New Child Benefits

Bringing home a new child is a special time in every parent's life. Along with the joy and excitement, however, come new financial responsibilities and challenges to balancing work and home life. Penn offers an array of benefits to help get your family off to the right start.

ON THIS PAGE:

• Time Off
• Health Care Benefits
• Financial Support and Planning
• Worklife Balance
• Workplace Accomodation Services

Time Off

Faculty and staff are entitled to time off when bringing home a new child, including for adoption and foster care. Our Paid Parental Leave Policy includes details on the coordination with other leaves available including: Sick Leave, Paid Time Off, Short-Term Disability Leave, and Family and Medical Leave (FMLA).

Health Care Benefits

You must enroll your child in your benefits coverage within 30 days of birth or adoption. Enroll online or contact the Benefits Solution Center (powered by Health Advocate) at 1-866-799-2329.

A percentage of doctor and hospital fees are covered under all the University's health care plans. Read about Penn's medical coverage.

Financial Support and Planning

Expenses add up quickly when raising a family, but Penn offers several ways to alleviate the costs of bringing home a new child:

• The Adoption Assistance Program provides reimbursement for up to $10,000 in qualified adoption expenses.
• A Health Care Flexible Spending Account can help you save on taxes for healthcare expenses not covered by your insurance.
• A Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account can help you save on taxes for daycare expenses.
• Carrot Fertility brings you inclusive, comprehensive fertility health and family-forming benefits that support you wherever you are on your journey. The benefit provides a $30,000 lifetime maximum that can be used for a variety of fertility treatments.

Worklife Balance

Penn offers a variety of resources to help you balance the competing demands of work and home:

• The Employee Assistance Program provides confidential one-on-one support at no cost for a variety of personal issues and major life changes, such as bringing home a new child.
• Penn's Lactation Support Program can help you make a smoother transition back to work when you're chest/breastfeeding your newborn.
• Penn's Children's Center provides childcare for children ages three months to five years.
• Free access to Sitter City, education support, and special discounts are available through the Penn Bright Horizons portal. Bright Horizons can help with a wide range of dependent care challenges, such as finding child care, school-age care, summer camp programs in your community, and or elder care services to meet your family's needs and preferences.
• Backup Care offers temporary in-home backup care services—seven days a week, day or night—while you work.
• Snow Day Child Care provides day care when Philadelphia public schools are closed but Penn is open.
• Flexible Work Options offer creative solutions that help you balance work and family demands.

Workplace Accomodation Services

Requests for workplace accommodation services for faculty and staff with disabilities or limitations due to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions should be made through Penn's Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs (OAAEOP). Request forms are available on the OAAEOP Accommodations page.