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Family Resources

Child Care and Schooling

Finding a suitable child-care provider, especially for infants and children under 5, can be extremely challenging. Lemberg Children's Center offers child care for children ages 6 weeks through 6 years old. The center is open to the public and often has a waiting list, so contacting them as soon as possible is recommended for parents interested in enrolling their child.

Health Insurance Options for Students with Dependents

Students who qualify and have signed up for the Student Health Insurance Plan can add dependents in the following ways:

Add a dependent at the start of the student’s coverage at the beginning of the academic year.
Add a dependent mid academic year as a qualifying event .
Note: Students who wish to add dependents either at the start of the academic year or mid year as a qualifying event will need to pay a substantial payment (approximately $10k) in full directly to the insurance company. The health insurance company does not allow for monthly installments. For current dependent rates, please contact University Health Plans at 833-251-1737.

Many students with dependents have had success getting insurance for dependents at a lower cost through MassHealth. Below are resources for searching and applying for a MassHealth plan:

Massachusetts Health Connector - The Massachusetts Health Connector is an independent agency that helps Massachusetts residents find health insurance coverage. This website offers information about Commonwealth Choice (an online marketplace where you can compare and purchase insurance plans from various carriers) and Subsidized Health Plan (a low-or-no-cost insurance program for qualifying uninsured adults).
Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee - The CEOC can help you with applying for health insurance like MassHealth, Health Connector plans, Health Safety Net and dental plans through the Massachusetts Health Connector. They can also help people choose the right plan, choose a medical provider, make changes to their coverage if something changes in their lives.

Lactation Stations

Breast-feeding mothers are provided with private spaces throughout campus to express milk for their babies.

PhD Students

Graduate Assistants’ Union Childcare Subsidy:

PhD students who are serving as Teaching Assistants (“TAs”) or Teaching Fellows (“TF”) are eligible for a childcare subsidy, which is a feature of the collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Graduate Assistants’ Union. The University funds the benefit, and the Union will assist in administering childcare subsidies for TAs and TFs. This academic year (2023-2024), the total childcare funds available are $10,000.00, to be split equally between the fall and spring semesters. $5,000.00 will be available in the fall semester. These funds will be distributed equally among TAs and TFs who have minor children, but no individual TA or TF may receive an award larger than $1,000.00 in any semester. Any unused funds from the fall semester will roll over to the spring semester. Should there be unused funds left after the spring semester, these monies will not roll over to the next academic year. If you have issues with your payments, please contact:

GSAS: Finance Temp, gsastemp@brandeis.edu
Heller: Ravi Lakshmikanthan, kanthan@brandeis.edu
Business School: Kelly Forde, kforde@brandeis.edu

Below, please find some answers to frequently asked questions that will help you better understand childcare benefits available to PhD students at Brandeis.

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Am I eligible for a childcare subsidy?

What does it mean to “have minor children during the period of your TA or TF appointment?”

Having minor children means that you are the parent or guardian of a child who is under the age of 18 for at least a portion of the semester in which you work as a TA or TF at Brandeis. TAs and TFs who are expecting children during the semester will be eligible provided the child enters the TA’s or TF’s household on or before the date that grades are due.

I am a PhD candidate who is working as a Research Assistant or Grader. Am I eligible for a childcare subsidy?

No, research assistants and graders are not eligible to apply for childcare subsidies. However, all full-time PhD candidates, regardless of whether they are working as TAs or TFs, are eligible for back-up dependent care benefits offered through the University’s partner, Bright Horizons. PhD students can open a Bright Horizons account and book up to 5 sessions of back-up dependent care, which include center-based and in-home care, at subsidized prices. For instance, a full day of center-based care for one child can be booked for $15.00 per day. In-home care by a certified provider costs $6.00 per hour. Additionally, Bright Horizons is offering a new benefit for out-of-network care, which allows PhD students who use friends and family as childcare providers to apply for and receive reimbursement for up to $100 per day for childcare costs. Additional information is available on the Office of Human Resources Dependent Care Resources webpage.

I am working as a TA or TF this semester. Who do I contact to apply for a childcare subsidy?

You will receive an email from the Union in early to mid-October, asking you if you have a minor child and providing instructions as to how to submit your name for a childcare subsidy payment. Additionally, the same information will be published by the University in such venues as the Office of Graduate Affairs website and the GSAS Newsletter. Your individual benefit will depend on the number of TAs and TFs who have minor children during the fall semester. For instance, if 10 TAs and TFs across the Business School, Graduate Arts and Sciences and the Heller School have a minor child during the fall semester, each TA/TF will receive $425.00 during the fall semester.

When will the funds arrive in my paycheck?

Once TAs and TFs respond to the Union’s request for those eligible for the childcare subsidy, the list will be forwarded to the University so that payments may be processed. We anticipate that payments will be processed in late November of 2022, depending on when the final list is received by the University and will be paid via direct deposit in the same manner as TA and TF wages. Childcare subsidy payments are subject to IRS and other required withholding. Please note that the actual amount of the payment received will be less than the total reward due to applicable withholding.

I have more than one child. How does that influence my payment?

In how many semesters can I receive a childcare subsidy?

My partner and I are both graduate students. Do we both qualify for a childcare subsidy?

Yes, if you both consider the minor child as a dependent, you are both eligible for a childcare subsidy if you are both working as TA or a TF. Again, the childcare subsidy is only available to PhD students when they work as TAs or TFs, so if the other parent of a TA’s minor child is also a Brandeis PhD student, the other parent must also be serving as a TA or TF in order to receive 2 childcare subsidy payments in the same semester.

PhD Student Childcare Benefits

Bright Horizon provides back up childcare support to PhD students. For more information, please visit the Human Resources page on dependent care resources.

Parking Accommodations

Those wishing to request special parking accommodations on campus may call the parking office at 781-736-4250. Due to limited parking on campus, special accommodations cannot be guaranteed.