Family Care Benefits

The Ohio State University has partnered with Bright Horizons® to offer family care support benefits to employees and help them better manage their many work, life, and family responsibilities 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.

Support to meet your needs

You can rely on flexible family support from Bright Horizons®, including the following:

• Fill child care gaps with back-up care when schedules go head-to-head
• Secure full-time child care that fits the way you work — plus, get waitlist priority
• Find care for adult loved ones when you can’t be there, in your home or theirs!
• Make your sitter search easier with your free Sittercity membership
• Find the perfect nanny with personalized help from Jovie
• Stop the morning rush & afternoon scramble with before- and after-school programs
• Take academic support off your plate with discounts on professional tutoring
• Check ‘walk the dog’ and ‘clean the kitchen’ off your to-do list with pet care and housekeepers through your free Sittercity membership
• Secure back-up care through your own personal network (babysitter, relative, friend) through Out-of-Network care and receive a reimbursement of $100/day

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. Starting in 2026, personal caregivers must be an approved caregiver through Sittercity.

Please Note: 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 2026 market values for services per use:

• Center-Based Childcare is $115
• In-Home Childcare is $132
• In-Home Adult/Eldercare is $256

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.

Sittercity

Beginning January 1, 2026, if Bright Horizons cannot fulfill your back-up care request within its network, you will have the option to receive out-of-network care reimbursement through a direct link to Sittercity, a trusted platform for connecting with qualified caregivers. This option provides flexibility for faculty, staff and graduate students who need reliable care when network resources are unavailable. Review Bright Horizons Reimbursable Care Guide for additional instructions and details.

With a Sittercity account you can:

• Post a job to find vetted local caregivers for the back-up care you need.
• Invite a caregiver you already know to join Sittercity and keep their profile private, viewable only to you.

How It Works:

1. Submit Your Request: In your BrightHorizons account, if Bright Horizons network care options are unavailable, select the Care Reimbursement tab during the reservation process.
2. Access Sittercity: You’ll be redirected to Sittercity. Log in or create an account.
3. Find or Add a Caregiver: Post a job to book care from Sittercity’s database of caregivers or invite a caregiver you know personally. They’ll need to join Sittercity but can keep their account private.
4. Request Reimbursement: After care is complete, return to Bright Horizons to request reimbursement. You’ll pay your caregiver directly. You’ll receive the same reimbursement amount as usual ($100)

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

Eligible employees have access to discounts for primary childcare 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.

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.