Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 1
Spotlight on
Grupo Altex, Mexico
Supporting Employees through Childcare
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 2
About IFC
IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging
markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in
developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in
developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies
grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
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June 2022
Acknowledgements
This Company Insights publication was produced by IFC’s Gender and Economic Inclusion Group in collaboration with Grupo
Altex and benefitted from the contributions of Hipocampus Centros de Aprendizaje. The information presented here is based on
data gathered and interviews conducted during October-December 2021 by IFC’s Anita Gurgel and María Teresa González García
with support from Grupo Altex’s Héctor Espinosa Trujillo, José Leonardo Hernández Robles, and Georgina Alvarado Díaz, as well
as Hipocampus’ Germán Zubía. The authors would like to thank Grupo Altex’s Co-CEOs Roberto and Mauricio Servitje Labarrere
for their availability to discuss their experience and share lessons learned. This publication was developed under the guidance of
Emmanuel B. Nyirinkindi (Vice President of Cross-Cutting Solutions, IFC), Mary Porter Peschka (Director, Sustainability & Gender
Solutions, IFC), Henriette Kolb (Manager, Gender and Economic Inclusion Group, IFC), and Rudaba Z. Nasir (Global Lead, Care
and Economic Inclusion, IFC).
All report photos courtesy of Grupo Altex and/or Hipocampus Centros de Aprendizaje.
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 3
1. Context
Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country
in the world with over 126 million people (INEGI, 2020),
and the second largest country in Latin America and the
Caribbean, after Brazil. Female labor force participation
(FLFP) in the region has risen considerably over the last
two decades—25 percent between 1990 and 2018 (World
Bank, 2020). Despite this progress, gender gaps persist.
With 42 percent of women aged 15 and older in the labor
force, in contrast with 74 percent of men, Mexico has the
third lowest FLFP among Organization for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD) members (OECD,
2020). Closing the gender gap in the labor force offers an
opportunity to increase Mexico’s GDP by $800 billion, or 70
percent (McKinsey, 2019).
The Importance of Quality, Affordable Childcare
for Women’s Employment
The disproportionate time women spend on unpaid work
dedicated to household chores and care responsibilities is
a key barrier to women’s employment. In Mexico, women
bear nearly 77 percent of unpaid housework (World Bank,
2019), spending an average of six hours per day—the childbirth. Studies show that equal parenting behaviors
highest in the OECD—compared with an average of two tend to continue as children age (OECD, 2017). Mexico law,
hours for men. however, mandates only five days of paternity leave—a low
allotment when compared to that of other OECD countries
During the COVID-19 pandemic, women have shouldered (OECD, 2017).
increased care responsibilities given closures or restrictions
on public and private schools, as well as childcare and
elderly care services, including those provided by employers The Business Case for Employer-Supported
(McKinsey, 2020). During the pandemic, Mexican women Childcare
have reported an increase of 13.2 hours per week spent
on childcare. Men reported 6.3 additional hours. The gap
between the time women and men spend on childcare is the Once women are employed, it is critical that employers have
highest among 16 surveyed countries (UN Women, IPSOS, adequate policies in place to support women and working
2020). parents in general through the different stages of their lives,
including during their children’s early years. Research by
Engaging men to equally care for children can be a game IFC and other organizations shows that companies that
changer for women’s labor force participation. A balanced provide family-friendly benefits are more likely to profit from
share of caregiving responsibilities at home can open a increased workforce stability, skills, and productivity. Those
pathway for working mothers to remain employed or seek gains, in turn, enhance family income and business and
paid work opportunities. Paid paternity leave policies economic growth. Investing in childcare solutions is a smart
are a way to encourage fathers’ active involvement since investment for all (Fig 1).
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 4
Fig 1. Benefits of Quality Early Childhood Care and Education Childcare and Early Childhood Education
for Individuals, Families, Businesses, and Society Enrollment in Mexico
From paid parental leave to flexible work schedules to
• Strengthens recruitment employer-supported childcare, family-friendly workplace
• Increases diversity and talent
policies can help close gender gaps that are especially
• Enhances corporate reputation
• Improves staff retention
exacerbated when the supply of affordable, accessible, and
• Increases productivity quality childcare does not meet the demand, as is the case
EMPLOYERS in Mexico. In the country, the early childhood education
and care system covers children aged 0-5 years old and
on average, 60 percent of them are enrolled in an early
childhood education center (IDB, 2019).
• Enhances social, mental, physical,
and emotional development
• Improves school readiness,
retention, completion, and A Note on Mexico’s Estancias Infantiles
CHILDREN achievement
• Improves outcomes in adulthood
In 2019, the Mexican government implemented
new austerity measures and ended a major
public childcare program called Estancias
Infantiles para Apoyar a Madres Trabajadoras
(Childcare to Support Working Mothers). The
• Increases gender equality
program targeted low-income women aged 15
• Improves work-life integration
• Enhances access to better, and older with children between one and four
paid jobs years old and covered about 90 percent of
• Supports parenting and mental childcare costs (Banco de México, 2014). Since
and physical well-being
its launch in 2017, Estancias Infantiles served
PARENTS
over two million children nationwide and reported
an 18 percent increase in women’s likelihood
to be employed and improvement on children’s
language, motor, and social skills. Program
evaluations showed that thanks to the program,
working mothers and fathers gained an average
• Builds human capital
• Saves health care costs
of 34 hours per week to access the labor market,
• Improves productivity and preserve their employment or study (CONEVAL,
earnings 2018). The program was replaced with a cash
SOCIETY
• Enhances socio-economic
development
allowance of $1,600 Mexican pesos per child
(around $80 USD) every two months that the
family can decide how to spend. The stipend is
Source: IFC Gender and Economic Inclusion Group, 2019
higher for families with children with disabilities at
$3,600 Mexican pesos (around $180 USD) per
child every two months.
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 5
2. Company Overview:
Grupo Altex
Grupo Altex started in 1986 as a supplier to one of the
largest bread-making companies in Mexico and became
an independent group in 1999. Currently, Altex is a leading
agro-industrial business serving national and international
clients, such as Grupo Bimbo, Danone, and a variety of
companies in the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Altex is one of the largest companies in North America
involved in the cultivation and commercialization of
hydroponic lettuces, also producing millions of pounds of
frozen goods, fruit cups, jams, purees, and citrus products,
which are marketed in the food, beverage, and retail
industries. Altex also participates in commercial mariculture
through the only farm dedicated to fresh tuna in the world.
With an annual revenue of USD$ 600-650 million and over
7,000 employees, the group is currently led by brothers
Roberto and Mauricio Servitje Labarrere, sons of Altex’s
founder Roberto Servitje Achútegui. Altex has 10 plants Altex’s Employee Profile (2020)
or operation centers in rural areas across the country. Its
headquarters are in Mexico City with satellite offices in
Barcelona, Tokyo, and Miami. Total number of employees
Women: Men: Total:
3,619 (51%) 3,443 (49%) 7,062
Operation Centers
Permanent contract employees
Women: Men: Total:
Mexico 1,709 (48.3%) 1,826 (51.7%) 3,535
Seasonal contract employees
Women: Men: Total:
1,910 (54.2%) 1,617 (45.8%) 3,527
Employees aged 18-40
Women: Men: Total:
2,302 (47.6%) 2,530 (52.4%) 4,832
Employees who have children aged 1-6
Women: Men: Total:
338 (48.1%) 365 (51.9%) 703
Employees in executive management positions
Women: Men: Total:
19 (12%) 139 (88%) 158
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 6
Altex: A Family-Friendly Workplace
Grupo Altex has established a series of policies, benefits,
and initiatives destined to make Altex a place where
working mothers, fathers, and their families feel welcome
and supported. For instance, the group offers subsidized
childcare services for employees’ children aged 1-6 years
old as well as for community members. Here, parents pay a
small amount for high-quality service near their workplace—
most of them in rural areas where this type of childcare
offering is rare.
All Altex employees, regardless of contract type, receive
paid maternity and paternity leave in accordance with
Mexican law. This means women receive 42 days of paid
leave before giving birth and 42 days after the child is born
while men are entitled to five days of leave. Lactation breaks
are provided. The company has also implemented flexible
work arrangements for certain roles and operations centers,
a policy that has been expanded due to COVID-19.
Other Family-Friendly Benefits,
Initiatives, and Recognitions
Among the benefits Altex offers employees
is safe transportation free of cost. It has also
implemented Genios Altex, a popular program
among employees with the goal to incentivize
and recognize strong academic performance
of employees’ children enrolled in elementary
and middle school. Altex employees are bound
by a code of ethics, and the company has set
up a mechanism to prevent and address sexual
harassment, according to its policy on the topic.
Additionally, the company assesses its work
climate through annual surveys. In the past
decade, Altex has been featured among
Mejores Empresas Mexicanas (Best Mexican
Companies) several times and recognized twice
by the Workplace Wellness Council in Mexico for
being a responsible and healthy organization.
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 7
Madre Tierra catalyzes the efforts of seven organizations
3. Altex’s Support with the goal to support small strawberry farmers. According
to Childcare to Georgina Alvarado Díaz, Manager of the Madre Tierra
initiative, they noticed that many children were spending
their days in the fields, so they decided to conduct a survey,
Why and How It Started
uncovering demand for childcare for small farmer families.
Grupo Altex opened its first childcare center in 2016, in “It was key for this initiative to simultaneously create positive
San Cristóbal, Guanajuato, where the company has two social and environmental impacts. In the long run, this
plants. Altex was motivated by a desire to offer employees,
not only benefits the community, but also our business by
including its many women and manual workers, a healthy,
strengthening our relationships with international buyers and
strong workplace and to help improve the lives of people
other companies.”
in its communities. The Group’s leadership also thought
offering childcare support to employees could help increase Georgina Alvarado Díaz
retention and reduce absenteeism. The company was
interested in exploring what kinds of benefits, beyond
increasing salaries, it could offer that could have a real
impact on people’s lives. Altex had always employed
a significant percentage of women and at the time, the
company was expanding rapidly.
Once Altex’s leadership met childcare provider Hipocampus,
the two organizations conducted research that revealed that
families were often paying between $20 and $50 Mexican
pesos per day (between $1 and $2.5 USD), a high cost
given their income levels. Options for childcare in the
communities where Altex is present were often scarce and/
or of low quality. When the federal government cancelled
its popular Estancias Infantiles program, it aggravated
the situation further. According to Roberto Servitje, Grupo
Altex’s Co-CEO, investing in childcare for their employees
was consistent with his father’s values, who had founded
the company years earlier. This was also around the time
Roberto was having his own children, so the importance
of quality care for young children was very much present
on his mind. “We wanted it to be a place where we’d feel
comfortable enrolling our own children,” he said.
What Altex Offers
Altex currently has five childcare centers run in partnership
with Hipocampus. Four of them serve Altex employees
as well as community members and one of them targets
children from supply chain workers, as part of the sustainable
development initiative Madre Tierra, led by Danone, one of
Grupo Altex’s clients, with strong participation by Altex and
NGOs NUUP and Technoserve.
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 8
Altex’s Childcare Centers
A Note on Hipocampus
1. San Cristóbal, Guanajuato A B-certified social enterprise* created in 2016,
Serving Altex’s operations Xtra León & Next Vegetables Hipocampus’ mission is to increase access to quality
childcare services at a price that is affordable to
2. Zamora, Michoacán
most families in Mexico. Hipocampus does this by
Serving Altex’s operation Frexport Zamora
partnering with companies interested in offering quality
3. Martínez de la Torre, Veracruz childcare services to their employees. In addition to
Serving Altex’s operation Citrex developmental benefits for children, access to quality
care contributes to a stable workforce for businesses
4. Celaya, Guanajuato and decent work for women.
Serving Altex’s operation Xtra Celaya
When working with the private sector, Hipocampus
5. Maravatío, Michoacán partners with companies to adapt its childcare solutions
Serving the children of Altex’s small strawberry farmers in to their needs and the needs of their workforce,
the community of Maravatío, where the Madre Tierra social
customizing location, opening hours, cost, and teaching
initiative takes place
methodology. Hipocampus’ objective is to design
solutions to adapt to the way people learn, live and work
today, aiming to put children, parents, and communities
In 2021, 117 children aged 1-6 years attended Altex’s
at the center, seeking to participate in the construction
childcare centers, which offer high-quality care and
of a culture where quality early childhood care and
education, inspired by the Montessori methodology,
education is accessible, valued and paramount.
according to a low-cost model. Since the Group started
offering childcare services in 2016, 721 children have According to Germán Zubía, the private sector is
benefited from the services. central to helping increase access to quality childcare
in Mexico. “Corporate leaders have an important role to
Describing Hipocampus’ childcare provision, Germán play. If you want to build businesses that last, business
Zubía, the organization’s co-founder, says that access and as usual is no longer possible.”
quality are key words. In the case of Grupo Altex, as with
other organizations Hipocampus works with, the childcare *recognized as a ‘Best for the World’ organization
centers are well-integrated into the communities, employing by B Lab, which certifies companies that meet high
standards of social and environmental performance,
local women, using local materials, and establishing strong
accountability, and transparency.
relationships with the families of children enrolled.
What Employees Say
For Jessica Fernanda Rodríguez, who has been working in
Altex’s Next Vegetables plant in San Cristóbal for two years,
knowing her children are well-cared for is comforting. “Having
them there and going to work, it gives us peace of mind that
they are well, learning, safe,” she said.
For Mónica Medina López, who also works at Next Vegetables
and whose 3-year-old son has been attending the childcare
center for two years, well-balanced meals, an emphasis on
local traditions, and the fact that her child really likes the
center all contribute to a positive evaluation of the childcare
center. Similarly, for María Eleazar, who works at Xtra León,
it is the progress that her two-year old daughter has made in
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 9
language acquisition, especially in comparison with other To help companies understand the impact of their childcare
children who don’t attend a high-quality childcare center, support, Germán Zubía from Hipocampus says they
that has impressed her the most. periodically surveys working parents with children in their
centers, even as there are many intangibles to the bottom
For Alan Daniel Guerrero Agustín, thanks to the center’s line that are difficult to measure, like the impact of having a
opening hours, leaving his daughter in the care of higher number of women in leadership positions.
Hipocampus, “has helped me a lot to be punctual at
Frexport.” Lucero Anguiano, from Xtra León, reinforces the According to a 2021 survey with 46 Altex parents covering
importance of the childcare center in her work life. the four childcare centers open to Altex employees:
“For me, what I like the most are the operating hours,
• 100 percent believe that access to the service has
compatible with my work hours. The first year it was my allowed them to increase their productivity,
mother-in-law who cared for him, but it was quite difficult • 60 percent of parents said that Hippocampus was a
because she sometimes had to go out, go to medical factor in their decision to join the company,
appointments, so I had to miss work to stay with my son as I • 97 percent mentioned that the service increases the
didn’t have anyone else with whom I could leave him [...] but probability of continuing to work in the company,
now that there is Hipocampus, it has helped a lot.” • 40..percent mentioned having turned down an
opportunity in order not to lose the Hipocampus service,
Lucero Anguiano • 98 percent say the service has helped them better
balance work and family responsibilities.
Business Benefits and Costs
While Altex’s leadership is clear that offering this type
of support to their employees, both male and female, as
well as their communities, is part of the group’s DNA and
contributes to the company’s commitment to strengthen their
value chain, one of the reasons Altex chose to open its first
childcare center in San Cristóbal was the rapidly increasing
number of new employees in its plants in the region and
issues with high rotation among those new additions.
In San Cristóbal, as well as in the three other locations where
Altex has opened childcare centers targeting employees,
the rotation rate has been going down at least since 2019
and stands at under 7 percent on average. While this
decline cannot be fully attributed to the childcare centers,
the company’s HR believes investments in childcare have
contributed to the decline because lack of childcare is one
of the main reasons cited by working mothers in the past
for why they were leaving the company. The same is the
case for absenteeism rates, at an average of 4 percent for
the plants in 2021, which have been declining since at least
2019 and are often associated with “personal matters,”
including childcare.
“From what we have done, I believe the most important and
where we’ve invested the most were the childcare centers,
and we have improved considerably.”
Roberto Servitje
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 10
Altex also associates their investment in childcare with
helping to strengthen the company’s social responsibility.
Because Altex’s plants are often located in small towns,
the noise and traffic they generate, for example, can
inconvenience some people. Others associate large
companies with exploitation of local resources. For the
Group, it was important to clearly demonstrate that in
addition to the economic benefits it generates to a region,
including through employment, that it is also invested in
their social development.
“Part of what we are gaining with this is strengthening the
company’s image. It helps us to have people notice an
authentic interest, that we don’t want to simply benefit the
company, but also in a way give back, share, and benefit the
communities where we operate.”
Mauricio Servitje
Altex has made a capital investment of approximately $3
million Mexican pesos ($150,000 USD) in its childcare
centers. While the company covers most of the operational
costs for its employees (community members pay a slightly
higher fee), it is important that families also contribute to
monthly fees to foster accountability and co-responsibility.
While the company pays around $1,000 Mexican pesos ($50
USD) per child per month—in addition to other operational But even prior to the pandemic, filling the childcare centers
costs—family contributions are around $250 Mexican pesos with children was not an automatic proposition. Lack of
($12.5 USD) per child per month, which various families information about the benefits of quality childcare services
have rated as “very accessible.” for children’s development is common in rural parts of
Mexico. Resistance to enrolling children in care outside of
the home is also influenced by social norms around who
Overcoming Challenges should care for young children (e.g., the mother, the family).
In other cases, the low quality of care of public and private
centers around the country, sometimes involving accidents
As with any new, innovative program, delivering high-quality, and child abuse, rightly worries parents and leaves the
affordable childcare also has come with some challenges. impression that all centers are the same, generating a
The COVID-19 pandemic was one of them. Similar to many persistent uneasiness around the topic.
childcare centers around the world, Altex’s centers shut down
in 2020 for an average of five months. When the centers In the case of Rosario Bautista, mother of a 3-year-old
reopened, they did so according to rigorous health and who attends the Maravatío childcare center, for example, it
safety protocols, says Hipocampus. However, some parents was her husband who was against enrolling their son. The
were still concerned about COVID-19, so they chose to keep husband was worried about “things that have happened in
their children at home longer. Enrollment levels dropped by other childcare centers.” What convinced the family that a
62 percent between when Altex’s childcare centers closed quality center could be valuable was the fact that their only
in March 2020 and when they reopened in July-October of child almost did not speak at the age of three. “On his first
the same year. While attendance has increased since then, day, he came out very happy. Now he talks a lot. The results
it is yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, which is a challenge are showing already, and we’re fascinated with them,” says
faced by many centers around the world. Rosario.
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 11
For Mónica del Carmen Torres, an Altex employee at the development of other children who attended the centers –
Xtra León plant, it was also her husband who thought their and wanting that for their own children – was what made
son was too young for a childcare center and that he was them decide in favor of the centers. In situations where social
better off at home. But Monica got tired of seeing the child norms play a role, being able to count on the endorsement
on the phone or in front of the TV all day, so she enrolled of users, including of men, is important. Next Vegetables
him in the childcare center. “ It happened very fast. At home, employee Aarón Abrahám Ferniza Durán said he felt very
his grandparents and his aunts, even though they miss him comfortable discussing the topic in his community.
because they were the ones caring for him, they really see
that there is a benefit, so they say, yes, he should keep going.” “The service and the way they educate the children seems
right to me; my kids have learned a lot of numbers, words,
On the business side, maternity return rates are still relatively to socialize with other children. I value this very much and
low at Altex. After new mothers go on maternity leave, in
without any doubt I could recommend the service to other
some plants only about 30-45 percent are still working with
parents.”
Altex one year later. While some of this is due to mothers
preferring or being expected to care for their young children Aarón Abrahám
themselves and to the seasonality of the work (50 percent
of Altex employees are seasonal workers), it might also be
related to lack of safe and reliable childcare. Children must To expand access to their childcare services, in early
be at least one year old to enroll in Altex’s childcare centers, 2022 Altex also expanded enrollment to three new groups
so the period between the end of maternity leave and the time of children: employees’ younger siblings, employees’
the child turns one is not covered. Because extending care to nephews and nieces, and employees’ grandchildren, said
very young children is different from adding more children to José Leonardo Hernández Robles, Organization and
existing spots, in that it requires specialized care and lower Compensation Manager at Altex.
teacher-child ratios, Altex has been in conversations with
Hipocampus on the feasibility of lowering its entry age.
“The childcare centers are an excellent benefit for our
As some of the childcare centers are still operating under employees and their children because they are located in safe
capacity of 60 children per center, Altex leadership and spaces, are based on a learning system that truly stimulate
Hipocampus have also had to be creative in showcasing the children’s cognitive development, promote children’s
benefits to families and children. Often, the benefits are best autonomy, offer customized learning, and teach children how
communicated by parents of enrolled children themselves. to be responsible and respectful, while their moms and dads
Various Altex mothers and fathers reported that seeing the
can be relaxed to perform their other activities.”
José Leonardo Hernández Robles
By expanding access to childcare, Altex is also hoping
current caretakers, typically adolescent girls and other
women in the family, could be freed to attend school and/or
take on paid work, increasing family well-being and income,
Leonardo Hernández adds.
Importantly, Altex has also taken operational measures
to help facilitate access to their childcare services. The
company, whose business model involves seasonal
workforce (based on agricultural timings) and shift work,
has made efforts to fix the shifts of working mothers with
young children (e.g., ensure they work the day shift) so they
can keep their sons and daughters in the childcare center
and spend the evenings with them at home.
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 12
According to Héctor Espinosa Trujillo, the company’s HR
4. Lessons Learned Director, “a short-term view can cost a company a lot.” The
and Next Steps costs associated with providing quality childcare services,
for example, can be high, he says, but when you are
interested in people, in families, in the community, you are
One of the lessons Grupo Altex has learned on its childcare
able to put the short-term view aside. For Roberto Servitje,
journey has been the importance of establishing good
“the intangible benefits can be much more important in the
partnerships. Co-CEO Roberto Servitje is keen to highlight
longer term.”
Altex’s work with Hipocampus.
For Mauricio Servitje, taking the time to understand an issue
“If we tried to do this internally it would have been very and to study successful cases of companies already active
difficult, we don’t have this expertise, so we believe it’s key in a particular space is important, helping to increase a
to find a strategic partner, an expert in managing childcare firm’s level of comfort with the topic, leading to benefits for
centers, with a shared philosophy and vision.” everyone.
Roberto Servitje
“The message I wanted to convey is that our doors are
The importance of extending childcare services to open, and we would gladly share with you the things we
community members, beyond the company’s employees, is have achieved and the benefits we have reaped. We would
also something that Altex’s leadership wants to highlight for like more companies to join this type of initiative every day
other companies interested in investing in childcare. “It was so that the impact would be much greater and considerable
always very important that the centers were not exclusive for change would happen. It is in our hands, as business
our employees because [...] in many cases these are small leaders, to open these opportunities to people, especially to
communities that have limited access to many services, those who have given so much to us and to our companies.
especially to education. So, it was very important for us to If we intend to make sustainable change in the country, it is
offer this benefit to the whole community, not limiting it just in our hands, the hands of the private sector; we know that
to Altex employees,” said Mauricio Servitje. this goes far beyond ourselves.”
Mauricio Servitje
Altex and Hipocampus are continuously working to improve
Altex’s childcare offerings and make the service available
to those who can benefit from them. In the future, as
more children attend existing centers and the pandemic
subsides, Altex may consider opening additional centers to
serve some of their other operations around the country.
Eventually, the company might also be interested in finding
ways to support rural education and women’s health.
In 2022-2023, Altex will participate in Empresas Mexicanas
X Equidad, an IFC program that aims to help close the
gender gap and promote diversity and inclusion in the
private sector in Mexico. Through this program, Altex plans
to work on childcare and women leadership, among others.
Message to Other Companies
For Altex’s leadership, it is crucial that the private sector
adopts a longer-term view related to social investments.
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 13
Annex I:
Additional Background Information
The Importance of Quality, Affordable Childcare information and facilitate supervision. ECCE in Mexico is
for Women’s Employment also guided by the National Strategy for Early Childhood.
As of 2019, there were over 13,570 registered childcare
Working mothers in Mexico face increased difficulties to centers in the country with the highest concentration in the
engage in paid work, regardless of their level of education State of Mexico and Mexico City (INEGI, 2019).
or income status—mainly due to social norms backing the
unequal distribution of care, the limited offering of quality, The latest national survey on employment and social
affordable, and accessible childcare services, and parents’ security in Mexico (INEGI, 2017) showed that from the 14
barriers to adapt to the childcare supply (World Bank, 2020). million children aged 0-6 years old:
The challenges faced by women to engage in paid work • 13.7 percent were cared for by their grandmothers
have a negative impact not only on women’s employment while their mother was at work
opportunities, income, and promotion, but also on children’s • 7.2 percent were under the supervision of someone
well-being. For instance, global research shows that child else
poverty reduction is closely associated with growth in • 3.1 percent went to a public childcare center
maternal employment (OECD, 2018). • 1 percent went to a private childcare center
In Mexico, women in formal employment are entitled to 42 The rest who are not accounted for in this survey are cared
days of paid leave before giving birth and 42 days after for by their mother at work, their mother doesn’t work, are
the child is born (Ley Federal del Trabajo, 2021). In 2017, left alone, or go to school.
739,000 working women between 15 and 49 years old
across Mexico mentioned receiving maternal care during From the children 0-6 years old who were cared for while the
birth, pregnancy complications, or abortion. Out of these, mother was working, prior to the end of the public Estancias
only 45 percent said to have obtained maternity or medical Infantiles program:
leave at work (INEGI, 2017).
• 75.7 percent attended a public childcare center
• 24.1 percent attended a private childcare center
Childcare and ECCE Enrollment in Mexico
While preschool is mandatory in Mexico, in 2018, 82 percent
of 3-5 year-olds were enrolled in ECCE programs and primary
education (OECD, 2020). It is also reported that 20 percent of
children aged 3-4 years present inadequate development in
at least one area related to literacy, numeracy, and physical
and social-emotional skills (IDB, 2019).
Childcare provision is contemplated in Mexican federal law
with the purpose of coordinating, improving, and evaluating
public, private, and mixed childcare services. The law
outlines minimal safety requirements for childcare facilities—
which are allowed to receive children as young as 40 days
old—and establishes national registration to centralize
Spotlight on Grupo Altex, Mexico: Supporting Employees through Childcare 14
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