Abu Dhabi – With just 60 days remaining until the application deadline, the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) is inviting organizations across the UAE’s semi-government, private, and third sectors to apply for Cycle 4 of the Parent-friendly Label (PFL) on or before 31 July 2026. Organizations are encouraged to take part and join a growing group of leading family-friendly workplaces across the country.

The UAE-wide voluntary workplace award recognizes organizations that foster supportive and inclusive work environments, which ultimately lead to positive outcomes for employers, employees, children, and society.

The program’s fourth cycle marks a significant milestone, with the program being piloted in government entities for the first time, in collaboration with the Ministry of Family. Coinciding with the UAE’s Year of the Family 2026, the expansion aims to further strengthen family-focused workplace culture across the country, while evolving the program’s framework to set a global benchmark for a parent-friendly workplace.

The program also encourages label earner organizations from previous cycles to apply to re-earn the label or upgrade to “Parent-friendly Label+” by enhancing their work policies and practices to meet or exceed international practices.

The PFL program recognizes organizations that foster supportive and inclusive workplaces for parents of young children, through policies such as flexible work arrangements, understanding the needs of families, welcoming back new mothers and fathers, offering enhanced parental leave, and various other policies. The program assesses applications based on a comprehensive framework that was developed based on international benchmarks and studies, and covers five criteria: Parental Leave, Flexible Working Arrangements, Family Care, Family Wellbeing, Culture, and Innovation.

Since its launch in 2021, the Parent-friendly Label program has positively impacted the lives of more than 1 million employees globally, including over 311,000 across 25 sectors in the UAE.  According to the program’s second Impact Report, Thriving Through Talent: How parent-friendly policies drive balance, growth, and global competitiveness, parent-friendly workplace policies are driving stronger employee retention, well-being, and productivity, with 71 per cent of working parents reporting improved daily productivity as a result of the supportive workplace environment.

Organizations across the UAE are encouraged to apply on or before 31 July 2026 at parentfriendlylabel.ae. and learn more about the program through its Applicant Handbook.

About the Parent-friendly Label

The Parent-friendly Label™ (PFL) is a UAE-wide voluntary workplace recognition program that encourages organizations operating in the UAE within the governmental, semi-governmental, private, and third sectors, to shift to parent supportive practices and policies, and earn the label in recognition of their work culture, which ultimately impacts children aged 0-8 years old. The program recognizes earner organizations across two levels:

  • Level 1: Parent-friendly Label for workplaces that exceed local requirements and standards.
  • Level 2: Parent-friendly Label+ for workplaces that meet or exceed global leading policies and practices.

Since its launch in 2021, PFL has impacted the lives of over 311,000 employees and over 175,000 working parents across the UAE, with its growing impact reaching beyond the UAE to impact more than 1 million employees worldwide. The program’s assessment criteria were reviewed by UNICEF Gulf.

In Cycle 4, the program has launched a pilot phase to expand its scope to include the government sector (both local and federal), in collaboration with the Ministry of Family. The pilot phase is limited to a select number of government entities, paving the way for future expansion to encompass all government entities across the UAE.