Princeton University is launching a new program that will provide
faculty, staff and graduate students with a backup when they experience
temporary disruptions in their child, adult and elder caregiving
arrangements that would otherwise prevent them from fulfilling their
work or study obligations.
Starting March 1, the University is contracting with Work Options
Group, a Colorado-based firm that manages an exclusive network of
licensed in-home and center-based care providers in all 50 states and
Canada. Benefits-eligible employees (including postdoctoral fellows)
and graduate students will be able to submit a request online or by
phone and obtain temporary care for $4 per hour (for up to three
dependents) for home care or $2 per hour per child for center-based
care. Each employee or graduate student will have 100 hours of care
available for each calendar year.
University administrators believe offering the program, called Backup
Care Options, puts Princeton in the lead among higher education
institutions providing such benefits because of several factors: the
inclusion of graduate students as well as faculty and staff; the low
co-pay made possible by University underwriting; the wide geographic
scope; and the option of home- or center-based care.
"This backup care could be for your elderly parent across the country
who needs short-term help, your spouse or partner who's sick at home or
your 5-year-old who's out of school because of Presidents Day," said
Joan Girgus, professor of psychology and special assistant to the dean
of the faculty on matters relating to gender equity. "The advantage of
this program is that it's available for loved ones of all ages in all
parts of the country at a very low cost to the employee or graduate
student."
The new program is the result of efforts by the University's Child Care
Working Group, which Girgus chairs. The group was appointed by
President Shirley M. Tilghman last summer to plan for a significant
expansion and improvement of child care at the University. In addition
to charging the group with developing a comprehensive plan, Tilghman
encouraged them to identify measures the University could take in the
short term to improve child care options.
"This is a short-term solution with long-term benefits," Tilghman said.
"It is just one more way that we are able to assist members of the
University community in achieving a better work-life balance. I want to
thank the working group for proposing this excellent program, and I
hope that many members of our community find it helpful in meeting
their family responsibilities."
She noted that the implementation of a backup care program was one of
the recommendations in a November 2004 report by the University's Task
Force on Health and Well-Being. According to a survey commissioned by
the task force, 40 percent of graduate students, faculty and staff said
they would take advantage of such a program.
Princeton is the first university to partner with Work Options Group,
whose clients include several companies on Working Mother's 100 Best
list (Accenture, Ernst & Young, KPMG, McGraw-Hill, Prudential and
Verizon Wireless). Last year, the company's Backup Care Options program
enabled more than 400,000 employees throughout the United States and
Canada to get to work when their regular care arrangements broke down.
Backup Care Options is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for
infants through the elderly, whether they are healthy or mildly ill. It
resolves various gaps in caregiving, including: replacing regular
caregivers when they are sick or on vacation; caring for spouses,
partners and loved ones who are recovering from medical treatment; and
caring for children or adult family members when they are ill, home
during a school closure or need help because the employee is traveling
for work. Family members need not reside in the home of the employee or
graduate student to be eligible.
Members of the University community who submit a request have access to
a team of backup care specialists who provide advice, present options
and schedule the care. Contracted home care agencies require that all
caregivers are FBI background checked, CPR/first aid certified,
licensed, insured and have relevant experience in child or adult/elder
care. All child care centers in the network must meet or exceed state
licensing regulations and guidelines, including background checks,
health and safety standards, and staff to child ratios.
Princeton employees and graduate students who think they may use the program can register at no cost by visiting the company's Web site
or calling (800) 557-0847. Once registered, participants will receive a
welcome packet in the mail that will outline the steps for scheduling
care. Those who use the program will be billed for the co-pay by Work
Options Group.
More details about the program are available through the Office of
Human Resources by calling the HR Solution Center at (609) 258-3300 or
Mary Piteo, the University's work/life coordinator, at (609) 258-8543.
Employees of the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab may contact their human
resources office at (609) 243-2101. Information also is available on
the human resources Web site.