Resources Tagged: Families

School of Science faculty members below the level of full professor are eligible to receive up to $10,000 for child care expenses per fiscal year per pre-kindergarten-aged child. The fiscal year runs from July 1–June 30, and payment requests must be submitted during the fiscal year in which the expenses were incurred. These funds are provided jointly by the Department and the School. Please note that this benefit supplements and does not replace the standing Dependent Care Policies. Eligibility Rules: Faculty members below the level of Full Professor are eligible for this benefit. Faculty with January start dates are eligible for half of the annual allocation during their first semester of service. Faculty who are co-parents may both claim the supplement for the same child(ren). Children are no longer eligible for this benefit in the fiscal year in which they are five years old as of August 31st. For children less than 1 year old, eligibility will be prorated to the nearest quarter during the fiscal year in which they were born: -Children born July–September are eligible for the full reimbursement ($10,000) -Children born October–December are eligible for 75% ($7,500) -Children born January–March are eligible for 50% ($5,000) -Children born April–June are eligible for 25% ($2,500) Requests for reimbursement should be submitted to the human resources administrator for your academic department. Please include the name(s) and date(s) of birth (month and year) for the child(ren) who are being covered under the program. Department administrators can find process instructions on Canvas. For questions, please contact the Dean’s Office Faculty Affairs team. Please see the School’s website for additional information on faculty family benefits: https://science.mit.edu/resource/faculty-family-benefits-support/

The MIT School of Science and the Institute offer a range of direct services and resources to promote the health and well-being of MIT faculty members and their families. MIT Work-Life Center: Faculty Resources The MIT Work-Life Center offers a range of direct services and resources to promote the health and well-being of MIT community members and their families, including guidance on adult and senior care, child care services and schools.  The Work-Life Center provides access to MyLife Services, free round-the-clock access to a network of experts who are available to help with life concerns. Medical and Family Leaves MIT provides several paid medical and family leave benefits for faculty. The policies describing these leaves can be found at Policies & Procedures Section 7.5. MIT Human Resources maintains a detailed overview of medical and family leave options for faculty here. Family Care Technology Childcare Centers and Faculty Priority MIT hosts five Technology Childcare Centers, four on the main campus and one at the Lincoln Laboratory, managed by Bright Horizons Family Solutions. Although spaces are in high demand, all tenured and tenure-track faculty members receive enrollment priority for infants ages eight weeks through 14 months. Dependent Care for Faculty Travel Institute policy provides for reimbursement associated with travel on MIT business above those normally incurred by the faculty member while at MIT. Faculty are eligible to be reimbursed up to $5,000 in direct expenses, plus an additional 25% allocation to cover the tax due on the expenses, per year in reasonable childcare or dependent care expenses. For junior (untenured) faculty, this reimbursement will be provided by the Dean’s Office. For tenured faculty, the reimbursement will be drawn from a discretionary account. Expenses over $5,000 The Dean of Science may approve a reimbursement for expenses paid by a faculty member or a department that are larger than $5,000 and/or additional reimbursements beyond the $5,000 outlined in the policy. Such reimbursements will be considered additional compensation (taxable) and paid as a salary supplement; however, the supplement will not be subject to employee benefits and no incremental benefits will be paid (that is, it is not counted in the pension calculation). It cannot be charged to federal research projects unless the PI has explicit permission from the donor/sponsor, to any external funds. The reimbursement/supplement is not subject to research F&A nor fund overhead. Spousal Travel In general, the Institute does not reimburse travel expenses for spouses of faculty members, unless that spouse is also traveling on MIT business. Your request should include a clear explanation of your spouse’s role in the formal MIT-related program. Occasional exceptions are made when the health or well-being of the faculty member, spouse, or child depends on traveling together and there is no reasonable alternative. In such instances, reimbursements must be approved by the dean’s office before travel arrangements are made. How to request Reimbursements DLCs should field initial requests from faculty to ensure program eligibility before submitting to the Dean’s Office. The request should include details about how the trip is related to MIT business as well as a strong justification for why the dependent(s) need to accompany the faculty on the trip. Department administrators can review procedural steps on Canvas. Questions about any of these policies or procedures should be directed to the Dean’s Office Faculty Affairs team. Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Eligible MIT employees can set aside up to $5,000 pre-tax salary in a flex account to spend on day care, preschool, day camps, and after school care. Backup Adult and Senior Care Eligible MIT employees can sign up for Care.com BackupCare to arrange for day or night in-home care for children or another family member who needs assistance. Employees are responsible for the hourly cost of screened and trained caretakers. Child Care Benefit Faculty may request reimbursement of child care expenses for pre-kindergarten-aged children for up to $10,000 per child per year. On-Campus Lactation Rooms & SoS Breast Pump Loan Program MIT has several dedicated lactation rooms around campus intended for the use of the MIT community, and the School of Science and its departments sponsor several more for their own communities. All rooms have at minimum locking doors, good lighting and ventilation, electrical outlets, a comfortable chair, waste baskets and cleaners, and a nearby refrigerator and sink. The School of Science Dean’s Office offers hospital-grade Medela Symphony breast pumps for loan for nursing faculty members. Please send any inquiries to sos-dean-facaffairs@mit.edu. Tuition Support for Children Dependent children of eligible MIT employees who are admitted to and enroll at MIT will have their full tuition covered. MIT also offers low-interest loans to eligible MIT employees to help with the cost of an undergraduate or graduate college education for dependent children.  

MIT School of Science and the Institute offer a range of direct services and resources to promote the health and well-being of MIT faculty members and their families. Office of Graduate Education: Resources for Families The MIT Office of Graduate Education maintains a list of resources for graduate student families that includes student health plans and services, on- and off-campus housing, relocation information, child and adult care, support groups for parents and families, and committees and groups dedicated to improving family life at MIT. MIT Work-Life Center The MIT Work-Life Center offers a range of direct services and resources to promote the health and well-being of MIT community members and their families, including guidance on adult and senior care, child care services and schools.  Admitted MIT graduate students can call the MIT Graduate Assistance and Information Network (1-844-MIT-GAIN) free of charge. Consultants can provide information about off-campus childcare and Boston/Cambridge area schools, elder/adult care, schools, legal/financial concerns, relocation and daily living. Childbirth Accommodation A student anticipating childbirth is eligible for up to three months of maternity leave, or childbirth accommodation. Graduate students on childbirth accommodation will continue to receive full stipends and will retain access to on-campus medical facilities and eligibility for hospitalization benefits, as long as tuition and fees have been paid for that term.  Please note that the third month of leave is funded by the School of Science. Students should initiate conversations with advisors and department administrators about five months before they expect to take leave. Plans should be made for TA assignments, time-sensitive research or reports, and any other issues of importance, such as field work, doctoral qualifying examinations, publication deadlines, etc. Childbirth accommodation will stop the academic and research clocks with respect to assignments, reports, or other class or research-related requirements, including TA duties. Graduate students who require childbirth accommodation must file a petition with the Office of the Dean for Graduate education for approval. All eligible students will be approved.   Family Care Technology Childcare Centers MIT hosts five Technology Childcare Centers, four on the main campus and one at the Lincoln Laboratory, managed by Bright Horizons Family Solutions.  Full-time and part-time infant, toddler, and preschool care are available, with a limited number of slots for graduate student families. Backup Adult and Senior Care Backup care provided by Care.com at a subsidized hourly rate in your home or at a licensed childcare center near your home or work. Screened and trained caregivers are available on short notice to provide childcare, day or evening, 7 days a week. MIT students can request up to 10 childcare referrals per academic year. On-Campus Lactation Rooms MIT has several dedicated lactation rooms around campus intended for the use of the MIT community, and the School of Science and its departments sponsor several more for their own communities. All rooms have at minimum locking doors, good lighting and ventilation, electrical outlets, a comfortable chair, waste baskets and cleaners, and a nearby refrigerator and sink.

MIT School of Science and the Institute offer a range of direct services and resources to promote the health and well-being of MIT postdocs and their families. MIT Work-Life Center The MIT Work-Life Center offers a range of direct services and resources to promote the health and well-being of MIT community members and their families, including guidance on adult and senior care, child care services and schools.  The Work-Life Center provides access to MyLife Services, free round-the-clock access to a network of experts who are available to help with life concerns. Family Leaves Maternity Leave MIT grants eight weeks of sick leave to birth mothers at 100% regular pay, and are entitled to an additional four weeks of unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Some birth mothers take all or part of the four-week period as vacation and may also qualify for additional five days of paid parental leave. Parental Leave MIT will provide up to five days of paid parental leave to eligible mothers and fathers within four months after the birth of a child, adoption of a child, or placement of a foster child. This applies to postdoctoral associates working at least 50% time and who have been employed by MIT for a least one year. Family Care Technology Childcare Centers MIT hosts five Technology Childcare Centers, four on the main campus and one at the Lincoln Laboratory, managed by Bright Horizons Family Solutions.  Full-time and part-time infant, toddler, and preschool care are available, with a limited number of slots for graduate student families. Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Eligible MIT employees can set aside up to $5,000 pre-tax salary in a flex account to spend on day care, preschool, day camps, and after school care. Backup Child Care and Adult Care Referral Program Eligible MIT employees can sign up for Care.com BackupCare to arrange for day or night in-home care for children or another family member who needs assistance. Employees are responsible for the hourly cost of screened and trained caretakers. On-Campus Lactation Rooms MIT has several dedicated lactation rooms around campus intended for the use of the MIT community, and the School of Science and its departments sponsor several more for their own communities. All rooms have at minimum locking doors, good lighting and ventilation, electrical outlets, a comfortable chair, waste baskets and cleaners, and a nearby refrigerator and sink.