MIT Child Care Scholarship Programs

About the Programs

MIT offers two scholarship programs for eligible MIT families with children enrolled in MIT’s child care centers in Cambridge and Lexington:

• Child Care Scholarship Program for MIT Employees and Postdoctoral Associates:
  This scholarship program is designed to assist benefits-eligible employees (including postdoctoral associates) who meet detailed income and eligibility requirements and have a child or children enrolled in one or more of MIT's child care centers: Technology Children's Centers (TCC) Eastgate, TCC Lincoln Laboratory, TCC Stata, or TCC Westgate.
• Child Care Scholarship Program for MIT Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows:
  This scholarship program is designed to assist graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who meet detailed income and eligibility requirements and have a child or children enrolled in one or more of MIT's child care centers: Technology Children's Centers (TCC) Eastgate, TCC Lincoln Laboratory, TCC Stata, or TCC Westgate.

Eligibility

The following eligibility criteria must be met in order to be considered for a child care scholarship:

Child Care Scholarship Program for MIT Employees and Postdoctoral Associates*
You must be a benefits-eligible MIT employee who works at least 50% time.

* This benefit is available to MIT employees in the bargaining units represented by the RDTEU and the SOIU; application of this benefit to MIT employees in other bargaining units is subject to further discussion with union representatives for those bargaining units.

Child Care Scholarship Program for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
You must be enrolled full-time in an MIT degree program at the graduate or professional level or be a postdoctoral fellow at MIT.

In addition, all persons applying for either Child Care Scholarship Program for the 2006-2007 academic year must also meet the following requirements:

• Be a parent or legal guardian of a child enrolled in an MIT child care center: TCC Eastgate, TCC Lincoln Laboratory, TCC Stata, or TCC Westgate.
• Have a gross family income of less than $100,000 for the period January 1, 2005 - December 31, 2005.
• Be a single parent, or have a spouse/domestic partner who is either:
  • a student, enrolled full-time; or
  • employed at least half-time (minimum of 20 hours per week); or
  • disabled (disability must be confirmed by a doctor or clinic).

Frequently Asked Questions

How are scholarship award decisions made?
Based on the availability of funds in the current fiscal year, scholarship awards will be made to eligible applicants whose children are enrolled or are enrolling in Technology Children's Centers. Priority will be given to families who have applied for scholarships and meet all eligibility criteria, in the following order:

• current scholarship recipients whose children continue to be enrolled at TCC and who continue to meet all eligibility requirements
• Families with children enrolled at TCC receiving only partial funding due to unavailability of funds
• Families with children enrolled at TCC receiving no funding, due to the unavailability of funds
• Families enrolling at TCC in the order in which spaces are accepted

How much is the scholarship award?
Determination of the amount of the child care scholarship award is based on financial need, number of days of care required, TCC tuition, and availability of funds. In some cases, where a child's tuition is low, the family may not qualify for an award even though family income is less than $100,000 per year. Financial need is generally calculated as follows: cost of tuition for one child minus expected family contribution (up to 19% of gross family income) equals demonstrated financial need.

How much is the scholarship award if I have two children enrolled in MIT child care?
Determination of the amount of the child care scholarship award is based on financial need, number of days of care required, TCC tuition, and availability of funds.  Financial need for families with two children enrolled in MIT child care is generally calculated as follows: cost of tuition for two children minus expected family contribution (up to 38% of gross family income) equals demonstrated financial need.

When should I apply?
Scholarship applications should be completed at the time enrollment applications are submitted to TCC, or at any time during your child's enrollment.

How do I apply?
Applications for the 2006-2007 MIT Child Care Scholarship Programs are available through the child care centers.  Please contact Doug Elder , at 617-253-1720, for information regarding TCC on-campus centers (including Eastgate, Stata. and Westgate), and Maria Menzi at (781) 861-3850 for information regarding TCC LINC.  

All applicants must submit the following:

• letter of appointment (students and post-docs only)
• a completed application form
• documentation of calendar year 2005 income for yourself and your spouse/domestic partner (if any)
• a signed statement regarding the completeness and accuracy of all information

In certain cases, other documentation may be needed. Please see application form for details.

Send your completed application, with all supporting documents to the following address:

Administrator, Child Care Initiatives
Center for Work, Family & Personal Life Room 16-151
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
Phone: (617) 253-1592
Fax: (617) 253-2609
worklife@mit.edu

Applications will be accepted by U.S. or international mail to the address above. Extra postage may be required. Applications will also be accepted by fax, interdepartmental mail, or if dropped off in person. If you have questions about completing the application form, contact the Administrator of Child Care Initiatives at worklife@mit.edu or (617) 253-1592.

How long is the award granted?
Awards are typically granted for the MIT academic year. Your child care scholarship may be reduced or eliminated if you have a change of status.

What if my status changes during the award period?
If during the scholarship period, there is a change in status that would affect eligibility, the scholarship may be discontinued. Examples of a change in status include terminating or reducing the percentage of time either you or your spouse/domestic partner is employed or enrolled in an educational program, withdrawing your child from the center in which he/she is currently enrolled, or reducing the number of days your child is enrolled.

Will I need to reapply every year?
Yes, all recipients must reapply every year. Recipients will be notified of the reapplication deadline.

How will I receive the scholarship money?
Once a scholarship recipient has been notified in writing by the Child Care Scholarship Committee, the recipient signs a document indicating his/her acceptance under the terms and conditions described. At the end of each month during the award period, the scholarship money is automatically added to the recipient's pay, deducted from his/her paycheck, and sent directly to Bright Horizons in partial payment of his/her child's tuition at TCC.

Child care scholarships are treated as taxable income. Scholarship recipients will be responsible for the payment of the required taxes. MIT will withhold funds from recipients' MIT paychecks for payment of taxes.

Reminder:
If you are not eligible for the Child Care Scholarship Programs and you are a member of the MIT community, the Center for Work, Family & Personal Life can provide you with child care information, including child care options in the local area, listings of licensed programs and providers throughout Massachusetts, and information on other scholarships, subsidies, and tax savings plans that may be available. The Center for Work, Family & Personal Life is located in Room 16-151 and can be contacted either at 617-253-1592 or worklife@mit.edu.

All applications and documents submitted to qualify for the Scholarship Programs will be treated as a confidential personnel file maintained by the MIT Human Resources Department or its authorized agent.

For further information regarding the MIT Child Care Scholarship Programs, please contact the Administrator of Child Care Initiatives, at (617) 253-1592 or worklife@mit.edu.