Office of the Dean of the Faculty
Family Friendly Policies and Programs for Princeton Faculty
March 2006; revised January 2012
PERSONAL ASSISTANCE AND WORK/LIFE PROGRAMS
Backup Care Advantage Programs for Family Members
Faculty members are eligible for the Backup Care Advantage Program when they experience temporary disruptions in their child, adult, and elder care-giving arrangements that would otherwise prevent them from fulfilling work or study obligations. The Backup Care Advantage Program provides up to 100 hours of subsidized backup care per calendar year. The care can be requested for anyone for whom the faculty member is responsible, including children, spouses and partners, parents and grandparents; the person for whom backup care is requested does not have to live with the faculty member. This program is managed by Bright Horizons, which has an exclusive network of licensed in-home and center-based care providers in all 50 states and Canada. The Backup Care Advantage Program is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for infants through the elderly. Because the University is underwriting the cost of this program, the co-pay is $4 an hour for in-home care (for up to three dependents) and $2 an hour per child for center-based care. For additional information, go to http://www.princeton.edu/hr/benefits/worklife/backup/.
Managing Work, Personal, and Family Life Issues
Princeton University contracts with Carebridge Corporation to provide help with managing work, personal, or family life issues at no charge to the faculty member. Through the Carebridge Employee Assistance Program (EAP), faculty members who would like help dealing with personal and family issues in areas such as interpersonal relationships, married life and parenting, grief and loss, finances, stress and depression, drug/alcohol abuse, are eligible for eight consultations with a Carebridge professional. The Carebridge Work/Life Program provides faculty members with unlimited assistance with and referrals about: childcare (see below for more details), eldercare, adoption, work/life balance, personal financial management. The services provided by Carebridge are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For additional information, go to http://www.princeton.edu/hr/benefits/worklife/carebridge/.
Organizing Assistance in Times of Need
Princeton University has contracted with Lotsa Helping Hands to provide a no-cost, confidential Web-based service during times of extended personal or family need to build a community, known as your own “circle of community.” You or your family members can: coordinate responsibilities, get assistance with organizing the activities of daily living, and communicate with your family, friends and neighbors. For more detailed information, go to http://www.princeton.edu/hr/benefits/worklife/lhh/.
NEW PARENTS
Health Care Coverage for Pregnancy and Childbirth
Each health care plan offered through Princeton University provides coverage for pregnancy and childbirth. Summary information about each health plan can be found at http://www.princeton.edu/hr/benefits/hlth/. Additional detailed information about levels and types of coverage can be found in the individual plan booklets.
Paid Leaves for Childbearing
Princeton offers paid temporary disability leave from four weeks before to six to eight weeks after birth (or more) based on medical certification that a faculty member is unable to perform her work. Faculty members are expected to take advantage of this benefit. A faculty member should notify her department chair about the expected delivery date and expected length of absence as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made for her absence during that period. The chair will notify the Dean of the Faculty. At the start of the absence due to pregnancy, the faculty member should ask her attending physician to complete a medical certificate that can be obtained from the Office of the Dean of the Faculty or on the web at http://www.princeton.edu/hr/benefits/benforms/tdapp.pdf. This certificate should be updated every three to four weeks during the disability.
Health Care Coverage and Related Matters for a New Child in the Family
When there is a new child in the family, the faculty member must contact the Office of Human Resources, 1 New South Building, (609) 258-3300, within 90 days following the child's birth or adoption to enroll the child in the faculty member's health care plan. (If the child is not enrolled during this initial period, no health care plan coverage is available until the following January 1; enrollment for coverage beginning January 1 occurs during the previous October-November Open Enrollment Period.)
When a new child joins the family, the faculty member may enroll in or change the amount of current deferrals to a Health Benefit Expense Account (HBEA) or Dependent Care Expense Account (DCEA). For more information, go to http://www.princeton.edu/hr/benefits/expacct/. In addition, the faculty member may purchase supplemental life insurance coverage, and current participants in the supplemental life insurance plan may change the amount and type of coverage and may elect to participate in the Child Voluntary Life Insurance Plan. For more information, go to http://www.princeton.edu/hr/benefits/life/.
Tenure Clock Extensions for New Parents
An Assistant Professor who becomes the parent of a child by birth or adoption will automatically be granted a one-year extension of term by the Dean of the Faculty, upon notification by the Assistant Professor's department chair. The Assistant Professor's service will be extended by one year for each child, including twins and other multiple births or adoptions. Extensions are available to (1) Assistant Professors in the first term, before the final year of that term; (2) Assistant Professors in the final year of the first term who have been reappointed to a second term; and (3) Assistant Professors in the second term, before the final year of that term. This applies to both men and women, and includes same-sex domestic partnerships which are recognized by the University. (For additional detail, go to APPOINTMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF ASSISTANT PROFESSORS.)
Workload Relief for New Parents
Upon request, professorial faculty members and senior lecturers who have primary responsibility for the care of a newborn infant or newly-adopted pre-school child are granted one semester of full workload relief from classroom teaching and administrative committee work, or two semesters of half relief from such duties (at full pay) per child during the first year after the child joins the family. New faculty members who have an infant under one year of age or who have adopted a pre-school child within the past year are also eligible for workload relief during the first semester or first year of their Princeton appointment, depending on the child’s date of birth or adoption. The faculty member must be the sole caregiver of the child for at least 20 hours between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. The faculty member's responsibilities for research, student consultation, and graduate student advising remain unchanged. A faculty member who wants to request workload relief as a new parent should inform his or her department chair in writing, describing his/her responsibility for the care of the child; this is normally done at least three months before the start of the workload relief. The department chair will notify the Dean of the Faculty.
CHILD CARE
Employee Child Care Assistance Program (ECCAP)
The ECCAP provides assistance to eligible faculty and staff with pre-kindergarten children to help them meet the cost of child care. The awards are based on household income, and can be used to pay for a wide range of possible arrangements, from in-home care to licensed day care centers. The maximum award for one eligible child is $5,000; an additional $1,000 award is available for a second eligible child. Only one award is available per eligible family. For tax purposes, these awards are treated as additional income and may be subject to state and federal tax. For more information and to apply for an employee child care assistance award, go to http://www.princeton.edu/hr/benefits/worklife/eccap/.
University-affiliated Childcare Centers
The University-NOW Day Nursery (http://www.princetonol.com/local/unow/) is a not-for-profit child care facility located at 171 Broadmead on the Princeton campus. U-NOW Day provides a full-day program for children ages 12 weeks until kindergarten. The children of University faculty, staff, and students have priority for admission.
The University League Nursery School (http://www.ulns.org) is a not-for-profit child care facility located at 171 Broadmead on the Princeton campus. ULNS provides half-day and full-day programs for children ages 2.5 years until kindergarten. The children of University faculty, staff, and students have priority for admission.
The Harmony School (http://www.harmonyschools.com/) operates a full-day child care center in the Princeton Forrestal Village for children ages six weeks through kindergarten and provides discounts on the monthly tuition for Princeton faculty, staff, and students. Enrollment is on a space-available basis.
Lakeview Child Center (http://www.lakeviewchildcenter.org/) operates seven full-day child care centers for children from ages six weeks to six years. Part-day, partial week, and drop-in programs are also available. The children of University faculty, staff, and students are given priority access and a discount on the weekly tuition at all seven locations.
The Lawrence Day School (http://www.lawrencedayschool.com/) operates a full-day for children from ages six weeks until kindergarten. Part-day, partial week, and drop-in programs are also available. The children of University faculty, staff, and students are given priority access and a discount on the monthly tuition.
Information about Other Childcare Options in the Princeton Area
Faculty members can call a Carebridge Corporation Child Care Specialist (1-800-437-0911) who will develop a personalized referral list and verify current rates, hours, and other information about area childcare centers. The Child Care Specialist can also advise faculty members about other child care options (e.g., hiring a nanny). Faculty members may also go to the Carebridge website: http://www.carebridge.com and enter the Princeton access code TW8AE for a complete list of accredited/registered child care providers in their area.
Emergency Backup Childcare
See above under Backup Care for Family Members.
Dependent Care Travel Fund
Dependent care assistance is available for professorial rank faculty members and senior lecturers attending professional development events such as academic conferences. Awards from the fund may be used for dependent care at a conference or at an alternative location (including at home), and may include those expenses incurred in transporting a caregiver. Eligible members of the faculty may submit more than one request (and receive more than one grant) within a given academic year, up to a net (post-tax) maximum of $500 in funding per academic year. See Dependent Care Fund for Faculty for details about how to apply for a dependent care grant. Questions may be addressed to Associate Dean Sandra Johnson, sandyj@princeton.edu, (609) 258-5230.
Unpaid Parenting Leaves
Professorial rank faculty members of either sex who are parents are eligible for up to a year of unpaid parenting leave. Because the requirements of and options for such leaves are complex, a faculty member who wants to request an unpaid leave for childrearing should, as much in advance of the leave as possible, speak with his or her department chair, who will recommend the leave to the Dean of the Faculty. Individual arrangements for a parental leave, including the handling of courses, advising, and other faculty duties, should also be made directly with the department chair, who, when necessary, will consult with the Dean of the Faculty. Princeton University provides continuity of eligibility for health, life insurance, and other benefits during a leave of absence without pay. If you are paying a premium for any of these benefits, you will be billed by the University while on leave.
CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE
After five years of service as a faculty member, this program provides an annual Tuition Grant equal to one-half of an unmarried child's undergraduate tuition, including mandatory educational fees, at an accredited two- or four-year institution, up to $13,840 (in 2011-12). The amount is increased annually. Tuition Grant disbursements are sent directly to the educational institution, and there is a limit of one Tuition Grant per year per child. Tuition Grants are available for up to four academic years (eight semesters, twelve trimesters or quarters) of undergraduate education. The terms do not have to be consecutive. Tuition Grants may not be used for graduate education. For additional information and to apply for a Tuition Grant, go to http://www.princeton.edu/hr/benefits/educ/child/.
PARTNER PLACEMENT
Special Assistant to the Dean of the Faculty
Department chairs may call on Professor of Psychology Joan Girgus (girgus@princeton.edu, (609) 258-5345), who serves as Special Assistant to the Dean of the Faculty, for assistance in partner placement in connection with the recruitment or retention of a faculty member.
New Jersey/Eastern Pennsylvania/Delaware Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (NJ/EPA/DE HERC)
The New Jersey/Eastern PA/Delaware Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (NJ/EPA/DE HERC) is a consortium of approximately 40 colleges and universities in New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware who sponsor a searchable database (http://www.njepadeherc.org) that lists all the jobs (faculty, administration, and staff) currently available on the approximately 40 campuses. Job hunters can enter descriptions of the jobs that would interest them, and the website will send them email when a job that matches a description appears. Couples can register linked descriptions and be notified when two positions matching their needs appear.
FACULTY HOUSING
Rental Housing
Princeton University owns and manages over 600 rental units, ranging in size from efficiency and studio apartments to four- and five- bedroom freestanding single family houses. All rental units are within a reasonable walking distance of campus and nearby shopping. The program is available to all University employees who work at least half-time. Rental units are allocated according to a system that grants higher priority to teaching faculty and senior administration. For additional information, contact the Faculty and Staff Housing Office, (609) 258-3125, which is located in the MacMillan Building.
Mortgage Plan
Full-time faculty with appointments of at least three years duration are eligible for the Standard Mortgage Loan Program which provides first mortgage loans at favorable interest rates and terms for the purpose of purchase of homes to be occupied as a single family principal residence by an eligible person and his/her family. Applications are considered for mortgage loans in an amount not to exceed ninety percent (90%) of the appraised value of the property or the purchase price, whichever is lower, up to the maximum loan allowable at the time application is made. Mortgages are granted for terms of up to forty (40) years. The interest rate for mortgage loans is 1.5% below the prevailing local commercial interest rate for residential mortgage loans. The property purchased must be located within a nine (9) mile radius of the University's central campus or within the official city limits of Trenton. Faculty who are interested in obtaining a mortgage through this program should contact the Office of Real Estate Finance, (609) 258-3123, for detailed information.
Additional Programs for Tenured Faculty
There are additional housing programs for tenured faculty. For information, contact the Office of Real Estate Finance, (609) 258-3123.