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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. The Care@Work digital platform offers a full suite of benefits including premium membership for finding care on your own, Backup Child and Elder Care for when your regular arrangements are not available and Expert Assistance, which provides access to a specialist for 1:1 help. In Maryland, Hopkins affiliates can receive help finding group care at LOCATE, a personalized service of the Maryland Family Network. Komae is a digital platform for making connections to other families with whom you can trade babysitting at no cost. In addition, we have child care vouchers to help pay for care for children ages 0-5 and several child care partners with which Hopkins affiliates have preferred admission.

Care@Work

Care@Work by Care.com provides Family Care Benefits to help you balance and manage your caregiving responsibilities. Your benefits include:

  • Access to Care.com, the world’s largest online platform for finding care for children, adults, pets, housekeeping, tutoring and more.
  • Backup Care for children: When regular care is not available, you can find use in-home or in-center Backup Care at a subsidized rate.
  • Adult Backup Care: For your adult loved ones, or even yourself, Adult Backup Care can be used for any adult loved on in the US – near or far. An adult caregiver can come to your/their home to provide care, and you’ll only need to pay a reduced rate that’s based on your salary.
  • Expert Assistance : Want help finding care on Care.com? Care@Work’s Care Specialists can work with you to find candidates that meet your needs. Use Expert Assistance to find a caregiver for children, tutoring, pets, housekeeping or adult companion care.

To get started, go to JOHNSHOPKINS.CARE.COM to enroll using your JHED ID. (Watch this video to learn how). You can also access your benefit through the Care@Work App (found in the Apple Store or Google Play). Learn more about each of these benefits below!

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 and Expert Assistance are taxable benefits.
Backup Care

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 Care.com 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. Care.com pre-screens qualified caregivers to help you find in-home backup emergency care for children and adults, or in-center backup care for children.

To ensure you’re prepared when the unexpected occurs, we recommend you register with Care@Work 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.

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. Expert Assistance and Adult Backup Care are taxable benefits.
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 three centers that are Johns Hopkins partners: Homewood Early Learning Center, Bright Horizons, 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 three 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 three JHU Partner Centers.

Finding Child Care

Licensed Child Care in Maryland
Through a partnership with LOCATE: Child Care, a service of the Maryland Family Network, we provide enhanced child care information and referral services to all Johns Hopkins University faculty, staff, and full-time postdocs, residents, and doctoral students who are fully funded by a wage or stipend. Once you’re registered, you can receive access to the comprehensive child care database, or get individual counseling to assess your child care needs and then be matched with available services, and receive referrals to registered family child care providers and licensed group programs, as well as follow-up assistance until placement is found. LOCATE also provides materials on specialized child care options and services, federal income tax credits for families, and Maryland state financial assistance programs. Request service now or call 1-800-999-0120.

In-Home Care
Considering hiring a caregiver to provide child care in your home? You can either identify and hire an in-home provider yourself using the Care@Work Platform and safety resources, or partner with a Care Specialist with Care@Work’s Expert Assistance program. Flexible care management is now available through the Komae cooperative care app. And 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.

Komae Cooperative Care


Komae is a cooperative childcare app that provides a flexible child care management option. Komae enables parents to identify and vet families with similar parenting styles and COVID-19 protocol practice to build their pod for shared childcare and education.

  • Parents can swap Komae points by the hour as a way to manage and coordinate care for their children.
  • You will receive an initial balance of points to receive care from others in your community, and you will receive additional points by caring back for another family.
  • These services are cost-free to you.
  • If you are someone who needs to receive more help than you’re available to offer, you can purchase extra points through Komae.
  • If you are someone who serves others more than you need care for yourself, Komae offers quarterly point cash-ins where you can use your earned points to purchase family-forward products and gift cards.

Additional information can be found on the Komae Website and in this User Guide.

To get started, download the Komae app to your phone, create your account, and join the Hopkins group.

Johns Hopkins does not endorse Komae, its services, its partners, nor any sitters arranged through Komae. We present this service solely as a convenience for the consideration of our members. Use of Komae and its services are subject to Komae’s Terms of Use

JHU Partner Centers

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

Learn more.

COVID-19 and Child Care

How do I reach the Family Programs team at JHU if I need help?
You can reach them through the Benefits Service Center at 410-516-2000 or by email at Benefits@jhu.edu.

Are the JHU partner childcare centers staying open?
The Johns Hopkins Child Care and Early Learning Center at East Baltimore, Weinberg Early Childhood Center, and Homewood Early Learning Center are open, and you must contact the centers to enroll. Visit the Family & Caregiving Programs page for more information.

My child’s school has closed but JHU is open, and I need childcare. What do I do?
You are expected to work your normal schedule and follow JHU’s normal leave policies. Work with your manager to determine whether your position is eligible and appropriate for Workplace Flexibility.

Please refer to the Sick and Safe Leave policy and JHU’s general Sick Leave policy. Also, FMLA entitles eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for specified family and medical reasons. For specific questions regarding leave, contact HR Business Services at 443-997-2157 or HRBusinessServices@jhu.edu.

Many child care centers and family child care providers have openings. LOCATE: Maryland Family Network is a service available to Hopkins employees and students that helps locate child care in the community. Contact LOCATE at 1-800-999-0120, option 2, or LOCATEcorporate@marylandfamilynetwork.org.

Plus, JHU provides all employees with 10 days of backup care through Care.com. You also receive a free premium Care.com membership, which allows you to perform self-directed searches for a variety of caregiving needs. You must register through JHU’s portal at or call 855-781-1303. In addition you can use the Care.com digital portal to post a position for an in-home provider on your own. Care.com’s website also has information about child care safety during COVID-19.

JHU provides support programs for all employees and their families through the Employee Assistance Program. You can reach the JHEAP 24/7, 365 at 888-978-1262 or online. For online access, the username is JHU and the password is JHU.

Concerned about COVID-19 transmission through child care?

It is your responsibility to inform yourself and ask your care provider how they are taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Resources are provided to guide you in having these conversations and adhering to best practices.

CDC Guidance for School Settings

Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Early Childhood – Information for Child Care Programs; FAQs and Guidance for Child Care Providers during Covid-19

Care.com – What Families and Caregivers Should Know About Coronavirus

Additional Resources:

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