Helping You Get Into the Swing of a Busy Day
Bright Horizons – Here for You and Your Family. Are you longing for the days when spring actually gave your family time for a much-needed refresh and recharge? This year, things are different, but Bright Horizons® is here to help. Plus, there’s no copay when you reserve Bright Horizons Back-Up Care™ in March and April!
- Schedule back-up care for your child and adult or elder loved ones and get the reassurance you need with enhanced COVID-19 protocols*
- Make back-up care reservations at nearby child care centers and reserve reliable caregivers who will come to your home or your loved one’s
- Take advantage of instant booking at many of our centers or confirm care instantly with our in-home providers
- Complete your benefit registration now to avoid feeling stressed at the last minute
To request Bright Horizons back-up care find instructions here Registration/Reservation
Reminder: Please review the taxable benefit section below.
The service can be used up to 15 days per calendar year. Berkeley Lab employees are encouraged to register in advance. Registration is free and does not commit an employee to use the service.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information about program eligibility, costs, and registration, please see below, as well as navigating to the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care website.
- Eligibility
- Cost for Service
- New!! Summer Camp option as a part of Backup Care
- Registration/Reservation
- Contact
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Eligibility
Employees
The eligible population for this program consists of employees that are career, term, or Postdoctoral Fellows.
The following groups are excluded:
- Employees on Limited Assignment
- Faculty
- Graduate Student Research Associates
- Student Assistants
- Affiliates
- Contractors
- Rehired Retirees
- Visiting Researchers
An employee is only eligible while they are on active pay status in the Lab’s payroll system.
Dependents
For purposes of this benefit, ‘dependent’ is anyone that is currently dependent on the caretaking of the employee. This is most frequently a child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, or other family members, but is not limited to these or any other specific categories. In addition, this benefit can be used by the employee directly. Children are age 0-17 and adults are age 18 and above.
Cost
The Lab is subsidizing some of the costs of this service to help reduce the amount of the employees pay. Employees will be charged:
- $15/child with a maximum of $25/family per visit for center-based care during the center’s normal operating hours
- $6/hour per caregiver for in-home care; no additional charge for evening/weekend care (4-hour minimum, up to 3 dependents)
- An additional charge of $50/hour for medical care
Employees pay Bright Horizons directly using a credit card or debit card, payable at the time of reservation.
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (Dep-Care FSA) can not be used for this service.
Taxable Benefit
The Backup Care program provides employees with certain types of dependent care charging a co-pay that is less than the market rate for these services. The difference between the market rate and the employee co-pay is considered a taxable benefit and treated by the IRS as additional income to the employee.
The market value is based upon national averages and will be reviewed and adjusted annually. The following is the current market values for the following services:
- Center care: $80/day
- In-home care: $27/hour
The amount of tax paid is dependent upon the tax bracket of the individual.
The additional income is reported monthly as Other Income on the employee’s paycheck and will be subject to the following taxes:
- Medicare
- OASDI – Social Security
- Federal income tax
- State income tax
New!! Summer Camp option as a part of Backup Care
Bright Horizons is excited to welcome Steve & Kate’s Camp to their family. In order to provide more school-age programs and support, you can use your back up care days to reserve. These camps offer experiences for children from pre-K through rising 7th graders. The minimum age is 4 yrs old. Due to Covid 19 protocols, camps must be booked for 5 consecutive days. They will be offering camps in the following areas this summer:
- Oakland
- San Francisco
- Fremont
- Corte Madera
- Cupertino
- San Carlos
- San Jose
- Atherton
A schedule will be provided when available.
Registration/Reservation
Registration
Before using the service, employees must register using one of these two methods:
- Visit the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care program website and use this login information:
- Username: LBNL
- Password: 4Backup
- A unique username and password will be assigned to each employee during registration
- Call Bright Horizons toll-free at 877-BH-CARES (877 242-2737)
Registration takes about 5 to 10 minutes. It is recommended that employees register in advance of when services are needed, but registration can also be done the same day. Additional dependents can be added at any time.
Registration is free and does not commit an employee to use the service. Those who are registered can take advantage of information and resources for parents and families on the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care program website.
Reservation
Once registered, employees can make reservations online or over the phone (877-242-2737) for backup care.
Reservations can be made up to one month in advance of and up to the day backup care is needed. No more than five consecutive days can be scheduled. Consultants are available 24/7 by phone or online (using number and link above) to assist employees with their backup care needs.
Contact
The Backup Care Program is administered by Bright Horizons, with the Lab’s HR Benefits Group providing vendor management. Contact Bright Horizon’s at (877) 242-2737 for any questions regarding the program. Contact HR Benefits (benefits@lbl.gov, x6403) for any issues not resolved directly by Bright Horizons.
