Back to school. They’re familiar words in an unfamiliar time. Most years, they signal the return of the stressful but manageable rituals of supply shopping, schedules, and summer’s end.
This is not most years.
As the pandemic continues, some school districts have turned to remote learning. The familiar rituals have been replaced with Wi-Fi connections, work–life balance issues, and worry.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), NCI at Frederick, and the Frederick National Laboratory recognize the challenges their employees face this season. Fortunately, they provide multiple resources that empower their staff, enable flexibility, and promote well-being.
While many of the resources focus on child care and support, several also include help for other aspects of caregiving and family life, including self-care.
For Federal Employees, Trainees and Fellows, and Contractors
The NIH Resource and Referral Services web page contains brief webinars about child care and adult and elder care, among other topics. Staff can also call the helpline (the number is on the page) to speak with a specialist about child care and adult care resources (including ones for children and students with special needs), finding child care and adult care providers, and other strategies and means for caring for a family.
Similarly, for more general parenting concerns, employees and their spouses can contact the NIH Parent Coach. Questions receive responses within 48 hours.
NIH is also launching a series of virtual support groups for caregivers during September. Each session is led by a mental health clinician and will last for approximately one hour. There is a limit of 40 participants per session. (NIH asks that interested employees register for only one session so other employees have a chance to participate.)
- Parents and Caregivers of Children Support Group: Monday, September 21, at 4:30 p.m.
- General Wellness Support Group: Tuesday, September 22, at 12:00 p.m.
- Caregivers of Elderly and Adult Loved Ones: Thursday, September 24, at 2:00 p.m.
Other educational resources include NIH’s curated Lunch-and-Learn Webinars on child care, parenting, adult and elder care, and self-care; Pathway to Parenthood (requires NIH network access), a collection of webinars and information about raising children and enabling their growth; the Parenting LISTSERV and Adult Care Support LISTSERV; and the Intel Parents’ Guide to Remote Learning.
Employees who are feeling stressed or overwhelmed can contact the NIH Employee Assistance Program, which includes support and counseling for caregivers. NIH has also established the “Here to Listen” Staff Support Line (301-451-1151) for employees’ mental health. Specialists are available from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For Federal Employees, Trainees, and Fellows
The Child Care Centers are open to children, aged six weeks to 12 years, of all federal staff at NIH. Current operations comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for COVID-19, as well as applicable federal and state guidelines. Employees can register for the waitlist on the centers’ website (under the “NIH Wait List” heading).
The website also includes a link to a PDF chart that can help employees determine which center is best for their child.
For Federal Employees Only
NIH’s Back-up Care Program provides a temporary caregiver for children or adults when an employee must work on-site and the family’s regular caregiver or caregiving service is unavailable. There is a fee for using the service, but registering to participate is free.
Certain employees who have found a permanent day care or child care provider can apply for NIH’s Child Care Subsidy Program, which provides up to $5,000 in financial aid toward day care and child care fees per family per year. Employees are eligible if their adjusted household income is $80,000 or less.
For Contractor (Frederick National Laboratory) Employees
Through the Frederick National Laboratory Employee Assistance Program, contractor employees can access MyBHS portal, a website with several resources for well-being, including materials on parenting. Employees should log in via the “My BHS Portal” heading at the top of the website by using the information provided in the PDF newsletter that Human Resources distributed via email on August 21.
MyBHS portal also has a tool for searching and finding tutors based on geographic location. After logging in, it can be accessed under the “Relationships” menu, then “Caregiving” and “Find Educational Services.”
Cigna has prepared a short PDF with stay-at-home schooling tips (accessible through the August 21 PDF from Human Resources), and Kaiser Permanente offers a web page with parenting resources.
To support employees’ mental health, the national laboratory’s Employee Assistance Program also provides free telephone counseling at 1-800-327-2251.
Finally, Human Resources has deployed a concierge service web page to centralize information and resources that can help contractor employees during this time.
Additional Resources
Linda Owen, NIH Child and Family Program specialist, is available to speak with any federal employee, trainee, fellow, or contractor who has questions or is struggling to find resources or services to help with child and family care.
Moreover, Frederick National Laboratory employees who have questions or concerns can contact Jennie Caulfield, the Human Resources concierge for the available contractor resources.
The Frederick County Chamber of Commerce has assembled a short list of local programs providing child care services. Other education-based community groups, such as Kids After Hours and Kidpower, are also becoming involved in remote learning and may be able to help employees with their children’s educational needs.