Harvard has put in place programs to help offset the cost of childcare:
Childcare Scholarships
Harvard offers child care scholarships, based on need, to eligible faculty, staff and postdocs that help defray the cost of child care. Scholarship awards vary from family to family and year to year, and payments are made on a reimbursement basis. Applications are accepted once per year. The program is currently closed for FY21 but will reopen in July of 2021. More information can be found on HARVie.
Subsidy for Occasional, Unplanned Respite Care Expenses (SOURCE) Program
The SOURCE program is intended to provide financial support for back up care when your regular care falls through. Benefits eligible staff and faculty can claim up to $350 per fiscal year if you meet the income requirement of earning less than $75,000 FTE
Back Up Care Rates
The back-up care program through Care@Work is available for when your regular care falls through. You have the option to choose in home care or center-based care, however due to the pandemic, center-based care may be limited in availability.
Typically cost for in home care is $16 per hour and $30 per hour for center based care but Harvard is subsiding the care during this time period. See below for current rates:
| Harvard Salary | Rate |
| Less than $55,000 | $3/hr |
| $55,000 to $99,999 | $6/hr |
| $100,000 + | $10/hr |
As with the care.com digital platform, you must register before you need it! To use any service provided by Care @ Work, Harvard faculty and staff must first complete and return a waiver.