Backup Care

Meet your new provider of backup care and enhanced family supports.

Webinar: Bright Horizons Benefit Overview

Meet your new backup care provider, and learn about family support benefits that help you manage your caregiving responsibilities.

Watch the on-demand webinar here

As of Jan. 1, 2025, JHU is no longer partnering with Care.com. To use backup care and caregiving benefits, you need to register with Bright Horizons. With Bright Horizons, you can:

  • Continue to enjoy the benefits you rely on—10 days of backup care per year at the same subsidized rates, plus discounts for caregiving and educational needs
  • Reserve back-up care for child, adult, and elderly loved ones
  • Make reservations instantly or up to 90 days ahead: Confirm your backup care in under 1 minute with streamline booking
  • Tap into a larger network of in-center care for more flexibility and expanded care options

Additionally, you have access to a marketplace of family education and care offerings – with exclusive discounts and savings like:

  • a free Sittercity® membership for childcare resource location
  • a free Years Ahead membership for eldercare resource location
  • discounted child care perks and educational enrichments like tutoring and test prep
  • resources for expectant and adoptive parents, for support with children ages 0-3

Effective Jan. 1, 2025, employees no longer have access to Care.com’s premium membership through Johns Hopkins University.

To access your caregiving benefits, you will need to register through My Bright Horizons.

Dates already scheduled after Jan. 6, 2025 should be rescheduled through My Bright Horizons on or after Jan. 1.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bright Horizons backup care can be used anytime you need to be at work, but your family member needs assistance, support, or care. Use backup care when your regular care is unavailable, so you can still work or study. Hopkins provides partial payment of backup care for up to 10 days per calendar year.

Use Backup Child Care when:

  • Your child’s school or child center is closed, either unexpectedly (e.g., snow day) or planned (e.g., school holiday).
  • You have a change in your work schedule and need in-home child care for evening and weekend hours.
  • You are in between child care arrangements.
  • Your regular caregiver is unavailable.
  • Your child is mildly ill and cannot attend their regular school or child care center.

Use backup adult and elder care when:

  • Your parent’s or grandparent’s regular in-home care provider is unavailable.
  • Your parents live with your sibling, and your sibling has a temporary conflict and is unable to care for them.
  • Your in-law(s) are in the hospital and you would like someone to be with them for support.
  • Your spouse, domestic partner, or other adult family member is recovering from an injury or surgery and needs assistance.
  • You are recuperating from an injury or surgery and need assistance for yourself.

Yes, if you are working from home, you can use backup care.

Bright Horizons connects you with top-quality caregivers and centers available through no other providers. Safety protocols are set through guidance from the CDC, state, and local authorities. The rigorous caregiver screening parameters are as follows:

In-Home Caregivers

  1. Social Security Number trace for all aliases and addresses
  2. Federal and state or county criminal record checks
  3. National criminal record database check
  4. OFAC check
  5. National (DOJ) Sex Offender Registries

Partner Center Staff 

  1. State-mandated criminal record checks
  2. Reference checks
  3. Confirmation of identity, addresses, and prior employment
  4. Employment eligibility verification
  5. All centers must be licensed and in full compliance with regulations

Bright Horizons Center Staff 

In addition to the requirements for Partner Center Staff:

  1. Social Security Number trace for all aliases and addresses
  2. Federal and state or county criminal record checks
  3. National criminal record database check
  4. OFAC check
  5. Sex Offender Registries

Yes, Bright Horizons’s network of in-home and in-center providers spans the entire U.S.A.

If your employment status becomes inactive or you go on a leave of absence at any time, you may not use any Bright Horizons benefits. You must currently be full-time and benefits-eligible to use these benefits.

If you use greater than $5,000 in combination of Child Care VoucherDependent 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. Adult Backup Care is taxable.