TOOTRiS Child Care on Demand
Revolutionizing Child Care

Y-tec Keylex Toyotetsu Alabama (YKTA) just announced a progressive partnership with TOOTRiS to provide cutting-edge Child Care assistance for its workforce. YKTA, a joint venture formed between a trio of Mazda and Toyota suppliers, produces structural body stampings and assemblies, as well as functional and chassis parts. Their goal is to grow their workforce to 650 employees, which means an increase in the need for Child Care.

TOOTRiS will provide YKTA team members access to the largest network of licensed Child Care providers, enabling them to search, vet, compare, and enroll in real time. The platform also enables parents to find slots for temporary care, drop-ins, and non-traditional work schedules.

"We're trying different ways to recruit people while supporting our working parents," said Lorri Collins, HR Manager at YKTA. "As a leading supplier for Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM), we saw directly how TOOTRiS benefited their employees. Establishing our own partnership with TOOTRiS helps our team members find affordable, quality Child Care. It aligns with our commitment to create a positive culture that benefits our team as well as our community."

Working parents are facing complicated Child Care challenges across the country. Parents are trying to balance work/family life with limited access to care, making Child Care an important need for every employer and state to prioritize. Manufacturers especially are desperately seeking workers but, as U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh stated, Child Care is holding businesses back. To get more workers — especially women — into the workforce, employers are starting to offer Child Care assistance. According to a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce Report, 40% of employers have started offering Child Care assistance.

By partnering with TOOTRiS and its nationwide online network of providers, manufacturers like YKTA can offer comprehensive Child Care assistance, critical to boosting recruitment, retention, and productivity.

"Finding Child Care can be an emotional struggle for employees and their families," said Alessandra Lezama, TOOTRiS CEO and a select member of the ReadyNation CEO Task Force on Early Childhood. "TOOTRiS is excited to partner with forward-thinking companies like YKTA who are leading the way in helping solve Child Care challenges for their team members. This is how you support working families and help the Huntsville community and economy thrive."

As the Council for a Strong America notes, quality Child Care can strengthen the current and future workforce, contribute to a strong economy, and enhance national security. In Huntsville — a fast-growing city with several Fortune 500 companies located in the metropolitan area — family-friendly benefits will become more important as the region expands and organizations compete to attract workers. In fact, Moody's has projected strong growth for the Huntsville metro area, which is expected to outpace the growth of the U.S. economy over the next five years.

Media Contact 
Jeff McAdam
Creative Director Press & Media Production
JMcAdam@TOOTRiS.com
(720) 988-0984

About YKTA

Established in 2019, YKTA built a new $220 million facility on the site of Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) in Huntsville, Alabama. The YKTA alliance unites three successful Japanese suppliers:

• Y-tec, established in 1945, produces automotive components and designs and manufactures dies, tooling and jigs for Japanese automakers including Mazda.
• Keylex, established in 1924, specializes in vehicle body parts, produces dies and jigs, and designs and installs production equipment. 
• Toyotetsu, established in 1946, is primarily a Toyota supplier producing pillars, arms, beams, and other functional parts like pedals throughout its North American plants.