You may have heard of Making Life Easier (MLE) as a free mental health counseling service for King County employees, but did you know MLE offers many more services, beyond mental health support, designed to truly help make life easier for you and your family? In this article Balanced You will spotlight a new MLE benefit for employees to take advantage of. 

MLE Benefit: Childcare & Parenting Resources

MLE’s Childcare and Parenting resource is a free benefit that includes unlimited calls and instant messaging for resources and referral assistance for kinds from birth to age 16.

Childcare consultants can offer resources to support parents in a number of situations like finding emergency back-up care if your school closes, volunteer opportunities for teens, play groups for infants/toddlers, and preschool recommendations. Consultants can also search for a variety of resources for children with special needs, such as in-home caregivers, financial guidance, testing and assessment resources and schools for exceptional children.

Website Access

Online parenting resources include information for parents with kids of all ages. Sections in the online portal include:

Adoption – Information and resources to help with understanding the process and needs

Child Care – helps parents consider their options and choose the one that best suits their family.

Developmental Stages – provides insight into the maturation process from infancy through young adulthood.

Education – covers early development through adult education and offers non-college educational options for young adults.

Kid’s Well-being – tips for keeping kids safe and sound from infancy through young adulthood with an emphasis on health, safety and a positive interaction with the world around them.

Self-search locator – search for childcare, camps, schools, etc.

Live Connect – chat online with a consultant and send in referral request

To access your Daily Living Benefit, call 1-888-874-7290 or visit kcmakinglifeeasier.com (username kingcounty) and click on ‘Find Resources’.

Contact BalancedYou@kingcounty.gov with any questions about accessing this service.