University child care resources offer flexibility and support for caregivers
Panelists at the Working Parents Resources Roundtable in October discussed ways caregivers can find support for raising children
Bringing a child into your life brings about major changes. To help families with their unique needs, Virginia Tech offers employees resources to help find child care, pay for care, and learn more about their options as a caregiver.
Representatives from across the university dove into these benefits at the Working Parents Resources Roundtable on Oct. 21, moderated by Kim Thomason, program manager for Virginia Tech’s Early Childhood Education Initiatives. Representatives were:
- Ana Agud, Work/Life program manager for Hokie Wellness and A/P faculty representative for the Early Childhood Education Initiatives
- Natalie Ferand, assistant professor in the School of Education and a faculty representative for the initiative
- Rachel Gabriele, associate vice provost in the Office of Faculty Affairs
- Bryan Garey, vice president for human resources
- Brandy Morse, senior manager of finance and operations for the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research and an A/P faculty representative for the initiative
- Mallory Tuttle ’14, associate director of the Newport News Center and an A/P faculty representative for the initiative
What does parental leave look like?
Whether welcoming the birth, adoption, or fostering or custodial care of a new child, all full-time employees can take advantage of paid parental leave. It can be flexibly scheduled within the first six months of the birth or placement and be used in combination with the Family Medical Leave Act to best meet a family’s care needs during that critical time.
Flexible work hours and telecommuting can be options for particular roles, and faculty members can work with their departments to determine reasonable accommodations around their teaching and research responsibilities.
The amount of leave and eligibility requirements depend on one’s role and parenting situation, so it’s important to have those conversations early in order to plan ahead.
“Our theme today is going to be to contact us. Talk it through with us and together, we’ll come up with a plan,” said Gabriele.
Employees can reach out to hrleave@vt.edu to get in touch with someone who will help explore options.
How can I find child care for any age?
Finding affordable, high-quality child care has become challenging not just in Virginia, but across the U.S. as child care centers navigate a unique and fragile economic model. In response, Virginia Tech provides employees at all locations with opportunities and resources to make the search easier.
In the New River and Roanoke valleys, the university has partnered with five high-quality child care programs that are open year-round and serve children from 6 weeks to 12 years old.
“We often think that children don’t need a child care program once they get to school age. But these programs offer year-round opportunities that can fill in the gaps during holidays and in-between summer camps,” said Thomason.
Employees across the state can also request, at no cost, child care referrals from Child Care Aware of Virginia or the nationally focused Child Care Aware of America for those who live outside Virginia.
Employees looking for short-term or flexible care can also get discounts on child care services, such as Care.com and Cultural Care Au Pair.
What help can I get to pay for child care?
Much like finding quality care, paying for care continues to be a challenge for caregivers across the country. The panelists discussed some ways to mitigate the cost that may not be obvious.
Those who have children in Kindercare, for example, can get a 10 percent discount on their tuition through a voucher from Perkspot, an online shop of discounts for Virginia Tech employees. And a Dependent Care FSA, created during an eligible new employee’s benefits enrollment window or the university’s annual benefits open enrollment, can be a way to set aside money to be used for child care expenses tax-free.
Eligible faculty who need to travel for professional reasons, such as for a conference or for research, can apply for the Dependent Care Travel Grant through the Office of Faculty Affairs that can provide up to $1,000 toward child care expenses.
And on the state level, Virginia’s Child Care Subsidy Program can pay a portion of eligible families’ child care costs for children under 13.
“Some child care providers will also offer discounts for more than one child in care, or sometimes have military discounts or even scholarships. It’s worth asking,” said Thomason.
Reflecting on her own experiences as a parent, Brandy Morse agreed. “Don’t be feel bad talking to the directors of the day care. When you have those personal situations, they understand. And if they can’t make it work, they may give you resources that you didn’t think about,” said Morse.
How do I find out more?
The panelists emphasized that the university is highly supportive in finding work solutions for expectant parents and that employees should feel comfortable reaching out to their departments.
Early Childhood Education Initiatives synthesizes early childhood education resources at caregiving.vt.edu, and also holds confidential office hours, where employees can ask questions of a colleague who may share similar experiences.
Parents can also connect with a caregiving community at Virginia Tech through the VT Working Parents Facebook group or through in-person meetups organized by Hokie Wellness.
“We lost child care very suddenly, and I reached out to Anna Agud and Kim Thomason begging for help. It was just panic – there’s no other way to describe it when you lose your child care. And they were more than happy to listen to me, offer solutions, and connect me with people to talk to. We got replacement child care because of that,” said Ferand.
