Throughout its 37-year history, the Joint Committee on the Status of Women (JCSW) has advocated for policies, programs and services that help Harvard faculty and staff in the Longwood Medical Area balance their professional and personal lives. This year, the JCSW turns its attention to child care.
“This is a recurring topic and an issue that challenges many community members who are trying to work successfully in Longwood, regardless of whether they’re staff or faculty and regardless of their gender,” said Susan Farrell, co-chair of the JCSW and an HMS assistant professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The JCSW has partnered with the Provost’s Office, Faculty Affairs and other groups to organize a Child Care Summit for Jan. 25, 2011, from noon to 5 p.m. in the new research building at HMS. The event is open to faculty, staff and students at HMS, HSDM and HSPH, as well as faculty at the affiliated hospitals.
“The goal is to think of creative and innovative ways to support child care needs,” said Darla White, the other JCSW co-chair. White is a records manager and archivist at the Center for the History of Medicine.
In August, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies ranked Massachusetts as the least affordable state for both infant and preschool care. Infant care at a center, for example, costs $18,773 per year on average in Massachusetts, or 18.1 percent of the median income for a two-parent family. The state requires a high level of staff training and education at child care facilities and low staff-to-child ratios. Though state regulations improve the quality of care, they also raise costs beyond the reach of many families.
In the Longwood Medical Area, the problem is compounded by space constraints. There are only two child care centers serving Harvard faculty and staff in Longwood. Most years, both have waiting lists.
“New parents often feel overwhelmed by these challenges,” said Farrell. “We want to listen to their stories and help them find creative solutions. We recognize that people across our community have spent their careers figuring out the best way to support child care needs.”
The JCSW plans to invite some of these experts to share their insights. One guest speaker will be Sarah Bennett-Astesano, assistant director of Harvard’s Office of Work/Life, who has documented the evolution of child care at Harvard. She will focus on governance and funding mechanisms that have proven successful for child care centers affiliated with the University, beginning in the 1940s with a center established in Cambridge for wartime personnel, especially working mothers. After World War II ended, the center opened its doors to the community. As families flocked to the center, the waiting list swelled to 200 children.
The JCSW co-chairs invite faculty, staff and students at the schools and affiliated hospitals to send in suggestions for the summit and help with planning. Interested individuals may e-mail jcsw_adminassist@hms.harvard.edu.
This call for action dovetails with an effort by the JCSW to expand membership. Committee members recently ratified changes to the group’s bylaws, making it easier for more people to get involved.
“By expanding, the committee will open the door to the broadest possible advice and opinion regarding ways in which HMS and HSDM can best serve our women faculty and staff,” said Maureen Connelly, dean for Faculty Affairs. “There is strength in numbers.”
JCSW Targets Reached
- Mothers’ rooms throughout Longwood campus
- Office of Work and Family in Longwood
- Ombuds Office in Longwood
- Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women (in conjunction with the Dean’s Office)
- Archives for Women and Medicine (now at the Center for the History of Medicine)
