Starbucks follows Home Depot, Apple and ups its care benefits

Starbucks announced Tuesday that it’s hiking its care benefit package as the battle to lure talent intensifies. The move follows similar plans by Apple and Home Depot.

The coffee giant said it has partnered with Care.com, a company that connects people to caregivers, to offer all employees — both corporate, in-store and part-time—10 subsidized backup care days a year.

Under its plan, in-home care will only cost employees $1 per hour with in-center backup childcare costing $5 per day.

But it’s not only childcare, all workers will also have access to unlimited senior care planning and a premium membership at Care.com for free.

While the benefit is an unusual one with only 9 percent of companies with 1,000 employees or more offering the service, others, including Apple and Home Depot, have offered similar childcare benefits.

Last year, Apple announced through backup care company Bright Horizons that employees are eligible for up to 10 days of care per calendar year.

Home Depot also has a similar program for all employees who have been with the company at least one year. They, too, worked with Bright Horizons, to offer up to 10 days of care per calendar year. Home Depot, unlike Apple and Starbucks, also has a childcare facility that offers full-time spots for any of their associates in the Atlanta area.

Ron Crawford, vice president of benefits at Starbucks, said the partnership is only the latest in a suite of benefits the company offers.

The coffee giant also provides mental health benefits through the Employee Assistance Program and offers paid parental leave. Additionally, earlier this year,  it announced a Partner and Family Sick Time benefit, which allows U.S. partners to accrue paid sick time based on hours worked and use it for themselves or for a family member who needs care.