Resources for caregivers

September 2, 2020

Dear members of the Mount Holyoke community,

Over the past six months, many members of our faculty and staff, as well as some of our students, have faced challenges in balancing their work at the College with their responsibilities at home. Whether your presence on campus is essential or your work at Mount Holyoke is conducted remotely, the routine tasks you perform on behalf of loved ones may have become more frequent and complex as a result of COVID-19 and its consequences. We recognize that it is extremely difficult to be a working caregiver, and that the challenges brought by the pandemic have compounded the difficulties of finding reliable early childcare and elder care, as well as requiring many of you to engage in homeschooling, all in an environment where health concerns are very real, and a priority for all of us.

We now know that this is not an ephemeral concern, and that, as both individuals and as a workplace, we need to adjust to this context as now normal. We want you to know that we understand the challenges, and that we are trying to ensure greater workplace flexibility so that you can meet your obligations at home and at Mount Holyoke. We strongly urge anyone who is struggling to do this to talk with their supervisor, so that your needs and challenges can be more fully understood. The College must maintain certain service levels and continues to meet its ambitious goals, but we will make every effort to support reasonable, flexible arrangements for caregivers, and supervisors are empowered to think creatively with you, so that you can take care of family and bring your full self to your work in our community. 

In order better to understand the range of needs, we tasked an ad hoc group, chaired by Stacie Kroll and Marcella Runell Hall, to identify ways in which we could better support the needs of caregivers in our community. As a part of their work, they collaborated with Institutional Research to create this short survey, which we invite you to complete. As we await, gather and analyze this information from you, we have taken some preliminary steps to provide additional resources, including:

• Priority slots for Mount Holyoke families at The Gorse Children’s Center. 
  Gorse Children’s Center, managed by Bright Horizons, opened with limited capacity successfully on 8/31 to existing Mount Holyoke Families. Mount Holyoke families who were not previously enrolled and who are interested in enrolling in Gorse should contact the center to be given priority access, but space is limited.  
• A Childcare Board managed by the Career Development Center (CDC).
  The CDC is in the final stages of developing a college childcare board. The Childcare Board will help address the need for additional childcare options within the MHC community by establishing a link between current faculty, staff, and students to access childcare services provided by Mount Holyoke students.
• Caregiver and Affinity Groups sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.MHC affinity groups are voluntary groups of staff and faculty that form around identity(ies) and who gather to discuss issues and experiences related to being a member of our MHC community.  Affinity groups will offer an opportunity for individuals to strengthen their connections with each other and to further MHC’s goal of becoming a supportive and inclusive environment that attracts and retains a diverse workforce. By creating opportunities for dialogue, education, professional development and fun, affinity groups can be a place for emotional support as well as an avenue for the College leadership to learn about and respond to the needs of underrepresented members of our community. Caregivers often have unique experiences with respect to parenting, providing healthcare support and/or guidance to a loved one. In recognition of the unique experiences many caregivers are having during the twin pandemics of Covid-19 and racial violence, the DEI Office will lead focused affinity-based dialogues in the fall and spring semesters for anyone that identifies as a caregiver. 
• Resource for Caregivers at Mount Holyoke During COVID-19 and a curated list of additional websites, organizations and resources for caregivers can both be found on my.mtholyoke.edu.
• An interactive learning hub for PreK-12 lesson plans and remote learning resources.
  PaGE & Teacher Licensure are developing a resource site with PreK-12 remote learning resources and lesson plans for the Mount Holyoke Community. More information will be shared soon.

We also remind you to consult whenever necessary with the following organizations, offices and individuals:

• The Employee Assistance Program
• The Ombuds, You can contact Vivian Hsu @ vhsu@mtholyoke.edu.
• Human Resources and/or your division head, should you and your supervisor need further support or additional resources.

As we navigate this challenging time together, please know that Mount Holyoke acknowledges the difficulties and rewards of caregiving and raising a family in this moment and always. Thank you for your dedication and care, for all that you bring to the College community, and for your continuing efforts to advance our work and mission.

Sincerely,

Sonya