Have you participated in the HLC course called Welcoming A Baby? Thinking About Adoption? New to Childcare (WAB)? Or are you looking for childcare resources available to Harvard paid, benefits eligible employees? If yes, this page contains the resources discussed in the course as well as extra resources that are available to Harvard paid, benefits eligible employees. For more comprehensive information about the resources listed below as well as additional resources, please be sure to look at Harvard Longwood Campus Work/Life or Harvard University Work/Life.
If you haven’t attended a WAB course and are interested in doing so, please click here to find future dates and times, as well as the process to register in the Harvard Training Portal. Note: registration of this course through the HTP will result in it being listed as complete and viewable under training history. For the purpose of confidentiality, you may also register by emailing hlctraining@hsph.harvard.edu with your name, the course name and date you wish to attend.
Welcoming A Baby?Thinking About Adoption?New to Childcare Presentation and HLC Work/Life Website|Important Information/Action Items | Childcare Centers | Support | Financial Assistance |Other Resources
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Notice: Harvard Pregnancy in the Workplace Policy
HLC Welcoming A Baby? Thinking About Adoption? New to Childcare? Slides
Facilitator: HLC Program Specialist
Erin Ringuette
617-432-7448
hlctraining@hsph.harvard.edu
Harvard Longwood Campus Work/Life Website: Harvard provides faculty, staff, and post-docs comprehensive support for Work/Life needs. Faculty, staff and post-docs must be on a regular Harvard payroll and working more than half-time to be eligible for certain benefits. Please contact the HLC Work/Life Program Manager for more information. Details about the resources below can be found by clicking the link above or on Harvard’s intranet, http://hr.harvard.edu/worklife. The Work/Life Program Manager on Harvard’s Longwood Campus provides you with resources and support for personal or professional needs to make life’s transitions more manageable. You may request resources for yourself or those you work with or manage.
HLC Work/Life Program Manager: Susanna Katsman
617-432-1048
worklife.hlc@harvard.edu.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION & ACTIONS ITEMS FOR YOU
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Planning your leave: Please reach out to the HLC Leave of Absence Specialist to discuss a plan for your maternity or paternity leave. Click here to go to the Leave of Absence site to find Family Leave information.
Leave of Absence Specialist: Antonia Gonzalez
617-432-1024
Leave_of_Absence@hms.harvard.edu
Review the Harvard Longwood Campus Maternity Leave Eligibility Grid: This eligibility grid (based on position) is found on the HLC website – click here for an updated grid or visit hlc.harvard.edu under HR>Taking A Leave of Absence>Family Leaves>Maternity>Eligibility and Pay Information
Once the baby has arrived: Harvard University benefits eligible employees should notify both offices listed below with the birth date of your child:
Harvard Benefits Office
Leave of Absence Specialist
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CHILDCARE CENTERS
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Longwood Medical Area
*Bright Horizons Family Center at Landmark
*Longwood Medical Area Child Care Center
Harvard Affiliated (Cambridge and Longwood)
Click on the link above to find information about looking for childcare in general and around the Cambridge area.
Family Childcare and Group Centers in your area
To find a list of licensed family, school age or center based child care programs visit the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education> under Students and Families>Early Education and Care>Find Early Education and Care Programs
Care.com Cost Calculator
Use the zip code of where you are looking for childcare to find the average cost for that area, as well as a list of pros and cons for hiring a nanny, a nanny-share or center/family based childcare.
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SUPPORT
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**Please note- the information provided below is directly from the websites. Click the links and go directly to the site for any updated information**
Harvard’s Employee Assistance Program: Harvard’s EAP is a free, confidential referral and consultation service that can help with topics such as:
*Information and referral for child and elder care
*Postpartum Mood Disorders
*Guardianship and Wills
*Legal and financial questions
Click here for a list of New Parent resources the EAP has to offer
Click here for a list of Pregnancy resources the EAP has to offer
Classifieds & Conversations: features Work/Life Conversations where you can ask a question or start a conversation on child care, schools, camps, elder care, pet care – and more!
Monthly New Parents Lunch! Last Thursday of Each Month, 1-2pm, SPH – Kresge 202A
Come meet other Longwood Area Staff who are parents of infants or young children (4yrs and under) to discuss anything child or parenting-related in an informal setting. Please bring your own lunch!
Contacts: Sheila Krishnan and Lisa Holtzman
Work/Life Educational Courses: The Harvard Longwood Campus offers free seminars on a variety of work/life topics. Most courses you can register for through the Harvard Training Portal unless specified otherwise.
Lactation Rooms: Lactation Rooms are comfortable spaces available to all Longwood area employees to use for breastfeeding or expressing breast milk. Medela Symphony hospital grade pumps are provided. Click the link to find information on locations, logistics, and support.
Back-Up Care: Click the link for more information about back-up care and details about the resources below
Care.Com: If you are a benefits-eligible Harvard employee, you have unlimited digital access to Care.com, a database of caregivers, including profiles, references, and background check options. Provides in-home and center based backup care. You must pre-register for this service.
WATCH: This portal connects you with Harvard students who want to babysit. Harvard faculty, staff, and students can also sponsor their high school and college-age children as babysitters. Your HUID and PIN are required for login.
Harvard Student Employment Office: If you are not eligible to use the WATCH portal, you can search for babysitters using the Harvard Student Employment Office website. Under “Employers” in the right column, select the link to “Hiring for Household Help”.
Camps and School Vacation Options
MASCO Emergency Ride Home
As an employee of a MASCO member institution who walks, bikes, carpools, vanpools or takes public transportation to work, you are eligible to register for ERH and receive a free taxi ride or rental car to take you home in the event of an unexpected personal emergency. Once registered, you can use this service up to five times per year. Please note that students do not qualify for the ERH program.
MassRides Emergency Ride Home
Emergency Ride Home (ERH) is Massachusetts commuters’ insurance in case of an emergency. ERH is a free benefit for any MassRIDES employer partner. It allows employees who take green transportation, at least twice a week, a ride home in case of an emergency. Green commuters can use the ERH program up to four times per year and up to $100 per ride for qualified emergencies. Eligibility: An individual must be enrolled in ERH and carpool, vanpool, transit, bicycle, or walk at least twice per week and on the day of program use. The individual must also be an employee of a participating MassRIDES employer partner worksite that is registered for ERH (per the website).
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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
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**Please note- the information provided below is directly from the websites. Click the links and go directly to the site for any updated information**
The SOURCE (Subsidy for Occasional, Unplanned and Respite Care Expenses): Eligible employees can be reimbursed up to $350 per year for backup care you choose, including care provided by a friend, neighbor, relative, other in-home provider, or licensed child care center through the SOURCE program. Benefits-eligible employees with a full-time equivalent annual salary of less than $70,000 (FTE) are eligible.
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 and current recipients need to re-apply each year.
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts: If you’re a benefits-eligible employee, you can set up a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account that allows you to set aside up to $5,000 each year on a pretax basis to pay for eligible child care expenses – saving you money in taxes while helping you pay costs.
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OTHER
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**Please note- the information provided below is directly from the websites. Click the links and go directly to the site for any updated information**
Outings and Innings: O&I, as you’ll often see us listed – is an internal Harvard University service for employees and some other Harvard affiliates that offers a fantastic selection of event tickets along with great shopping convenience, access to high-demand events, significant savings on many offerings, and no hefty transaction fees! You can think of O&I as your one-stop resource for tickets and discounts. With some advance planning, you can purchase many tickets at up to 50% savings. O&I also streamlines the process of purchasing tickets for group outings and reward & recognition with 33-digit billing code purchasing.