Family Care Initiatives: Family and Dependent Care Benefits and Resources
Supported by a concierge service, the Family Care Initiatives program addresses needs related to family and dependent care. Find university-offered benefits, information about child care, and resources helpful to parents and families.
Sign up for the HR Family Care mailing list to stay informed on HR Family Care initiatives.
Carnegie Mellon University does not endorse any programs or organizations listed on this page.
Welcoming a Child to the Family | School and College |Parent Resources | Medical, Special Needs and Elder Care Resources | CMU-Provided Benefits
Welcoming a Child to the Family
Preparing for a New Child
- Adoption: Exploring Your Options
- Guide for New and Expecting Parents
- Lactation Support Program
- Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Reasonable Accommodation Process [pdf] — If your pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition makes it harder to do your job, ask for a reasonable accommodation.
Child Care
See the Child Care Guide for comprehensive information on:
- Resources and search tips
- Child care in Pittsburgh: what to expect
- Choosing quality child care
- Options to consider, including on-campus child care
- Interim child care options
- Affording quality child care
School and College
School-Aged Children
- Tutoring Resources for Families
- Navigating Elementary School Options: Finding a Program That Works for Your Family [pdf] — Information to help you compare schools in the Pittsburgh area, including regional listings and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program.
- Pre-College — Rising high school juniors and seniors can apply for Pre-College programs, which mirror the undergraduate experience at CMU.
- Summer Camps — Overview of topics related to summer camps for children.
College
- Tuition Benefits — Benefits-eligible faculty and staff members can receive tuition remission or assistance for themselves and their dependent children. Courses may be taken at CMU or at another institution.
- 529 Plans — A tax-advantaged account that can be used to pay for qualified education costs, including college, K-12 and apprenticeship programs.
Activities and Enrichment
View a listing of activities, enrichment and classes, including:
- Athletics and Recreation
- Arts and Culture
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
- Language and Literature
Parent Resources
- Pennsylvania's Promise for Children — Tools to help your child learn and grow
- Trying Together — Advocacy, community resources and professional growth opportunities
- Fred Rogers Productions: Parent Resources — Topics and advice from The Mister Rogers Parenting Book
- Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative — Group highlighting the importance of play
- Zero to Three — Articles and information on a variety of parenting topics
- Kidsburgh — Online community with articles, information, guides and resources for family-friendly events and activities in Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh Parent — Topics related to family life, events, and directories on child care programs and summer camps
- Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library — Allows families to borrow toys at no cost and offers an indoor play space and art room
Medical, Special Needs and Elder Care Resources
Medical Services
- Preventive Health Care for CMU Benefit Plan Participants — Faculty and staff members who have university-offered health plans qualify for preventive care benefits.
- UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh — Helped establish the standards of excellence in pediatric care.
- UPMC Children's Express Care — After-hours urgent care facilities throughout the Pittsburgh area.
- UPMC Magee-Women's Hospital — One of the nation’s top hospitals specializing in women, Magee combines specialty services with a focus on gynecologic and obstetric services.
- West Penn Pregnancy, Birth and Newborn Services — Offers care, services and support for pregnancy, labor and delivery, and neonatal care.
- Midwife Center for Birth & Women's Health — A licensed and accredited freestanding birth center. The center's midwives and nurses care for the reproductive health needs of individuals of all ages.
- Allegheny Health Network Urgent Care — Provides care after normal business hours or when doctors' offices are closed.
- MedExpress Urgent Care — Offers in-person urgent care locations in addition to virtual visits.
Services and Support for Special Needs
- The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers — Early intervention service coordination for children with developmental concerns
- The PEAL Center — Resources for families of children with disabilities and special healthcare needs
- Matilda H. Theiss Child Development Center — Offers support for early childhood mental health through UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
- Allegheny Intermediate Unit — Provides special education and support services to local schools in addition to programming and education for families
- The Children's Institute — The leader in innovative and integrated health care, education and social services for children and youth with special health care needs.
- TEIS Early Intervention — Early intervention services for children ages 0–3, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, developmental therapy and nutrition services
Elder Care
- Care for Business — Eligible employees and graduate students receive a free premium membership to Care.com, where they can search provider profiles or post jobs. The program also provides emergency backup care options at a subsidized rate. Specialists can help families identify in-home caregivers. Also includes the LifeMart discount program.
- Concierge Service — Provides CMU faculty, staff and graduate students with information, support, guidance and education on all dependent care related topics.
- Area Agency on Aging — Helps Allegheny County residents 60 years and older live safe, healthy and, when possible, independent lives. Services include health insurance counseling, protection from abuse and neglect, senior community centers, support for parenting grandparents, transportation, services for older adults who wish to remain in their homes, advocacy for people receiving long term care, and caregiver support.
CMU-Provided Benefits
Family Care Concierge Service
The Family Care Concierge Service can answer questions and provide resources to help with dependent care related needs. They can answer questions about dependent care benefits or find resources to help with child care, elder care and more.
Care for Business
Eligible employees and graduate students receive a free premium membership to Care.com, where they can search provider profiles or post jobs. The program also provides access to emergency backup care options at a subsidized rate to cover unexpected gaps in care for children and adults. Specialists are available to help families looking to hire in-home caregivers, which can make the process of hiring a caregiver much simpler. The program also includes the LifeMart discount program, which provides discounts on a variety of products and services including child care.
Lactation Support Program
There are several lactation rooms on and off campus. These spaces are open to students, staff, faculty and guests. Users may need to request access to the space and are responsible for following the guidelines for lactation room use. The university also provides resources including how to obtain a pump, how to address concerns, and where to go for additional support and guidance.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Carnegie Mellon's EAP can assist you in locating child care, summer camps and elder care. The EAP also has many helpful resources for parents, from informational articles to interactive tools.
Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (DCRA)
The DCRA allows eligible employees to use pre-tax money to pay for qualifying dependent care expenses. The DCRA can save faculty/staff up to 25% on eligible child care expenses.
Cyert Center Sliding Scale Benefit
The Sliding Scale benefit provides a reduction in the Cyert Center’s tuition rate, taking into account your family income for the prior calendar year. Families must receive an offer of enrollment from the Cyert Center before applying for this benefit.