Back-up and Emergency Child Care for Employees

Faculty and staff may be eligible to use one or all of Harvard’s Emergency/Backup Care benefits. Employees may use these service when they need to be at work and their regular child care is unavailable: When your regular caregiver or stay-at-home spouse is ill or temporarily unavailable, when you are between child care arrangements, when your child’s regular day care center, school or after-school program is closed, to ease transition back into a regular work schedule when returning from leave, to accommodate changes in flexible work arrangements, and other situations where back-up care is required.

Harvard's back-up care program for faculty and staff is composed of three services:
Parents in a Pinch
Back Up Advantage Program
Just in Time Care

Parents in a Pinch, Inc.

Harvard has contracted with Parents in a Pinch, Inc. (PIAP), to provide emergency/backup in-home back-up care services for child care and adult care.

• Service is available to benefits-eligible faculty, administrative and professional staff, support staff in HUCTW, non-bargaining-unit support staff, and postdoctoral fellows.
• You must pre-register for this service.
• The service dispatches a caregiver to your home; This service allows caregiver to stay with mildly ill children.
• Service is available for children of any age and dependent elders.
• You pay the caregiver ($15 per hour) directly.
• Service is available in greater Boston and in some U.S. cities.

Current Harvard employees may visit HARVie for registration forms.

Back-Up Care Advantage Program

Harvard participates in a Back-Up Care Advantage Program which provides center-based back-up child care. In addition to the other reasons that make back-up care necessary, this service is available for us during business/academic travel or relocation to another city.

• Service is available to all benefits-eligible Harvard employees.
• You must pre-register for this service.
• Care is provided in the network of Bright Horizons centers, on a space-available basis.
• Care is available for children ages 6 weeks through age five; some locations may offer school-age care.
• Cost: $15.00 per child per day; maximum of $25.00 per family, per day.
• Service is available in greater Boston and in cities nationwide.

Current Harvard employees may visit HARVie to register.

Just in Time Care

Just in Time Care is a service designed to help eligible faculty and staff identify and pay back-up caregivers. This program is open to benefits-eligible employees who earn less than $55,000 annualized salary.

• This program is open ONLY to benefits-eligible employees who earn less than $55,000 annualized salary.
• You must enroll for this service.
• Care is provided by the provider of your choice. You can use Just in Time Care funds in conjunction with Harvard’s other back-up services (to pay for services from Parents in a Pinch or from Bright Horizons, described above), other care programs, or for a back-up provider you identify including a friend, neighbor or family member.
• The service reimburses you or pays you caregivers directly up to $250 per eligible employee per year.

Current Harvard employees may visit HARVie to register.