Work-life balance: Montclair State’s Women Entrepreneurship Week conference offering free child care

Montclair State University, in partnership with Lightbridge Academy, will offer free on-site child care during its sixth annual Women Entrepreneurship Week conference on Oct. 23.

“I’ve attended a lot of industry conferences in my career; none offered child care support for working parents,” said Carley Graham Garcia, executive director of MSU’s Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which organizes the conference. “We are committed to supporting women full-circle in their lives, through program development and mentorship.”

Guy Falzarano, founder and CEO of Lightbridge Franchise Co. in Iselin, said the company is happy to provide child care to conference attendees, as the event aligns with the company’s mission.

“We know the struggle parents face every day to provide quality early childhood education and safe care for their children while working on their business venture or at a company,” Falzarano said.

Women Entrepreneurship Week will be celebrated at more than 200 universities and colleges in 30 countries this year, as well as 43 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

MSU’s signature conference, which is free of charge and open to the public, will take place on campus at University Hall Conference Center from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring dozens of successful entrepreneurs from a variety of industries, including an inaugural workshop with Google.

More than 500 attended MSU’s conference last year.

MSU will host a second Women Entrepreneurship Week event, “Finding Success as Food Entrepreneurs,” from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 21, featuring entrepreneurs from the food and restaurant industry.

Visit www.womenentrepreneurshipweek.com for more information.