SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cleo, the most comprehensive global family benefits solution, today announced a new family benefit offering for employers: Cleo Teens. With the launch of Cleo Teens, Cleo’s employer clients can now provide end-to-end, proactive expert support to all parents in their workforce from those planning a family through the teenage years. The introduction of Cleo Teens comes at a moment of unprecedented need for support from working parents and caregivers, and in particular parents navigating challenges through the formative teen years.
Cleo expands to address the crisis facing working families
The Cleo Teens offering builds upon the company’s growth and engagement with its Cleo Baby and Cleo Kids products, which today are available to over 1M member families globally via 125+ leading employers such as Pinterest, Equinox and The Learning Care Group. The company’s expansion into teens comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 70% of adult parents and caregivers reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, trauma or stress related disorders, or suicidal thoughts. This startling data and the impact on parents at work has created an urgent call to action for employers to deliver support to the often overlooked parents of older children in their workforces and begin to address the underlying causes of their stress, which often relate to the challenges of caregiving.
Parents of teens are dealing with a lot: the prevalence of depression and anxiety amongst teens globally has doubled during the pandemic (JAMA Pediatrics); almost 20% of US teens report being bullied at school (Pew Research Center); and 13.6% of US teens have been diagnosed with ADHD (CHADD). Still, parents are often left without resources and expert support to address the persistent and urgent issues of their teenage children, leading to secondary and tertiary issues.
“What it means to be a teen today looks very different than when parents were teens themselves,” says Dr. Simms-Mackey, Chair of Pediatrics at Alameda Health System and Cleo Clinical Advisory Board member. “The influences and challenges teens face today are a moving target, making their experience drastically different from their parents. It’s for this reason that parents of teens seek extra support and resources to navigate today’s parenting challenges and why there is such a need for Cleo Teens."
Navigating challenges and chronic conditions that span from mental health to academics to social development may lead to high levels of anxiety amongst working parents and caregivers, reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, workforce attrition, and increased utilization of emergency healthcare services, which add up to costs for employers. This is why employers are so keen to help support parents of older children.
Introducing Cleo Teens and how it builds on Cleo’s proven model
“It’s time for us to expand our focus beyond the phase of becoming a family and early parenthood, to addressing the urgent needs of parents of older children and understanding the long term health and organizational consequences if they continue to be overlooked,” said Sarahjane Sacchetti, CEO of Cleo. “Our clients’ excitement for our launch of Cleo Teens has been heartening as it paves the way for a new era of inclusion and support for one of the most overlooked groups in our workforce: parents and caregivers.”
Cleo Teens will leverage Cleo’s signature Guide Model, which matches each family with a personal Cleo guide to proactively address the health, wellness, and resource demands that are unique to their family and to parenting teenagers today. Guides supporting parents with teens consist of clinical psychologists, social workers, professional counselors, middle and high school educators, and more. These guides help Cleo members navigate and assess a myriad of parenting resources, including Cleo’s core support services. Cleo members will have access to proactive assessments to intervene on high-risk issues, 1:1 specialist resources (which are traditionally difficult to access), group coaching, personalized content, and workshops across a wide range of common issues that parents often face, including:
- Support with eating disorders
- Transitioning to middle school, high school, and college & future planning
- Issues with bullying
- Having difficult or mature conversations (e.g., substance use)
- Education related to sexual orientation, gender identity & sexual safety
- Usage of technology and social media, and
- Guidance related to motivation and academic achievement
Designed in partnership with Cleo's global employer clients, Cleo Teens builds off the success of its high engagement, high impact products Cleo Baby and Cleo Kids:
- 61% of Cleo families supported by these existing offerings report that the support they received from Cleo helped them improve their mental health and wellbeing.
- 47% of Cleo families report Cleo has helped them better balance their work & parenting responsibilities.
Cleo Teens will be available in the US this spring, with global roll-out beginning later this year.
The launch of Cleo Teens signifies a big milestone not only for Cleo, but for the family benefits industry as a whole. Supporting every stage of parenting—from planning all the way through age 18—marks the first time employers can offer comprehensive support for every member of the working family.
About Cleo
Cleo is the leading global family benefits platform trusted by 125+ forward-thinking employers to support families, control costs and attrition, and build inclusive cultures. Supported by proactive, specialized guidance for every stage from family planning to parenthood and beyond, Cleo families are happier, healthier, and more engaged as they balance their roles at home and at work. Cleo is creating a more equitable work world where everyone wins: employees are more supported and therefore more successful at work and home, and employers see their bottom line improved through higher retention, improved health outcomes, and a culture of inclusivity that stands the test of time.
Cleo Media Contact
Carly Bourne
The Bulleit Group
carly@bulleitgroup.com
(423) 443-0449
