NewsStories From the VGM Group Child Care Center: More Time With Both Families

Irina Hageman, a program underwriter with VGM Insurance, wanders over to one of the other offices just a few steps from her desk. Looking down from the window, she sees her son Easton, who’s almost a year and half, playing out on the playground.  

“That is just so cool, being able to look out the window and see your kid playing,” Irina said. “No matter what kind of day you’re having, it instantly lifts your spirits.”  

Since the VGM On-Site Child Care Center opened in November of 2023, a weight has also been lifted for many working parents like Irina. For her, bringing Easton to VGM was the obvious choice. And one of the best things has been the time she’s gained to spend with family—both her work family and her own. 

“We were at a Reinbeck day care before VGM,” Irina said. “It was the only one we could get into, even though we’d looked into over 11 different day cares. We were lucky to have something open up, but we were really just waiting for VGM’s day care to open.”  

Before VGM’s child care center, working in the office was a bit of a challenge. She was driving out of her way to get Easton to day care, and the extra travel quickly added up between dropping him off and picking him up.  

“Eight a.m. meetings weren’t really a possibility,” Irina said. “I’m fortunate that VGM offers the flexibility to work from home, but his previous day care was definitely not convenient. It made it really difficult to want to head into the office, both because it was a lot of extra travel and because then I was so far away from him.”  

Getting into the VGM child care center has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for Irina and Easton. As with any change, however, there was an adjustment period for both.  

“I love the child-to-teacher ratio, but I think Easton was a little intimidated at first,” Irina said. “I also had to adjust to being in the office more. It’s also fun that my kid now goes to day care with other VGM kids. It’s been a great way to bond with coworkers.”   

Of course, time and convenience are great, but like most people, Irina was curious about how the cost would compare. And she was pleasantly surprised to find the cost structure of VGM’s day care was a welcome change for her family.  

“The hourly pricing for the VGM child care center is actually really nice,” Irina said. “At our previous day care, we had to give them a schedule a month at a time, which made for a lot of paying for time Easton wasn’t there.” 

Now, at the VGM child care center, Irina can schedule Easton a week at a time. Parents also get some no-charge days, which can help reduce costs when they need to take their kids to an appointment or want to take them to a last-minute event. It’s another small detail that makes the on-site child care center a huge benefit.  

“I appreciate that VGM listened to its employee owners and the community and then did something about it,” Irina said. “So few companies would see parents struggling like that and choose to do anything about it. And VGM did.”  

The VGM On-Site Campus Child Care Center is operated by CUCCC. It is available to any child whose parent, legal guardian, grandparent, aunt, or uncle is an active VGM employee. 

There are still openings available. Learn more and submit an application on the Intranet.