The Best Place for Working Parents® Honored at United Nations Headquarters for Advancing Family-Friendly Workplace Policies

The national network received an International Federation for Family Development (IFFD) Award during the Commission on Social Development

FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Best Place for Working Parents, the national network of businesses and regions across the U.S. committed to implementing research-backed, family-friendly strategies that support their working parents AND their business, were honored last week at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The recognition came during the 64th session of the Commission for Social Development, where the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD) presented The Best Place for Working Parents with a prestigious award for its innovative approach to fostering supportive environments for working families.

The event sought to advance the discussion by emphasizing coordination across sectors, particularly the private sector’s role as an active partner in building family-friendly care systems. The conversation covered how governments, employers, and civil society can jointly support families, especially during the early stages of children’s development, which often coincide with parents’ own learning curve in caregiving and parenting.

Sadie Funk and Sara Redington, Co-Founders of The Best Place for Working Parents, spoke on the panel, sharing insights on the return on investment of key family-friendly policies. The panel also featured José Alejandro Vázquez, Director of International Relations at the International Federation for Family Development, who provided an introduction and moderation; Gianna Zamaro, Director General of Health, Social Policy and Disability for the Region Friuli-Venezia-Giulia (Italy); and Dianne Whitehead, President and CEO of Child Education International, representing the Center For Business Champions.

“Being recognized on a global stage at the United Nations is a tremendous honor and a powerful message to the private sector,” said Sadie Funk, National Director and Co-Founder of The Best Place for Working Parents. “This award underscores the universal importance of creating workplace cultures where working parents can excel and highlights how public-private partnerships can drive scalable, evidence-based solutions that benefit families, businesses, and society as a whole. We are proud to represent the thousands of businesses across the U.S. that are proving a family-friendly strategy is a business-forward strategy.”

“This recognition highlights the critical role that employers play in advancing economic and social development through policies and benefits,” said Sara Redington, Co-Founder of The Best Place for Working Parents. “When companies integrate family-friendly policies into the heart of business operations, they do more than just support employees who are also caregivers. These policies also strengthen the foundation of the labor market and drive economic growth.”

The IFFD Awards Ceremony took place on February 4, 2026, at the United Nations Headquarters. Additional details about the event and the lineup of speakers are available here: https://familyperspective.org/2025/12/17/iffd-briefing-2026/

About The Best Place for Working Parents®
The Best Place for Working Parents® is a growing network of businesses across the U.S. dedicated to providing support for working parents through evidence-based strategies, proving that family-friendly is business-friendly. A public-private partnership, The Best Place for Working Parents® offers a competitive designation that recognizes innovation across the top ten research-backed family-friendly policies that help working parent employees and boost employers’ bottom line. Businesses can qualify to become a Best Place for Working Parents® business designation by taking the first-of-its-kind business online self-assessment. Learn more at https://bestplace4workingparents.com.

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SOURCE The Best Place for Working Parents®