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.
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.