP limit and qualifying expenses (before/after-school care, licensed daycare, summer camps) and offer an open-door session for 1:1 questions.
Subject line: "Explore pre-tax dependent care FSA contributions for eligible expenses—here's how"
Day 4: Mental Health and Wellbeing
Highlight your EAP and mental health resources framed around parenting stress, and have managers run brief well-being check-ins with direct reports.
Subject line: "Managing the back-to-school mental load—EAP and wellbeing resources available through your benefits program "
Day 5: Wrap Up and Sustain Engagement
Deliver a wrap-up message consolidating every resource link from the week, reiterate HR's availability for follow-up questions and include a short feedback survey to inform next year's campaign.
Subject line: "Your back-to-school benefits guide—everything in one place"
A Culture of Flexibility Can Support a Broader Workplace
Employees without school-age children are watching too. When back-to-school policies feel like they exclusively benefit parents, other employees — including those caring for aging parents, managing chronic health conditions or simply navigating busy personal lives — may feel overlooked. Frame flexibility as a universal value, not a parent-specific accommodation. When your organization invests in a culture of whole-person support, there is a higher likelihood of speaking to employees with a range of work and personal responsibilities — and your employee wellbeing programs will present as more broadly inclusive. This approach may also support employer-brand and employee-engagement objectives across the employee population.
Measuring the Impact of Your Benefits Engagement Campaign
A strong back-to-school benefits engagement campaign is also a data opportunity. Consider tracking these indicators to evaluate effectiveness and inform future campaigns:
- DCAP enrollment changes before and after the campaign window.
- EAP utilization rates during and following the back-to-school period.
- Benefits portal traffic and resource click-through rates from campaign emails.
- Manager-reported observations from back-to-school wellbeing check-ins.
- Employee survey scores related to benefits satisfaction and caregiver support.
Reviewing these engagement metrics alongside your open enrollment data like completion rate and voluntary benefits adoption can give your team a clear picture of what resonated — and where to invest more deeply next cycle.
How Benefitfocus Supports Your Employee Benefits Communications Strategy
Whether you're communicating new DCAP limits, promoting caregiver platforms or building year-round engagement campaigns, Benefitfocus provides tools, data and personalized decision support designed to help HR teams connect and inform employees about relevant benefits information.
