Child Care

We understand the vital role child care can play in helping you integrate work, school, and family commitments. Securing good care is a key factor in enabling you to pursue studies, research, teaching, clinical training, and to create a fulfilling career.

We offer a host of helpful tools for families in need of child care. Backup care for when your regular arrangements are not available and enhanced family resources are provided by Bright Horizons. Find licensed child care in Maryland using Maryland Family Network’s Locate search tool, or find care outside of MD with the help of JHEAP. There are also child care vouchers to help qualifying families pay for care for children ages 0-5 as well as several child care partners with which Hopkins affiliates have preferred admission.

Backup Care & Caregiving Support is Now Offered Through Bright Horizons

Meet your new provider of backup care and enhanced family supports, Bright Horizons. Go to My Bright Horizons to create your account and use your caregiving benefits. Register for the webinar on Wed., Jan. 29 at noon to learn more.

Learn more

Backup Care and Enhanced Family Supports by Bright Horizons

No matter how well you plan, surprises can happen. To help keep the impact of sudden child care needs to a minimum, we’ve partnered with Bright Horizons to provide 10 days of backup care per year at a reduced rate that’s based on your salary. Backup care is for you to use when you need to work or study, while your children or elders need supervision, care, or assistance. Bright Horizons pre-screens qualified caregivers to match you with backup care when you need it.

To ensure you’re prepared when the unexpected occurs, we recommend you enroll with Bright Horizons well before any need arises. Sign up now and have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have a backup plan when you need it.

Family BackUp Care

Whether planned or unexpected — rely on backup care whenever you have gaps in your normal care arrangements. Book child backup care in centers nationwide, in-person camps, and at home. Or, schedule adult and elder backup care in your home or theirs. Made affordable and subsidized by Hopkins with advanced booking up to 90 days ahead (or last-minute).

Enhanced Family Supports

For needs big and small, access a variety of family care and education support options – with exclusive savings and discounts. Choose from an extensive list of caregivers, household help, pet care, tutoring and test prep, elder care resources, educational activities, resources for your growing family, and more.

Early Education and Child Care

Infant through kindergarten prep programs help your child learn by asking questions, trying new things, and even making mistakes — all with Bright Horizons’ research-based curriculum and Discovery Driven Learning. Plus, enjoy nearby locations and flexible schedules.

Learn more.

If you use greater than $5,000 in combination of dependent Backup Care benefit, Child Care Voucher, and Dependent Care Flexible Spending for any 12-month period, it will be applied to your wages, as required by the IRS. Adult Backup Care is a taxable benefit.

Paying for Child Care

JHU offers a variety of ways to help employees cut the cost of child care. Child care vouchers offer tax-free money from the university and dependent care flexible spending accounts, which allow parents to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for care. Additionally, our LifeMart employee discount program can also help cut your costs, including savings at ABCmouse.com and KinderCare Learning Centers.

Child Care Vouchers
The child care voucher program awards tax-free funds to help you pay for care for your pre-kindergarten children under the age of six (6). Awards are based on your family’s income level and may be used for any paid care that enables you to work, including licensed child care centers as well as in-home care. Read more about Vouchers.

Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
One way to save money on child care is to set up a dependent care flexible savings account, which allows you to set aside up to $5,000 in pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified dependent care expenses that allow you – and your spouse, if you’re married – to attend school or work full time. Read more about the DCFSA.

If you use greater than $5,000 in combination of Child Care Voucher, Dependent Care Flexible Spending, and dependent Backup Care benefits for any 12-month period, it will be applied to your wages, as required by the IRS.

Child Care Scholarships to JHU Partner Centers
JHU scholarships are available for the four centers that are Johns Hopkins partners: Homewood Early Learning Center, Bright Horizons at 98 N Broadway, Bright Horizons at Bayview, and the Weinberg Early Childhood Center. These scholarships can be used in addition to vouchers. They are open to full-time employees of the university, post-doc students, full-time doctoral and medical students, residents, and house staff. Scholarships are available on a rolling basis, so a family can use them as soon as a spot opens up in one of the four centers. Read about Scholarships to JHU Partner Centers.

It is important that employees get on the waiting list for the center in which they wish to enroll their child if they want to access the scholarship at some point in the future. Read about the JHU Partner Centers.

Finding Child Care

Licensed Child Care in Maryland
The Maryland Family Network is the state expert in licensed child care, helping parents and caregivers navigate child care by providing information, tools, and support networks. Learn how to choose quality child care, or access the child care locate search to find child care that works for you and your family, where you can search all licensed child care programs near your home or work location and find immediate openings.

In-Home Care
Considering hiring a caregiver to provide child care in your home? You can identify and hire an in-home provider yourself using Sittercity through Bright Horizons. You can also use a professional in-home placement agency like the Nanny Network or Au Pair Services, to find care no matter where you live in the U.S.

Centers Outside of Maryland
If you are seeking child care centers outside of MD, Johns Hopkins Employee Assistance Program (JHEAP) can assist you in finding quality care.

Learn more about finding child care.

JHU Partner Centers

JHU partners with four high-quality Baltimore-area child care centers that give admission and wait list priority to JHU affiliates. We also have relationships with other quality centers that offer wait list priority to our affiliates.

Learn more.

Early Learning Center Site Development

JHU is working with our child care provider, Downtown Baltimore Child Care (DBCC), and the families of the Homewood ELC to explore options for a new, longstanding site, as part of our unwavering commitment to providing high-quality, accessible, and affordable childcare. This is a core institutional priority and a critical part of our efforts to recruit, welcome, and retain great faculty, staff, and students.

As part of this ongoing dialogue around the relocation, design, and development of the ELC, we are sharing below the communications and materials from our meetings. You will also find a feedback form below where you can provide input throughout the process.

Feedback: Please use this link to provide your feedback and ideas, or email [email protected].

Communications & Materials

You’ll also find savings with ABCmouse.com, KinderCare, and other family needs through the LifeMart employee discount program.