Family Care Benefits

The Ohio State University has partnered with Bright Horizons® to offer new family care support benefits to employees and help them better manage their many work, life, and family responsibilities. This new benefit will be available starting January 1, 2023 for eligible Ohio State employees (full-time and part-time (at least 50% FTE) in a regular or term position).

Join Bright HorizonsThis benefit is not available for pediatric faculty who also hold an appointment with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, COTC, OSU Physicians and Faculty Club employees.

Expanded Family Care Benefits Webinar

The Women’s Place, Office of Human Resources and Bright Horizons partnered to present a webinar about Ohio State’s new and expanded family care benefits. The one-hour webinar covered the new and expanded 2023 family care benefits, including back-up care, primary care, pet care, tutoring, summer camps, caregiver respite, long-distance needs and other Bright Horizons offerings.

• Watch the Expanded Family Care Benefits Webinar

Family Concierge provides time-saving personalized guidance and creates a customized plan for family care based on what’s available to you through your Bright Horizons benefits. Care for young children, school-agers, and elder loved ones — both temporary and long-term — we’ve got it all covered. Plus, access tutoring and help with household responsibilities. And as your family’s needs change, we’ll adjust your care plan accordingly. Learn more about the Family Concierge Benefit in this recorded 15-minute webinar.

Here’s what your benefit includes:

• Expert support — 1:1 assistance via chat, phone, email, text, or video to find the right care for your family
• Proactive guidance — personalized outreach, coaching, and reminders to help lighten the load of care and enrichment planning
• Personalized resources — curated content, care plans, and webinars that provide the information you need, every step of the way

Eligible employees have access to a network of high-quality childcare centers and in-home care providers, which provide temporary care when you have a disruption in your regular care.

To help ease the cost of paying for back-up care, employees will only pay a co-pay while Ohio State pays for the rest of back-up care utilization. Co-pays paid for back-up care can be reimbursed through the Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA).

Back-Up Care benefit details

• Eligible employees can access up to 10 back-up care days per employee per year
• Center-based care is $25 per child/day or $40 per family/day
• In-home care for children and adults is $10 per hour
• If network care is unavailable, employees will be reimbursed $100 per day if they secure a personal caregiver.

Back-Up Care helps when…

• School is closed for a holiday, inclement weather or vacation
• A regular caregiver is unavailable
• Transitioning back to work from leave
• Working from home and children schooling from home
• An elder loved one needs care in their home anywhere in the U.S.

Please Note: 

• Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance up to the day care is needed.
• You can secure care by calling and speaking to a care consultant, through the Bright Horizons web portal or via the mobile app.
• In-home care is available for up to three children or adults, any more than three will require an additional caregiver (and co-pay). In-home care also requires a 4-hour minimum use.
• Cancellations must be received two (2) business days prior to a reservation to avoid paying a copay or using days.
• You can upload your co-pay receipts for reimbursement through your Lifestyle Spending Account powered by HealthEquity | WageWorks. Learn how to submit an LSA reimbursement claim.
• This is a taxable benefit. The difference between the fair market value of care and the amount you paid (co-pay) for services will be reported as additional income on your paycheck and will be subject to taxes. The market value is based on the state of Ohio averages and will be reviewed and adjusted annually. The following are 2023 market value for services per use: Center-Based Childcare is $98, In-Home Childcare is $124, and In-Home Adult/Eldercare is $208.

Eligible employees have access to discounts for primary child care solutions, academic supports & tutoring services, enrichment programs, and elder care support. These programs are all self-sourced by employees, and services are fully paid by the employee. Learn more about Enhanced Family Supports in this 35-minute recorded webinar.

Primary Child Care Solutions

• Preferred enrollment at Bright Horizons centers allows employees to jump to the front of the waitlist and receive a waived registration fee.
• Discounts on summer day camp at Steve & Kate’s Camp
• Waived membership fees for Sittercity’s database of sitters, nannies, pet sitters, and housekeepers
• Discounts on the placement fee from Jovie, a high-touch nanny placement service
• Access to before- and after-school programs from Right at School

Academic Support & Tutoring

• Discounts on tutoring from high-quality education partners, including Sylvan Learning, Varsity Tutors, and Revolution Prep

Enrichment Programs

• Access and discounts for Brooklyn Robot Foundry, Code Ninjas, and MarcoPolo

Elder Care Support

• Access to Years Ahead, which provides an online needs assessment for elder family members, access to elder care resources, and guidance in finding senior care providers.