myHR: September 3, 2025

Support for Working Penn Parents

At the University of Pennsylvania, supporting working parents is a cornerstone of our commitment to holistic employee well-being. Whether you're navigating early parenthood, managing school-age children returning to classes, or caring for aging family members as you guide teenagers, Penn gives you support to help you thrive at all stages of your parenting experience.

This article highlights key resources from the University’s broad suite of supportive benefits.

Building Your Family: Adoption and Fertility

Eligible faculty and staff may receive up to $10,000 in reimbursement for qualified adoption expenses. Reimbursement is managed through the Carrot Fertility Platform, which provides other adoption resources and support.

Penn also partners with Carrot Fertility to offer inclusive, comprehensive fertility care. With a $30,000 lifetime maximum benefit, University employees can access a wide range of fertility treatments.

Carrot Fertility expert guidance includes:

• A free, personalized step-by-step guide created with your unique needs in mind to support you through your family-forming journey
• Unlimited, free virtual visits with fertility health and family-forming experts, including reproductive endocrinologists, urologists, adoption experts, and mental health professionals. They will help you navigate your options, costs, and answer your questions.
• A library of expert-produced educational resources, including articles and how-to videos
• At-home support through Carrot’s complete telehealth platform, including a fertility health and wellness test, an ovulation tracking bracelet, and more

Lactation Support

Penn provides over 50 designated lactation spaces across campus, including Penn Medicine buildings. Employees can access a free pump kit through the Penn Women’s Center. The Center also offers many free baby basics and lactation classes to the Penn community. 

Backup Care and Childcare Options

Access child and elder care benefits and support through Bright Horizons. To get started, use your Penn ID number to register for an account on Penn’s Bright Horizons Portal. 

Eligible Penn employees can receive:

• Subsidized backup childcare at home or in centers
• Virtual tutoring and summer camps for children ages 3–12
• Preferential enrollment and waived registration fees at Bright Horizons and other network centers
• Discounted nanny placement services
• Free access to Sittercity’s database of caregivers

The on-campus Penn Children’s Center provides care and learning for children ages three months to five years. While there is often a wait list for enrollment, priority is given to families with an active Penn affiliation. Tuition for the center is offered at a discount for Penn faculty and staff and their families.

Other Penn-affiliated centers include:

• The Caring Center: 3010 Spring Garden Street; 1-215-386-8245
• The Parent-Infant Center: 4205 Spruce Street; 1-215-222-5480
• Bright Horizons at University City: 3600 Civic Center Boulevard; 1-267-298-4400

Emotional and Behavioral Health 

Penn’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers confidential 24/7 counseling and referrals for personal and family challenges. Services include support for parenting, adoption, teen issues, and special needs, as well as legal and financial consultations.

Educational Workshops

You can browse and register for virtual information sessions on a variety of timely parenting topics at the Division of Human Resources events listing. Sessions include the next quarterly New and Expectant Parent Briefing on October 28. 

Penn employees can also attend Penn Medicine’s free in-person and virtual parenting prep classes on topics such as baby basics, infant CPR, and breastfeeding. 

For additional family and self-care resources, visit Human Resources Caring for Your Family webpages. 

Set Good Habits for Your Health

WebMD, Penn’s new wellness platform partner, has an array of exciting programs that can support your well-being and help you build your best self during the Be in the Know 2025-2026 wellness campaign for benefits-eligible staff, faculty, and postdocs. Over the next several weeks, myHR will explore each of those programs, giving you critical information to learn about the new platform and improve your health. The first program we will explore is Daily Habits, WebMD’s digital coaching and behavior change solution tool. 

Getting Started

After you enroll on the WebMD wellness platform, it’s easy to start the Daily Habits program. Simply follow these steps.

1. Choose a plan(s): Daily Habits offers a wide variety of plans, including Balance Your Diet, Emotional Health, Exercise, Sleep Well, and Work-Life Balance. There are also options for Maternal Health and conditions like Asthma, Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure. Start by choosing one to three plans that align with your personal well-being goals. You can select the “details” button on each plan tile to read the plan information and view the included activities. You can only have a maximum of three active Plans at any time in Daily Habits.
2. Fill out the Plan start questionnaire: In order to build your customized Plan, you will need to complete the Plan start questionnaire. The questions help to better personalize the Daily Habits plans you’ve chosen and help track success over time as you complete them.
3. Start Your Plan(s): Once your plans are selected, click on “Start This Plan” to begin. You will be taken to your “To-Do” page which displays the activities due for the current day. The calendar section shows your upcoming activities.
   
   You can complete your activities at any time. Any activity that is not completed by the due date will appear in your Missed Activities section. Don’t worry if you miss a day or two. Helpful reminders will be issued to get you back on track. All your active plans will appear on the main Plans page. If you start a plan and decide it isn’t right for you or want to add a new plan based on new interests, you can always make changes or remove a plan in the Plans page.

For more information about Daily Habits, watch WebMD’s Daily Habits video. 

Three Tips for Daily Habits Success

• Select a plan you can commit to. Choose plans that are meaningful to you and that you can commit to working on every day. Even if you miss a day, you can always catch up. Staying consistent is important to your success.
• Check your To-Do page counter. It is important to keep up with your activities in the “Today,” “Missed,” and “Upcoming” sections of the To-Do page counter. No one is perfect, of course, but do your best to check in daily.
• Don’t be afraid to say “No”. Don’t feel pressure to answer “Yes” to every activity question in your plan if you know you did not complete one of the activities for the day. You can answer “No” and still be successful towards completing your Plans. Being honest with your responses allows you to fairly evaluate your current activities and try a new approach to make progress towards your wellness goals.

Remember that everyone has unique health goals and needs a customized path to reach them. Daily Habits gives you a personalized approach to health and wellness that’s fun, engaging, and effective. So, let’s get started on improving your health one small step at a time.

For more information about WebMD and the Be in the Know 2025-2026 campaign, visit www.hr.upenn.edu/beintheknow. 

Developing a Coaching Mindset

In today’s fast-paced work environment, leaders and team members often find themselves defaulting to problem-solving roles — constantly “telling” rather than “coaching.” But what if the key to lasting behavior change lies not in giving answers, but in empowering others to find their own?

That’s the goal of Coaching Communication Strategies to Drive Positive Behavior Change, a highly interactive program that offers staff practical tools to shift communication styles from directive to empowering. The program will be held on October 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A virtual coaching session will take place on November 5 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

“As a society we know people are more likely to execute on their own ideas, yet we rarely create the space to allow people to solve their own problems…the perception is ‘I simply don’t have enough time to coach,’” says Lou Troilo, program facilitator and Global Leadership Coach.    

Other reasons why team members frequently default to problem-solving for others include:

• Efficiency bias: Solving the problem directly often feels faster than guiding someone through it.
• Habitual patterns: Many leaders and staff have been conditioned to view problem-solving as their primary value.
• Lack of coaching skills: Without the right tools or training, employees may not feel confident adopting a coaching approach.
• Control and accountability concerns: Some worry that if they don’t solve the problem themselves, outcomes may not meet expectations.
• Cultural norms: In some workplaces, being the “go-to problem solver” is associated with competence and leadership, making it the default behavior.

This course will help staff reframe their role as a “fixer” and transform them into a “facilitator” using strategies to:

• Help with their own problem solving
• Foster personal accountability
• Build confidence as a coach
• Drive visible, real-time results

Please note that Coaching Communication Strategies to Drive Positive Behavior Change is a nomination-based program, and your department will be charged for the cost. Employees may initiate a nomination request or be encouraged to do so by their manager via Workday. Managers are required to approve the request in Workday and provide the nominee’s budget string/code. 

For more professional development opportunities, visit the Learn & Grow webpage. 

Healthy Meals: Southwest Chicken Burrito Bowls

Looking for a meal that’s both satisfying and simple to prepare? These Southwest Chicken Burrito Bowls are a vibrant, protein-rich option perfect for busy weeknights or meal prepping. With tender marinated chicken, fresh veggies, hearty black beans, and a creamy avocado lime sauce, this dish brings bold flavor and balanced nutrition to your table.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 – 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (cubed)
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 cup black beans
• 2 cups cooked rice

Avocado Lime Sauce

• 1 small avocado
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Whisk the apple cider vinegar, dried spices, minced garlic, and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl or container.
2. Add the cubed chicken and coat evenly in the marinade. Cover and let it marinate for a few minutes.
3. Add the remaining olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken (along with any leftover marinade) and cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until brown and cooked through, stirring occasionally.
4. Divide the tomatoes, corn, black beans, rice, and cilantro amongst 4 containers.
5. Blend the avocado sauce using a blender.
6. Add chicken to bowls and drizzle with the sauce.

Meet With a Registered Dietitian Today!

• One-on-one, virtual sessions you can schedule at any time that works for you
• 100% covered under many insurance plans
• Available to spouses and dependents
• Fill out the Ramp Health Nutrition Counseling Sign Up Form or call 800-484-7720.

Did You Know: Penn's Occasional Parking Program Discount

If you don’t drive to campus every day but still need a place to park, Penn’s Occasional Parking Program may be right for you. This pay-as-you-go option is available at Walnut 38, Chestnut 34, and Walnut 40 garages. Spots are offered on a first-come first-served basis at a discounted daily rate of $19.50. That’s $3.50 off the public parking rate of $23. Preregister via the Park@Penn portal and link your payment method. For more information, visit the Transportation, Parking & Commuter Services website.