In a region where the stakes of pediatric healthcare couldn’t be higher, Valley Children’s Healthcare has built something rare: a workplace culture strong enough to earn national recognition not once, not twice, but five times.
The Madera, California-based not-for-profit pediatric healthcare system was most recently named to Becker’s Healthcare’s 2026 Top Places to Work in Healthcare list, marking its fifth appearance on the prestigious roster. That kind of sustained recognition doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of deliberate investments in people, culture and mission that have defined Valley Children’s for more than 70 years.
A Recognition Built on Results, Not Politics
Becker’s Healthcare, one of the most trusted authorities in healthcare business information, develops its annual list through nominations and editorial research, and organizations can’t pay for inclusion. For 2026, Becker’s evaluated 165 healthcare organizations nationwide on factors including workplace culture, employee benefits, professional development, engagement and commitment to diversity and inclusion. Valley Children’s earned its place on the strength of its own track record.
The organization’s history with this recognition spans nearly a decade. Valley Children’s first appeared on the Becker’s list in 2018, then returned for a second time before earning its third distinction in 2023, its fourth in 2024 and its fifth in 2026. For a regional children’s hospital competing on a national stage, that consistency is a statement in itself.
Leadership That Puts People First
Todd Suntrapak, who has served as President and CEO of Valley Children’s Healthcare since 2012, has spent more than 25 years advancing the organization’s mission, and he’s the first to credit the team around him. “This recognition reflects something we work hard to protect every day — a culture where people feel valued, supported and connected to a shared purpose,” Suntrapak said. “When talented doctors and staff come together around a mission to serve children and families, it creates an environment where both our people and patients can thrive.”
Under Suntrapak’s leadership, Valley Children’s now employs more than 740 physicians and 4,000 staff, along with nearly 800 volunteers and Guild members, all delivering care to more than 1.3 million children across Central California. His vision, that every child in the Valley should be within 30 minutes or 30 miles of Valley Children’s care, has shaped the organization’s growth strategy and, just as importantly, its people strategy. You can’t achieve that kind of reach without a workforce that’s genuinely invested in the mission.
What Becker’s Actually Looked At
When Becker’s highlighted Valley Children’s for the 2026 list, it pointed to specifics. The editorial team noted deep community roots and a culture shaped by more than 70 years of compassionate pediatric care. It also cited the organization’s consistently high employee engagement, including the fact that 88% of employees express pride in working for Valley Children’s, a figure that surpasses national benchmarks. Strong retention and internal mobility rates were recognized as well, reflecting an environment where people don’t just stay; they grow.
In prior years, Becker’s also spotlighted specific programs driving those results. For the 2024 recognition, it noted Valley Children’s educational programs that prepare staff to care for a diverse patient population, an environment that fosters continuous learning and process improvement, and comprehensive benefits and wellness programs that address whole-person health.
For 2023, the recognition highlighted robust benefits packages, employee discounts, educational assistance and free access to an onsite primary and urgent care clinic for workforce members and their families, a benefit that speaks directly to how the organization views its own people.
A Culture of Learning and Internal Growth
One of the more telling data points from Valley Children’s workplace story isn’t about benefits or perks. It’s about opportunity. In 2022, Valley Children’s filled nearly a quarter of all open positions with internal candidates, promoting from within to support career growth. That kind of internal mobility isn’t just good for morale. It signals that the organization is serious about developing talent rather than simply recruiting it.
Kelly Beall, Valley Children’s senior vice president and chief people officer, has been a central voice in translating these values into programs. “Every achievement at Valley Children’s is made possible because of the incredible people who choose to work here,” Beall said. “This recognition reflects the strength of our team and our culture, one built on care, collaboration and a shared mission to make a difference for kids and families every day.”
Workplace Excellence and Patient Excellence Go Hand in Hand
Valley Children’s workplace recognition doesn’t exist in isolation — it runs parallel to its clinical track record:
- The organization is one of only 13 free-standing pediatric specialty healthcare systems in the country.
- It’s been ranked among U.S. News ’s World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals for nine consecutive years and named a Top Children’s Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, one of the most competitive safety and quality designations in American healthcare.
- Valley Children’s was also the first children’s hospital west of the Rockies to receive Magnet Nursing designation, the highest nursing benchmark in the world.
Also named a Top Children’s Hospital by The Leapfrog Group for the sixth time, Valley Children’s demonstrates a rare national distinction that highlights the hospital’s sustained excellence in patient safety and quality.
The Leapfrog Top Hospital award is among the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive. Selection is based on rigorous quality and safety standards, including infection rates, safe surgery practices and the ability to prevent medication errors.
The connection between these achievements isn’t coincidental. When staff feel genuinely supported, when they’re proud of where they work and invested in the mission, the quality of care they deliver reflects it. The patients and families who walk through Valley Children’s doors each year are, in a real sense, the beneficiaries of every workplace decision the organization gets right.
Rooted in Mission, Looking Forward
Suntrapak has described his philosophy simply: the right decisions are the ones that are best for the kids. That orientation has driven clinical investments, community outreach and, just as importantly, workforce development.
Under his leadership, Valley Children’s launched the Center for Community Health, fueled by a $5 million endowment from the hospital Guilds, and the organization invests nearly $1 million annually in community programs affecting children’s health from youth soccer scholarships to food bank partnerships.
That same mission-driven energy extends inward. A workplace where nearly nine in ten employees say they’re proud to come to work every day isn’t built overnight, and it isn’t maintained without intention. Five Becker’s recognitions over the course of nearly a decade tell a story of an organization that hasn’t treated its people as an afterthought, and the results, for staff and patients alike, show it.
For families across Central California seeking the best care for their children and the peace of mind that comes from knowing their child’s care team is genuinely committed, Valley Children’s Healthcare’s record speaks for itself. The region’s only comprehensive pediatric healthcare system isn’t just one of the nation’s best places for kids to get care. It’s one of the nation’s best places to build a career delivering it.
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