First 5 Fresno County has announced the winners of this year’s Child-Friendly Business Award. Image via First 5 Facebook page

First 5 Fresno County has announced the winners of this year’s Child-Friendly Business Award.

Since 2006, the nonprofit has annually awarded local companies for creating workplaces that realize employees and their families as one of their most important assets.

This year’s winners are Anderson Striping & Construction, Brighten Academy Preschool, Down Syndrome Association of Central California, EYE-Q Vision Care and Olam International.

“We know that children thrive when their families thrive,” said Fabiola González, executive director of First 5 Fresno County. “When parents work for an employer that understands the role they have at home with their children, it’s a win-win for everyone, because happy parents make better employees.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s awards were especially unique because of the added challenges businesses had to face in the workplace that required adaptation and abnormal work practices to continue support parent employees.

These organizations were chosen by a committee of community reviewers because of their dedication to working parents and their efforts to support its parent employees in its own way.

“We salute this year’s Child-Friendly Business Award winners for being flexible and creative as they figured out new ways to support their parent employees through a very challenging year,” said Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco, chair of the First 5 Fresno County Commission, “These businesses went above and beyond and deserve praise and recognition.”