Many of our graduate and professional students have families and their well-being and happiness is a critical part of our students’ success. There are a number of resources available for graduate and professional students with families.
Bears with Cubs
Bears with Cubs is a group for student parents to connect and develop supportive networks. Bears with Cubs hosts a number of events each year including monthly Cub Club events and the annual recognition celebration for graduating graduate and professional students with families. These events are informal and offer a welcoming and family-friendly environment for student parents and their children. You can find a list of upcoming Cub Clubs on the Graduate Center’s Programming & Events page.
Nursing/Lactation Rooms
Pregnancy-Related Policies
WashU is committed to the success of all students, including those who are pregnant and recently pregnant. Polices are in place to guarantee that you have access to your classrooms during your pregnancy, and that you are able to return to the same academic status after childbirth. Visit this Gender Equity and Title IX Compliance page for more information.
Financial Resources
WashU provides a Child Daycare Subsidy to assist PhD student families meet the costs of child daycare while they pursue their studies. Please visit the Child Daycare Subsidy site for more information.
The Buchheit Graduate Student Family Support Fund provides financial support to full-time graduate and professional students with children who encounter unexpected expenses.
The Graduate and Professional Student Emergency Fund assists full-time graduate and professional students with unexpected, one-time expenses enabling them to continue making academic progress despite an unanticipated financial hardship.
For additional information on resources for graduate and professional students, please visit the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and International Affairs.
Child Care Resources
WashU partners with Bright Horizons to provide a range of support to families. The following information describes accessing Bright Horizons resources, as well as other childcare options available. Please contact WashU’s Child and Family Care Facilitator at FamilyCare@wustl.edu with questions about these resources.
Register with Bright Horizons:
To get started, register with Bright Horizons. Many of the benefits below come through WashU’s partnership with this company and you must be registered to access them.
USERNAME: WUBACKUP
PASSWORD: BACKUP
ID: (For students): Use your WashU Student ID, followed by “S” (ex: 376521S)
Through Bright Horizons, you have access to preferred enrollment at their network centers. These include most KinderCare locations, Cadence Academy and La Petite centers. You can access those centers from the main Bright Horizons web page once you’ve registered. If you have any issues registering with Bright Horizons, please contact FamilyCare@wustl.edu.
Childcare Centers
- The Family Learning Center on North Campus is owned by the University and operated by Bright Horizons. It only enrolls WashU families. Start with the Bright Horizons Enrollment Team at 877-624-4532 for more information and to get on the waiting list. If you have follow-up questions, you can contact Center Director Kellie Jackson at 935-5437, or kellie.jackson@brighthorizons.com.
- University City Children’s Center is not owned by WashU but reserves up to 50% of its spaces for WashU families. For information and to get on their waiting list, contact Tameka Cook at 314-726-0148, ext. 111 or tcook@uccc.org.
- Urban Sprouts Child Development Center We have a small partnership that reserves nine spots for Wash U families. Make sure to mention you are with Wash U when you call or fill out a waitlist application. Call 314-997-2259 or email Andrea Barragan, abarragan@urbansproutscdc.org
| Center | Contact | Distance from Danforth in minutes | Distance from Med School in minutes |
| Children’s Hospital Child Development Centers | 314-454-4700 | 8 | 1 |
| Clayton Early Childhood Center | 314-725-2325 | 7 | 7 |
| Cornerstone Center for Early Learning | 314-865-0482 | 14 | 10 |
| Creative Nursery and Preschool | 314-221-0230 | 12 | 10 |
| Discovery Children’s Center | 314-645-1211 | 10 | 8 |
| Discovery Children’s Center | 314-645-1211 | 7 | 6 |
| Downtown Children’s Center | 314-621-1131 | 15 | 8 |
| Flance Early Learning Center | 314-881-0881 | 17 | 11 |
| Guidepost Montessori | 314-328-4972 | 12 | 6 |
| Kindercare – Hampton | 314-645-8300 | 11 | 9 |
| The Family Learning Center* | 877-624-4532 | 8 | 11 |
| University City Children’s Center** | 314-726-0148 | 5 | 11 |
| Urban Sprouts Child Development Center | 314-997-2259 | 6 | 11 |
Emergency Back-Up Care
Back-up care is available through Bright Horizons when you have a caregiving emergency that would interfere with your normal work responsibilities—a sick caregiver, a schedule change, school or childcare center closure, help after an accident or illness. Back-up care should not be used as regular, on-going care.
Benefit Overview
- Access up to 20 total uses each calendar year. Unused days do not roll over to the next year.
- For children, reserve care in your own home, at a high quality center, or with your chosen back-up caregiver.
- For adults, reserve care in your home, or the adult’s home (even if they live outside of St. Louis) or with your chosen back-up caregiver.
- Co-Pays:
- In-home care: $7/hour with a four-home minimum
- Center-Based Care: $20/child/day ($30 max per family)
- Using your own back-up caregiver (Out-of-Network Care): Pay your caregiver and receive reimbursement of $150/use.
Using Back-Up Care
- Reserve back-up care with Bright Horizons or call 877-242-2737
- Download and reserve care from the Bright Horizons App.