Pilot program will recruit spouses of grad students as child care providers
Pilot program will recruit spouses of grad students as child care providers
A new program led by the MIT Family Childcare Network will support the training, licensing, and operations of child care providers caring for children of graduate students in Eastgate and Westgate residences. In the first phase of the pilot program, spouses and partners of MIT graduate students will be recruited as caregivers.
Only spouses and partners who are eligible to work in the United States will be able to participate in the program. Each provider will be able to care for four to six children, including his or her own. MIT Housing plans to exempt some care providers from the housing lottery in order to ensure that caregivers can stay in the same apartment from year to year.
Nurtury Inc., a Boston-area based non-profit child care agency has been contracted by MIT to manage the program and facilitate the licensing process, and also to provide training to the caregivers. They will also provide business help for the caregivers, setting up insurance and drawing up contracts with families whose children are in care.
The program will be overseen by the MIT Work-Life Center, and is a collaborative effort between Nurtury, the Office of the Dean of Graduate Education, the Graduate Student Council, and the Division of Student Life.
—Anshuman Pandey