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Family Resource Center

Emergency Backup Child Care

The University provides Emergency Backup Child Care for students and post-doctoral fellows at Penn. Emergency backup care is provided in your home during unexpected or emergency situations that would normally prevent you from completing academic work or training. To be eligible for backup care, you must first join the Family Resource Center.

The 2012 Emergency Backup Care Program will run through December 19, 2012. This program has been generously funded by the Vice Provost for University Life, GAPSA, the Office of Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, as well as the Family Resource Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who can use this emergency backup child care program?

Any full-time student at the University of Pennsylvania who has dependent children is eligible. In addition, all University post-doctoral fellows, and affiliates who are registered in the Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs, are also eligible. All eligible students and post-docs must join the University's Family Resource Center to have access to backup child care. Joining the Family Center is free and can be completed online.

If you attempt to use the Emergency Backup Care Program and are not a full-time student or eligible post-doc, you will not receive the University subsidy and you will be charged for the full cost of the care ($16 per hour and $50 per day). Full-time University employees who are also part-time students should utilize the backup care program offered by the University's Human Resources Department.

Q: Give me all the details!

From January 11-December 19, 2012, full-time students and eligible post-docs with children receive a maximum of 5 days of backup child care. Emergency backup child care is available in your home 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A session of care is a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 7 hours. The care is provided by Parents in a Pinch, Inc. The cost to you is $5/hour for up to two children. Penn is subsidizing the rest of the costs. If you need more than 7 hours of care in one day, you will be charged $16/hour for each hour over 7. If you need more than 5 days of care during the year, Parents in a Pinch can connect you with their partner agency in Philadelphia.

Q: When is it appropriate to use Penn's emergency backup child care services?

Whenever your child care responsibilities will interfere with your ability to complete academic work and training and you need someone to provide care for your children. Penn will subsidize your costs for up to 5 days during the year (January 11-December 19, 2012). Because backup care is intended to support your academic work, it is not available during Winter Break.

Q: What situations might be a reason to use emergency backup child care?

Examples of when you might use emergency backup child care include the following:

• your child's school is closed for vacation
• your daycare provider is closed
• your child is mildly ill
• your regular caregiver is sick or unavailable
• your academic training requires you to work late or on weekends

Q: Does my child need to be a certain age in order to receive backup care?

Children ages 17 or under are eligible to receive backup care services.

Q: When are child care providers available?

Backup child care is available in your home 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A session of care is a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 7 hours.

Q: What is the process for arranging child care?

Backup care is provided by Parents in a Pinch, Inc. You must be registered with the University's Family Resource Center in order to be eligible for backup care. Registration is free and can be completed online.

Students who are registered can call Parents in a Pinch directly at 800-688-4697 to request backup child care. Identify yourself as a Penn student or post-doctoral fellow. The child care specialist will confirm your eligibility and discuss the fees for which you are responsible (Penn provides a generous subsidy for these services, but you're still responsible for a portion of the cost.) Your credit card information will be taken down, and Parents in a Pinch will identify a provider for you who meets your specific needs. You will receive two confirmations:

• Parents in a Pinch will call to tell you about your caregiver.
• The caregiver will call to confirm the date, time and location of the job.

When the child care has been completed for the day, your credit card will be charged the appropriate fees depending on the length of time and the number of children cared for that day.

Q: When can I call?

The Parents in a Pinch call center is available at 800-688-4697 during the following hours:

• Monday-Thursday: 7am-8pm
• Friday: 7am-5pm
• Sunday: 5pm-8pm

Keep in mind that the more time you give Parents in a Pinch, the more likely they can provide you with a caregiver that's appropriately matched to your individual needs. In general, 24 hours advance notice is preferred and usually sufficient, but Parents in a Pinch may be able to fulfill same-day care needs.

Q: How much do I pay?

When using a caregiver provided by Parents in a Pinch, your co-pay is $5/hour. You pay by credit card after the care is completed; Penn subsidizes the majority of the backup care costs. If you need more than 7 hours of care in one day, you will be charged $16/hour for each hour over 7. If you need more than 5 days of care during the 6-month pilot program, Parents in a Pinch can connect you with their partner agency in Philadelphia.

Q: What if I need to cancel my request for care?

If you cancel once a provider has already been reserved for your job, your credit card will be charged a $30 cancellation fee.

Q: Are backup care services available if I bring my children to a conference?

It depends. Parents in a Pinch may be able to supply care if they have providers available in the geographic area of your conference in the United States. Care cannot be provided outside of the U.S.

For U.S. locations, call Parents in a Pinch the same way you would call for an in-home care arrangement. More advance notice is required for non-local arrangements. Parents in a Pinch will need to research whether there are appropriate backup child care resources in the community where you will stay. Once Parents in a Pinch identifies a caregiver for your assignment, you will be contacted the same way as described above, your credit card information will be taken for your co-pay obligation at the same rate as for in-home care, and you will receive and orient the caregiver to the hotel space in which the care will be provided just as you would to your home. Please remember that this care only can be provided for academic-related activities in another U.S. location.

Q: How do I know the childcare providers are good?

The Parents in a Pinch screening process is thorough. Candidates are screened for child care experience and interviewed. Parents in a Pinch reviews and evaluates the candidate's background and style via open-ended questions and hypothetical scenarios. They determine the candidate's knowledge of child development, limit-setting techniques, and the degree to which the candidate shows warmth, creativity, know-how, humor, and flexibility. Only those who meet the stringent Parents in a Pinch criteria and can produce at least three recent child care references are invited to continue the process.

Parents in a Pinch researches personal information, work history and child care references. All child care references are checked by phone and followed by a social security verification, a criminal background check covering the previous seven years of work, and a cross-check of their name against the National Sex Offender Public Registry. Candidates are also required to complete the Parents in a Pinch nationally-recognized health and safety training program. Successful candidates are oriented to agency rules, procedures and expectations. In addition, many caregivers are certified and trained in infant and child CPR. Once the caregivers start working, Parents in a Pinch follows up with all clients to ensure that they continue to meet your expectations.

Q: How can I make the transition easy for my children?

Before the caregiver arrives, let your children know that a wonderful playmate is on the way. Suggest that they show the caregiver their favorite toy or book. When the caregiver arrives, introduce her warmly to the children. If you are nervous, the children will pick up your signals. Consider going over the house rules -- TV, snacks, videos, bedtime -- with the caregiver and the children together so that the ground rules are clearly set. It's important to review the emergency telephone numbers with the caregiver. At the very least, provide the number where you and/or your spouse/partner can be reached, the pediatrician's name and number, a neighbor or friend to call in case of an emergency, and a list of any allergies that the children may have. Never sneak out the door. Say goodbye happily and firmly, and leave. Coming back or delaying your departure will increase your children's anxiety.

Q: When I call next time, can I get the same caregiver? Can I arrange care directly with her?

Parents in a Pinch's goal is to have as much consistency in care as possible for your children. They will be happy to contact your last caregiver to see if she is available. And you may ask the caregiver if she can return on another day BUT you must also inform Parents in a Pinch that you are doing so. All child care with Parents in a Pinch clients must go through them.

Q: Will the caregiver clean the house?

Backup caregivers come prepared to make sure your children are safe and happy, but not to do regular housecleaning.

Q: Who can I contact for more information?

Contact Anita Mastroieni, director of the Family Resource Center, at 215-746-6868 or mastroie@upenn.edu. You can also contact Parents in a Pinch at 800-688-4697, or visit their website for more information.

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