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Parent Resources

GSAS Parental Accommodation and Financial Support

https://gsas.harvard.edu/student-life/harvard-resources/parental-accommodation-and-financial-support

General caring for children information

https://hr.harvard.edu/childcare

Financial assistance:

Lactation Support and Room Book

  • Parents need to pre-register for access to the lactation rooms on campus. Each has the same hospital-grade Medela pump (model: Symphony) for which you need your own accessory kit ($50). The Office of Work/Life has a few donated kits available for free so it would be worth emailing them.  More information can be found online including the brief registration form.

  • For the SEC in Allston, SEAS has two lactation rooms located in the SEC, rooms 6.400.R4 and 1.400R1 and two lactation rooms located at 114 Western Avenue, rooms 2311 and 3317.

  • For Cambridge, SEAS has one lactation room located in Maxwell Dworkin, room 318.

  • For EPS (Geomuseum), the closest location are in the Northwest Building and the Science Center

 

Lactation room in Northwest Labs

Parental leave for benefits-eligible employees (not sure how universal this is)

Finding Childcare 

https://hr.harvard.edu/finding-child-care

Enrolling dependents in health insurance as a student: https://hushp.harvard.edu/student-dependents

  • Need to fill out waiver first, takes about 24 hrs to process: https://hr.harvard.edu/files/humanresources/files/care.com_waiver.pdf

  • After, back-up care can be found even on short notice (i.e., the day before)

  • access to up to 20 days of agency-placed back-up care (in-home or in-center). This refreshes each July 1. Agency placements mean that your caregiver is likely to change even if you are booking care on consecutive days because it depends on availability.

  • Faculty copay for back-up care after July 1, 2021 will likely increase to $12/hour for in-home care (4 hour minimum) and $35/day for in-center care.

  • If you do engage a regular caregiver, even for this short time, you may have payroll and tax responsibilities.

FlexWork Guidelines

https://hr.harvard.edu/flexwork

Provisions related to children in the Graduate Student Union Agreement (2020):

ARTICLE 22 CHILD CARE FUND

Effective upon ratification of this Agreement, the University shall make a fund available to reimburse salaried bargaining unit members for child care expenses at licensed child care facilities (child care centers, family child care providers, after school programs, daytime summer camp programs) or an in-home provider with a Social Security or Tax I.D. number. Commencing on July 1, 2020 or upon ratification of this Agreement, whichever comes last, the fund will be $350,000 for FY 21, but pro-rated for the balance of FY 21 should ratification occur after July 1, 2020. There shall be no rollover of any unexpended funds from one year to the next. Reimbursement for such child care expenses shall be made in accordance with procedures, policies and requirements established by the Union, subject to approval by the University.

ARTICLE 23

FAMILY FRIENDLY BENEFITS

Section 1. Ph. D SWs shall be eligible for access to Care.com at no cost for such membership and subject to relevant rates and procedures. Under current policy, SWs have access to the Care.com providers for up to 10 days a year at a subsidized rate of $5 per hour. SWs may utilize Care.com for additional days at full provider rates.

Section 2. All Ph. D SWs shall be eligible for the Parental Accommodation and Financial Support program which provides a one-time stipend of $6516 for the birth or adoption of a child. During the accommodation period, students may request and receive unpaid time off from their duties up to 12 weeks. Effective July 1, 2020, the stipend will be raised to $6831.

ARTICLE 24 LEAVE PROVISIONS

Section 1. Sick Leave

A. SWs shall have a right to a reasonable number of days per semester or summer session of sick leave with no loss of compensation. SWs are permitted to use sick time for any of the following reasons:

  1. Caring for their own physical or mental illness, injury or medical condition

  2. Caring for a physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition of their child,
    spouse, parent, or spouse’s parent;

  3. Attending their own routine medical appointment;

  4. Attending a routine medical appointment for their child, spouse, parent, or spouse’s
    parent and members of the household regularly sharing the employee’s residence

  5. Addressing the psychological, physical, or legal effects of domestic violence; or

  6. Travel necessitated by any of the above.

  • A SW who is using a sick day must inform their supervisor as soon as possible.

  • In no case shall the sick time provided be less than would be provided to an individual covered by the Massachusetts Sick Time Law.

Section 2. Family and Medical Leave of Absence

SWs may take an unpaid Family and Medical Leave of Absence of up to 12 weeks for the birth or adoption of a child, childcare, their own serious health condition or work-related disability, or care of an immediate family member with a serious health condition. “Immediate family members” include parents or step-parents, child or step-child or spouse. SWs are expected to notify their supervisors and directors of graduate studies at least four months in advance whenever possible of the anticipated birth or adoption of a child, so that appropriate arrangements can be made to cover any teaching or research responsibilities.

SWs who are Ph. D candidates are eligible to apply for financial assistance for the birth or adoption of a child under the Parental Accommodation and Financial Support.