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Child Care Resources

Child Care Grant Subsidy

Pepperdine understands that one of the most difficult work/life issues for employees with children is the high cost of child care. The University provides a Child Care Subsidy Grant Program to assist University faculty and staff in meeting these costs.

Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

You can use a Dependent Care FSA to cover daycare expenses for a child who is age 12 or younger, including in-home care that allows you to work at home. Contributions to a Dependent Care FSA are made on a pre-tax basis. The FSA can cover preschool tuition, camps, and after school care. You cannot use the FSA to pay for kindergarten or private school tuition for a child age 5 and older. Online educational programs or private tutoring are also not eligible expenses under IRS rules for Dependent Care FSA accounts.  

Affinity Group Support

Pepperdine has a number of informal, employee-led affinity groups for colleagues who share a common interest or goal. One is a monthly family affinity group that discusses parenting challenges, juggling work and parenting, and the many transitions parents experience.

Please contact Lisa Stone, Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President, at lisa.stone@pepperdine.edu to learn more about this group.

Monitoring Local Schools/Programs

While Human Resources does not endorse local schools/programs, but we do monitor available programs in the Malibu area.

Employee Assistance Program

The Health Advocate EAP+Work/Life program is a core benefit available to all participating employees through their benefit package. Work/Life specialists are available to help you locate the right support service, from childcare and eldercare to financial and legal help. Their targeted child care services currently include:

  • One-on-one consultations with the Work/Life Team to help any parent/member with their specific needs and to direct members to the right resources;
  • Access to a well-rounded parents guide on care.com;
  • Links to a number of fun, free, and educational websites to share with children;
  • A number of webinars and other resources on their website.

Visit myhealthadvocate.pepperdine.edu or call 866.799.2728 for assistance.

Hire a Pepperdine Student

Hire a Pepperdine student to assist with tutoring, babysitting, or other household needs. Consider posting your listing on Handshake, the University's job posting site managed by the Student Employment Office. The Student Employment Office will help you post and take down your listing, and you will be able to facilitate the hiring process according to your own schedule and specific needs. Click here to request a posting, or contact Student.Employment@Pepperdine.edu for more information.

Consider an Outside Tutoring Resource

While Human Resources does not endorse tutoring programs, we do monitor available programs and tutoring options in the greater Los Angeles area.

Please view a list of tutoring resources here.

Log On to Virtual Family Fun

Human Resources has gathered a list of educational and interactive resources to further engage children in a virtual environment. These include natural history, art, and fitness videos for a variety of ages.

Please view a list of fun activities here.

Join a Parenting Support Group

Participants will attend a three-part series, with one session per week for three weeks, led by an accredited therapist. These sessions will be an opportunity for therapists to discuss common concerns and techniques to help caregivers combat frustrations in the home setting. Caregivers will also have the opportunity to ask questions and share their own experiences. For more information, please contact HumanResources@Pepperdine.edu.

COVID-19 Related Updates

Flexible Schedules

Pepperdine created Interim Telecommuting Exceptions designed to provide maximum flexibility for faculty and staff, including parents and child caregivers. Supervisors remain encouraged to utilize creativity and provide flexible schedules to employees.

COVID-19 Child Care Leave

Recognizing the disruption of closed schools and daycare, the University created COVID-19 Leaves for faculty and staff, including a Child Care Leave for those who are unable to work remotely and must care for children at home. You may be eligible to apply for Unemployment Insurance while on a COVID-19 Child Care Leave, as well as choose to use accrued sick pay, donated sick pay, or vacation pay for all or part of the leave.

Please apply for the appropriate faculty or staff COVID-19 Child Care Leave on the Human Resources website.

Dependent Care FSA

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, certain changes in your situation such as continued remote learning, may allow you to increase or decrease your Dependent Care FSA (flexible spending account) contributions. For example:

If you are no longer able to send your child to daycare this fall, or if you no longer need to do so because you continue to work from home, you are eligible to decrease your Dependent Care FSA election. You can reduce your contribution to the amount you have contributed year-to-date, giving you through December 31, 2020, to use any funds remaining in your account.

If your child's school continues to be closed and you need to enroll your child in alternate daycare to allow you to continue to work, you are eligible to increase your Dependent Care FSA election.

If you would like to make contribution changes to your 2020 Dependent Care FSA election, please contact Christine Hannick at christine.hannick@pepperdine.edu.

Major Disaster Donated Sick Pay

Soon after Pepperdine announced the need for the majority of faculty and staff to work remotely following the Safer at Home orders, the University enacted the Major Disaster Donated Sick Pay policy. This policy allows for employees to receive up to 160 additional hours of paid sick time, which may be used when an employee can demonstrate that the disaster has caused severe hardship to the employee or to a family member of the employee that requires the employee to be absent from work, including childcare issues.

Please complete a form to either donate sick time or to request donated sick time on the Human Resources website.