Helping teaching faculty address dependent-care needs

 

 

PULLMAN, Wash. – The challenge of providing quality care for dependent family members poses some of the greatest obstacles to career advancement for tenure-track faculty nationwide. Beginning next month, full-time, tenured/tenure-track teaching faculty at WSU will have a new tool to help them find qualified caregivers to meet a variety of needs – from babysitting to eldercare, plus pet-sitting, housekeeping and tutoring.

 

ADVANCE at WSU, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported grant, is offering the Sittercity Family Program at no cost to eligible WSU faculty for up to 12 months as part of ADVANCE’s mission to support faculty success and institutional transformation.

 

Sittercity is a Web-based resource that helps participants connect with prescreened care providers available for hire locally and nationwide. In addition to finding local resources, when faculty members travel to conferences, they can find information about babysitters and other caregivers in most U.S. cities. They also can find ongoing care for aging parents who might live in another state.
 
“Helping our faculty manage the complex issues of providing care for dependent children or elderly parents is an important focus of WSU’s ADVANCE program,” said Nancy Magnuson, professor of molecular biosciences and director of ADVANCE at WSU. “ADVANCE supports faculty excellence by fostering an inclusive work environment that benefits the entire university. We hope this 12-month pilot program will be an effective resource to help faculty balance the often-competing demands of work and family life.”

Sittercity.com offers an online network of more than 2 million caregiver profiles nationwide to help care seekers find and select in-home providers quickly and easily. Participants can use the company’s four-step screening process, which includes checking references, reading caregiver reviews, conducting interviews and utilizing free access to background checks. Caregiver profiles contain photos, experience, training, safety skills, availability calendars, parent reviews and more.
 
Eligible WSU faculty will receive an email at their WSU addresses explaining how to register for Sittercity when the service launches Feb. 1. Participants will have up to one year of access to the online service to find everyday or backup care, such as:

 

 

“I can imagine many ways this service could be used to help balance the needs of professional and family life,” said Aurora Clark, associate professor of chemistry. “Like many faculty members, I have no extended family in this area, and since both my husband and I work at WSU, short-term care for a sick child can often be a big issue and conflict with teaching schedules. I look forward to using Sittercity to create a network of care providers that we can rely on.”

 

“I think many members of our faculty – including myself – will find this program extremely useful,” said Saonee Sarker, associate professor and chair of the Department of Management, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship and president of the Association for Faculty Women. “I hope everyone who’s eligible will take advantage of this valuable new resource. I want to thank ADVANCE at WSU for initiating and promoting this excellent program.”

 

Faculty use and satisfaction with the Sittercity Family Program will be evaluated throughout the year to determine its contribution to the university. Learn more about the program at http://www.advance.wsu.edu/SittercityFamily.

ADVANCE at WSU is part of a comprehensive nationwide effort by NSF to identify barriers to recruitment, retention and advancement of female faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. For more information, visit http://www.advance.wsu.edu or contact the ADVANCE at WSU Center for Excellence in Science and Engineering at advance@wsu.edu or 509-335-9735.