Event or Visitor Child Care
Rather than arranging child care for families, or setting up and staffing child care rooms, U-M departments and programs are encouraged to support families (U-M faculty, staff, and students, as well as visitors or guests) in securing their own child care off-campus. University rooms and spaces might not provide needed safety and required equipment; State of Michigan child care licensing rules are in place to protect children; and staffing requires background checks, training and supervision.
Instead, U-M departments and programs might consider some of the following ideas:
- Offering financial support for visitors to bring their own family member or friend to provide child care in their campus-area hotel room
- Reimbursing visitors for child care expenses related to your event (note that most benefits-eligible U-M employees, as well as registered and enrolled U-M students, have access to U-M subsidized backup care)
- Reimbursing visitors for their own Sittercity.com or Care.com type of membership so they can search a local database for their own caregiver (note that most benefits-eligible U-M employees, as well as registered and enrolled U-M students, can sign up for access to Sittercity via their backup care benefit)
- Providing U-M campus-area visitors with resources such as Kennedy Care Backup Child Care and Jovie, if they want to consider hiring someone to provide care in their area home or hotel room. Also, parents may be able to find short-term care, particularly on weekdays, in State of Michigan licensed child care centers or homes.
- Please note: only the parent should search for and secure child care/caregivers, not the U-M host department or program
- Possibly evaluate (based on the situation, type of event, input from leadership, etc.) if a parent or legal guardian might be able to bring their own child with them to campus, with the understanding that the parent or legal guardian and child will be together at all times, and the parent or legal guardian will provide all care for their own child at all times
Important Information
Child and Family Care provides links to child care search resources. Email us if you have general questions. Please note that Child and Family Care cannot provide guidance on setting up temporary child care spaces in campus buildings or in the community.
Child and Family Care does not endorse or represent any resources listed as recommended by the University of Michigan.