Information for Postdoc Parents

Parental leave
The US standard for maternity leave is shorter than most European countries for example and is likely to last between 3-6 months. The conditions for parental leave will be detailed in your contract and depend on your specific situation and benefits coverage. Eligibility for on-campus resources may depend on whether or not you are eligible for Harvard benefits. The Harvard HR website HARVie has general information on the different leave types. It’s important to know the details of your personal insurance and whether or not you want to consider coverage offered by different or additional insurance (e.g., from your spouse).

Childcare
For the youngest children childcare in a daycare format can be divided into center-based or home-based, sometimes called family daycares. These are usually the most affordable options. When the child reaches 2 years 9 months of age they can attend pre-school (sometimes called nursery school). When children turn 5 years old they can start Kindergarten class either in a private or public school. At this time before/after school programs can be relevant.
For all ages (newborn to school age), some families employ a nanny or enter a nanny-share agreement with another family to split the cost of hiring a nanny to take care of the children in your own home. A nanny is generally more expensive than a family or center-based daycare, but is still common.
The term babysitter is used for the more occasional care needed, e.g., on weekends, date nights etc.
During the summer months most preschools and some daycares are closed or operate on a summer schedule. For preschool and school-aged children there are a multitude of summer camps available covering most of the summer holiday (only a few overnight for the oldest children). They can be general (some arts and crafts, some exercise, trips outside, maybe swimming) or specialist (swim-camp, art-camp, theater-camp, science-camp etc).

Finding childcare
The HARVie website on childcare has information and links to find childcare providers, both through Harvard and elsewhere. The website care.com is a platform that allows daycares/nannies/babysitters and parents to connect. The platform has some level of background screening.
The MA .gov website for evaluation of childcare provides a rating of all licensed childcare options.
Summer camps usually start signing up for the summer in February-March of the same year, so if you have specific camps or care requirements it pays off to be prepared. Closer to summer some movement on waitlists is possible and some camps don’t fill up or start signing up later in the spring.
Several social media groups/forums for the individual cities (Cambridge, Somerville, etc) are very active places for parents and nannies/babysitters to connect and there’s usually also a parent group specifically for each city (e.g., on Facebook), where all questions related to childcare/school/summer camps can be asked in the forum to other parents.

Prices & hours
Daycares (family and center-based) usually have the longest hours, matching a work-day schedule, whereas a lot of preschools are on a half-day schedule, so it’s worth checking the hours related to the care you need. Summer camps also vary greatly in the number of hours per day. For both types of care sometimes extended day options are available.
Daycare for an infant close to Harvard in Cambridge can easily be around the $3000-level per month for full time care, prices decreasing with increasing age of the child. Surrounding cities are usually more affordable for daycares, with the normal ranging about $2100-2700 in general for an infant/toddler. All 2022 prices estimates.
Nanny rates vary greatly, depending on the number and age of children as well as the nanny’s experience, $25 per hour is not unusual for example. MA has regulations and assistance for both parents and nannies on how to write a contract for a nanny and set the salary & benefits to be within the necessary legal compliance.
Summer camps vary in prices from $300-$500 per week, depending on the hours, type of camp, and number of trained staff. A lot of summer camps use high school students as camp counselors in addition to the trained child care personnel.

If you are a benefits eligible postdoc, you are elgible for Harvard's childcare financial assistance. Please see details here.

Work-life balance
Postdoc-life balancing having children can be difficult, but also rewarding. Balancing what works for you, for the timing of daycare needed with the location of childcare to be convenient (e.g., close to work, close to home, on the way). Maybe it works for you to have long days, but then be present, when home or maybe you feel better leaving early to spend time with your child(ren) and then work in the evening, when they’re asleep. Maybe taking time out to do extracurricular activities with your child(ren) and/or family during the week or weekend is what gives you the work-life balance you need. The HARVie website has a page on the work-life balance that may give some ideas of things to try out. Also, focusing on the very important one of taking time for yourself alone or with your partner.
Different classes are offered through the HARVie worklife page on mindfulness, yoga, information about Harvard benefits, and parent classes among others.
Most cities in and around Boston also have organizations supporting parents in the local area. These are a good place to start building a network and finding information about parenting and childcare in your local area.

Postdoc parent community in the PDA
Through the PDA social committee events are organized for the postdoc parent community to meet, socialize and share experiences. If you are interested in meeting fellow postdoc parents, keep your eyes open for events posted via faspda@fas.harvard.edu. In the past, we met for a good chat on the playground or for a singalong with a professional music teacher in the park (mostly in Cambridge Common).

Relevant websites
HARVie on leave options: https://hr.harvard.edu/staff-personnel-manual/time-away-work/family-medical-leave 
HARVie on childcare: https://hr.harvard.edu/childcare 
HARVie on work-life balance: https://hr.harvard.edu/worklife 
Care.com, there is a free and paid option: https://www.care.com/ 
MA website on resources for families, including childcare:: https://www.mass.gov/early-childhood-services-and-resources-for-families 
MA website to search for childcare providers:https://eeclead.force.com/EEC_ChildCareSearch 
MA website on legal matters for domestic workers, including information on nanny/babysitter contracts: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/domestic-workers