The need for back-up care — both child care and elder care — is critical for our employees and students. In 2020, the campus Family Services Workgroup surveyed employees and students, and back-up care was identified as an urgent need. The COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted the importance of having this important support structure in place.
We are pleased to announce that this fall, UC Santa Cruz will start providing subsidized back-up care for employees and students. This will include both in-home care and care at one of the child-care centers that will be in a care network now being assembled. Bright Horizons will operate the back-up care program, and is now engaging in-home care providers and centers across the region to be part of the network UCSC employees and students can utilize.
Each eligible employee and student who registers for the program will be allotted 15 uses per year. Employees and students will be responsible for a copay per use, and campus will cover the rest of the cost. The copay per use for employees will be $10 per child, or $15 per family, for center-based back-up care, and $4 per hour for in-home care (for up to 10 hours/day for up to three children). The copay per use for students will be $5 per child, or $10 per family, for center-based back-up care and $2 per hour for in-home care.
Since the care is provided at a cost less than the market rate for these services, the difference between the market rate and the copay is treated by the IRS as additional income, also known as imputed income, and is taxable. The employee or student who has used the back-up care program is required to pay taxes on the imputed income.
As implementation continues, we will provide information on how you can register for the program. Our goal is to have the program in operation by the first day of fall quarter. Information on other family services offered to employees and students can be found online:
- Employee Family Support Services
- Student Family Support Services
