Employee Owned
Imagine is the first and only employee owned child care company in the United States. We are excited to announce our plan to become 100% employee owned in the coming years.
At 
we’ve long known that it’s our directors, teachers and staff who make Imagine so special. In 2018, we decided to act on that belief, transforming Imagine into an employee owned company.
Employee ownership is an increasingly popular model to drive profitability and productivity, reduce staff turnover, and drive strong culture. At Imagine, all of our teachers and staff are owners, which means that they receive financial benefits (in the form of a no-cost retirement fund) and have an active role in making decisions about the direction of the company. In an industry historically hurt by high turnover and low wages, we believe employee-ownership can be a game changer that benefits teachers, staff, families and children.
Only Employee Owned
As the only employee owned childcare provider in the country, we have seen first hand how giving our teachers a piece of ownership in the company has increased job satisfaction, classroom engagement and the quality of care we offer our families. And, just as ownership results in employees invested in the company’s success, it also means the company is invested in employees’ success.
Research shows that employee owned companies have better productivity and business outcomes. In the case of childcare, then, this means our children and parents win. Teachers are more engaged, more likely to remain with us, more invested in the success of our community.
Imagine has always been a team, and the employees are crucial to that team. In my view, they deserve to be rewarded both for their excellent work and for sticking with the company over the years. Change is good. It’s time for a new group of leaders to take Imagine into the future as an employee owned company.”
- Holly Saltzman, Imagine Founder & Board President
More About ESOPS
An ESOP is a qualified retirement plan governed by ERISA laws similar to a 401K. The big difference is the employees do not have to invest any of their own money. A portion of the profits of Imagine (depending on the employee’s salary and length of employment with Imagine) will be put into retirement accounts for qualified employees. That account will grow as Imagine grows. This money will be available to employees after their retirement. If an employee leaves before retirement age, the value of the account can be transferred into another qualified retirement account.
