Back-up Care, Babysitters

Back-up Care

As much as parents plan ahead, there are times when back-up and short-notice care is required, such as the illness of your caregiver, when your regular program or center is closed, when you're between caregiving arrangements, or other times when you need to be at work and your regular care is not available. To assist in these situations, all benefits-eligible Harvard employees have access to the following back-up care options.

Harvard has contracted with Care.com for a suite of services. The Back-up Care component provides back-up child and adult care. Benefits-eligible employees may use up to 20 days per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) of all back-up care services combined. This benefit is intended to be used for back-up care purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for routine child care arrangements.

How to get started with back-up care: Pre-register before you need it!
To use any service provided by Care.com, Harvard faculty and staff must first acknowledge and accept a waiver of liability. The process of agreeing to the terms of the waiver is now done through PeopleSoft. The waiver language and instructions for pre-registering can be found in the Waiver and Registration Instructions document. Please begin by reviewing it and following the instructions. Please go to the Care.com Overview page to learn about all that Care.com offers.

Financial Assistance for Back-up Care
Eligible employees can be reimbursed up to $350 per year for back-up care through the SOURCE program. Employees choose the type of care including care provided by a friend, neighbor, relative, other in-home provider, or licensed child care center.  Benefits-eligible employees with a full-time equivalent (FTE) annual salary of less than $75,000 are eligible.

Imputed Income
Please note that back-up care subsidy amounts in excess of $5,000 per year (including Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account contributions, if any) are considered imputed income by the IRS and may be subject to taxes. Please review this flyer for more information.

Nannies and Babysitters

The following resources can help you find a full-time nanny or an occasional babysitter. Only you know what child care arrangement will be right for your family. We encourage you to review these and other available resources and to consider the safety and appropriateness of any child care provider or setting.

  • Boston Nanny Centre (BNC) provides a range of nanny-placement services to Harvard University affiliate families. BNC nanny-placement services range from comprehensive placement packages to a-la-carte services such as in-depth consultation, background checks, post-hire contract support, and more. They also offer a babysitter subscription service. BNC offers Harvard affiliates 10% off any service. Learn more about BNC in the Nanny Placement section of the Finding Child Care page.

  • Harvard Student Employment Office: You can search for babysitters using the Harvard Student Employment Office website. Under “Employers” in the right column, select the link to “Hiring for Household Help.”

  • Online self-service search for caregivers through Care.com: If you are a benefits-eligible Harvard employee, you have unlimited, free access to Care.com, a self-service online database of caregivers.
    - Note: To use any service provided by Care.com, Harvard faculty and staff must first acknowledge and accept a waiver of liability. The process of agreeing to the terms of the waiver is now done through PeopleSoft. The waiver language and instructions for pre-registering can be found in the Waiver and Registration Instructions document. Please begin by reviewing it and following the instructions.  Please go to the Care.com Overview page to learn about all that Care.com offers.
    - Note: Caregivers on the digital, self-service platform are not necessarily licensed or fully background-checked. For more information on Care.com's security practices, please see their Safety Center and read about additional background checks available for purchase.