Support for Families
The University of California has established policies to express its commitment to a workplace culture supportive of family care-giving responsibilities. Please refer to the Academic Personnel and Programs website on family friendly practices and policies(link is external) for further information.
Family Responsive Policies
We have some of the best family-responsive policies, including:
- Childbearing leave
- Tenure clock extension for one year for both men and women caring for a newborn or child newly placed for adoption or foster care (requested within two years of the birth or placement); or for a serious personal health condition, illness of a family member, for bereavement, or for another significant circumstance or event.
- A reduction of duties (typically less teaching) for one semester for parents who provide at least 50% of the care of a child. Birth mothers are entitled to two semesters.
- We also support faculty in accordance with the Family Medical Leave Act.
As of September 1, 2015, the policies related to tenure clock extension (“Stopping the Clock”) have been revised. These revisions strengthen and clarify our already outstanding family-responsive policies for academic appointees.
We care about you.
Children and Teens
- UC Berkeley Early Childhood Education Program.
- Bananas compilation of local resources for childcare needs.
- Berkeley Parents Network assessment of local resources for families. To sign up for newsleters, click here.
- Savvy Source resources for families.
- UC Berkeley Cal Camps & Youth Program for summer fun.
- Links to information on public and private K-12 schools.
Elder Care
UCB Elder Care program offers confidential, free assistance for faculty and staff who are caring for, or concerned about an elder. The Elder Care Counselor can answer your questions, help you set priorities and refer you to resources and caregiver support groups both locally and long distance. For assistance please contact the Elder Care counselor at (510) 643-7754 or email: maureenkelly@uhs.berkeley.edu .
Partner and Spouse Employment
We offer several resources for partners and spouses seeking employment.
- Faculty partners can access our Passport Career support system for help with resumes and cover letters, and advice on seeking a job.
- The UC Berkeley jobs website posts all open academic and staff positions at Berkeley.
- The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) posts jobs at UC Berkeley and other local universities. You can create a profile to receive notifications of new postings of interest to you.
- Chairs and Deans can sometimes assist in locating academic employment at Berkeley.
- Relocation Services may also be able to assist in making contacts
- Partner Hiring Program Guidelines and Procedures
Health Programs
University Health Services Faculty and Staff Health Programs
Please visit this link for workshops, resources, and health programs. Click here for the Fall 2015 UHS schedule of workshops. Workshop topics include health & wellness, ergonomics, disability management, elder care, financial wellness, parenting, and stress management.
Breastfeeding Support Program
Please visit this link for information on the BFSP program, including registration, breast pump products available, lactation rooms on campus, classes, accommodation, supplies and additional resources.
The Pregnant Scholar
This website helps ensure the success of student parents and seeks to advance women’s representation in STEM fields by providing user-friendly information and resources on Title IX for faculty, administrators, and pregnant students and postdocs. The site includes a wide range of tools—from introductory videos to in-depth best-practice guides.
UC Faculty Family Friendly Edge
The UC Faculty Family Friendly Edge is series of projects designed to support the development and implementation of innovative policies and programs for academics in the UC system, as well as to examine the role of institutions of higher education and federal granting agencies in shaping the academic pipeline at all stages.