Resources to Support Caregivers

UMBC is committed to providing the caregivers in our community with resources to help our faculty, staff and student caregivers find a healthy balance between work and the rest of our lives.

A Caregiver at UMBC is a member of our community who tends to the needs or concerns of someone within their circle of friends and family who needs help; the person needing assistance may be a child, or an adult or older adult with short- or long-term limitations due to illness, injury or disability.  Caregivers manage the physical, emotional and practical needs of another person, while also managing their own life, needs, family, and career.

The resources and links below provide useful information for caregivers in our UMBC community as well as a Toolkit for Academic Leaders: “Cultivating a Caregiving Supportive Campus Culture.”  This site was created upon recommendation in the June 1, 2021 Faculty Caregiving Advisory Committee Listening Sessions and Survey Report and Recommendations.  The full Report can be accessed here.

Click here for Cultivating a Caregiving Supportive Campus Culture: A Toolkit for Academic Leaders.

General Campus Resources for Caregivers

• The Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) is responsible for promoting and coordinating the University’s core values of inclusive excellence and equity, and has primary responsibility for managing UMBC’s efforts related to Title IX as well as other civil rights issues, including discrimination, harassment, hate and bias.  The office’s mission is to ensure compliance with sexual misconduct and non-discrimination laws, regulations, and policies through prompt, fair investigations, education and training, and outreach and engagement.
• The Women’s Center at UMBC advances gender equity from an intersectional feminist perspective through co-curricular programming, support services, and advocacy for marginalized individuals and communities.  The Center supports working parents and caregivers through advocacy, education, and resource sharing.
• The Department of Human Resources is the campus resource center for providing professional services and information in the areas of employment, benefits, compensation, and classification, training and development, payroll, employee relations, policy, administration, and human resources data management and reporting.

New and Expecting Parents

Policies:

A full list of UMBC benefits are available via Human Resources.  Specific supports for caregivers are highlighted below.

• The Family Support for UMBC Faculty brochure provides information about USM Parental Leave Policies, and how to create a Family Support Plan (FSP).
• The Faculty Handbook permits faculty members who become new parents with the birth or adoption of a child to extend the time for tenure review, at a minimum, for one (1) year after the birth or adoption of a child; Faculty who are interested in this opportunity should review the relevant Provisions of the Faculty Handbook (11.9.IV, Extension of Time for Review,” p. 27) and notify their Chair.
• Family and Medical Leave Action Information
• Parental Leave Procedures
• UMBC’s Gender Discrimination/Sexual Misconduct policy expressly prohibits all forms of Discrimination and Harassment on the basis of sex, including pregnancy.  For concerns and support, contact the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

UMBC Facilities:

• Lactation + Wellness Rooms on campus
• All Gender Restrooms and Changing Stations
• People who are pregnant may be eligible to apply for temporary disability parking tag from the Maryland MVA to park in accessible parking on campus.  Your physician must complete the disability certification portion of the application.  For more information visit the MVA website.
• UMBC’s Y Preschool

Child Care

• Care@Work is a platform that connects families and caregivers.  In addition, UMBC is also subsidizing up to 10 days of backup care.
• UMBC’s Y Preschool program combines a safe and happy educational environment with a curriculum designed to stimulate intellectual, emotional, and physical growth.  The Y at UMBC accommodates students 2 top 5 years of age.  The standard application fee will be waived for UMBC faculty, staff and students.
• UMBC’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) work-life specialists can do research for you and provide qualified referrals and customized resources for child care.  To access EAP services, visit UMBC’s HR page.
• Medical and Dependent care Flexible spending accounts are available to eligible UMBC employees and can be used for medical or dependent care expenses.
• The UMBC Cares Faculty and Staff Emergency Fund was established to assist eligible employees experiencing an emergency financial need which may include caregiving-related expenses. The fund is available for emergencies and financial hardship resulting from any circumstances.
• The Maryland Family Network works to ensure that young children and their families have the resources to learn and succeed.
  • The Maryland Family Network also helps parents find childcare.  For more information visit their LOCATE: Child Care website or their LOCATE: For Special Needs website

Educational Assistance for Children

• Tuition remission is available for the spouse and dependent children of Eligible Employees including full tuition remission toward a first undergraduate degree at the institution where the parent is employed. Dependent children may also attend another institution of the USM to which the student has been accepted with 50% tuition remission.
• Flexible spending accounts are available to eligible UMBC employees and can be used for dependent care expenses.

Elder Care

• Care@Work is a platform that connects families and caregivers. In addition, UMBC is also subsidizing up to 10 days of backup care.
• UMBC’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) work-life specialists can do research for you and provide qualified referrals and customized resources for elder care. To access EAP services, visit UMBC’s HR page.
• UMBCworks also provides parents a platform to advertise their eldercare needs. You can hire UMBC students on a part-time basis to help you with work-life responsibilities. To gain access to UMBCworks, please contact the Career Center at careers@umbc.edu.
  • The Career Center will set up a “Miscellaneous Household Opportunities” account for you. The system will only provide the town/state where you live (no street address) so students can determine if they are able to travel to the location. Students are able to see the job description you provide, but they will not have access to your contact information unless you choose. UMBCworks will accumulate the resumes online and also have them sent to the provided email address. UMBCworks is a great resource to connect with students looking for opportunities.
• Medical and Dependent care Flexible spending accounts are available to eligible UMBC employees and can be used for expenses for an adult legal dependent.
• The UMBC Cares Faculty and Staff Emergency Fund was established to assist eligible employees experiencing an emergency financial need which may include caregiving-related expenses. The fund is available for emergencies and financial hardship resulting from any circumstances.
• Maryland’s Department of Aging website provides a range of services and sources of information to assist older adults and their caregivers.
• NIH National Institute on Aging

Caregiver Connections

• The Women’s Center at UMBC has a tradition of supporting UMBC moms and parents through group meetings, sharing resources, and providing advocacy. Staff can also provide individualized care and support.
• The myUMBC Moms and Parents group is intended to provide greater support and networking for UMBC parents. All UMBC parents are welcomed to join and participate in the group. This myUMBC group is maintained by the Women’s Center.

Work/Life Balance

• The UMBC Wellness Initiative is committed to the health and well-being of our campus community, and understands the importance of making healthy choices that lead to a healthy lifestyle. As part of this commitment, the Wellness Initiative seeks to create wellness programming, activities and resources that support and sustain the emotional, environmental, financial, nutritional, physical health, and wellness of the UMBC workforce. The Wellness Initiative creates a campus community of sound mind and body, motivated to carry out the mission and vision of UMBC and, in turn, serve as a model for higher education and the world at large.
• UMBC’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided employees and members of their households access to the USM Employee Assistance Program, including free confidential counseling, legal support and consultations with work-life specialists who will research and provide qualified referrals and customized resources for child and elder care.

Inclusive Community

• UMBC has many communities faculty and staff can access as it relates to their roles on campus and/or their personal identities. Groups that may be able to provide additional support and networking around caregiving issues including ADVANCE, Asian American Faculty and Staff Council, Black Faculty and Staff Association, CAHSS Women’s Faculty Network, Latino/Hispanic Faculty Association, the LGBTQ Faculty/Staff Association, and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Faculty Group. For a full list of faculty affinity groups connected to social identities and experiences, visit the faculty diversity webpage.
• The Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) serves as a central hub to support UMBC’s commitment to inclusive excellence, including UMBC’s work to address hate, bias and discrimination as well as sexual misconduct and gender-based
  discrimination on campus. OEI’s work is supported by the advisory Inclusion Council.
• The Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion & Belonging (i3b) creates opportunities for students and the greater campus community to build their awareness and knowledge of diverse people, cultures and belief systems. Through facilitated discussions, informal gatherings, educational engagements, presentations and campus-wide events, individual students, student organizations and classes learn the skills to create inclusive, just and mutually respectful communities at UMBC
  and beyond.
• The Women’s Center at UMBC advances gender equity from an intersectional feminist perspective through co-curricular programming, support services, and advocacy for marginalized individuals and communities.
• Cultivating inclusive communities for caregivers also extends to students. For more information about student caregivers, read this 2021 roundtable report on the challenges of student caregivers that features UMBC’s Dr. Dana Bradley, Dean of the Erickson School of Aging Studies. OEI’s website also provides advice on the ways in which faculty can support student caregivers in their classrooms.

This is not an exhaustive list. We encourage faculty to connect with their chairs, mentors, peers, and other campus offices for holistic support. Off-campus resources listed below do not equate to endorsements or partnerships and we encourage UMBC families to evaluate them based on their own needs and values.