Overview
Thanks to a generous gift creating the Anne Coffin Hanson Faculty Support Fund, Yale can provide reimbursement of up to $1,000 per year, for specific forms of child care expenses, to Yale postdoctoral associates and ladder faculty in the ranks of assistant professor and associate professor on term, in all schools of the University, who travel to participate in a conference or conduct short-term research.
The goal of the fund is to make it possible for tenure-track faculty and postdoctoral associates who have infants and/or young children to be able to travel to conferences or for short-term research when such travel would not be possible without paid childcare during the period of travel.
The following expenses may be eligible for reimbursement:
1. If the child or children stay home with the co-parent/guardian, the cost of babysitting or daycare fees during the period of travel will be reimbursable if these expenses are incremental (rather than part of ongoing services), are due to the faculty member’s travel, and are incurred during hours when the co-parent or guardian (if any) is working offsite.
2. If the child or children travel with the faculty parent while the co-parent/guardian stays at home, the expectation of this program is that the child would normally stay home with the co-parent/guardian; but if this is not possible due to documented professional or medical reasons, the expenses below may be eligible for reimbursement:
- The cost of the child(ren)’s transportation and travel expenses (e.g, airfare, train-fare, etc.)
- Baby-sitting or day-care center fees at the travel site
3. If the traveling party includes the faculty member, the child(ren), and the co-parent/guardian, no expenses will be reimbursed except if:
- the Yale postdoc/faculty parent and the co-parent/guardian are both registered attendees at the conference or conducting short-term official research at the site, in which case the child’s transportation expenses and babysitting or daycare fees may be eligible for reimbursement
- the child is nursing and/or under two years of age or has a demonstrated medical need to travel with the parent, the child(ren)’s and the co-parent’s transportation expenses will be reimbursable
4. The cost of shipping milk for a nursing child can be reimbursed if the postdoc/faculty member is a nursing parent of a nursing child, is traveling without the child, and the travel is eligible for support from the Hanson Fund.
About the Anne Coffin Hanson Faculty Support Fund
Professor Hanson was one of the very first women to hold a tenure appointment at Yale and the first to chair a department in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Non-tenured ladder faculty wishing to apply for a grant must submit to the Office of the Provost an Application for a Child Care Travel Grant, available for download here.
Under current law, these grants must be treated as taxable benefits subject to withholding tax.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is eligible for the Yale Dependent Child Care Travel grant?
Ladder faculty in the ranks of assistant professor and associate professor on term (and, in special circumstances, other faculty) from all schools of the University. Beginning on July 1, 2010, post-doctoral associates were added to the eligibility.
Who is considered a dependent for this grant?
A dependent is defined as a child, newborn through 18 years of age.
What is the maximum amount of money I will receive?
$1,000 per fiscal year.
Will the grant cover travel expenses for my spouse?
If you are a mother with at least one child under 2 years of age who must travel with you, the grant may be used to cover travel expenses for your spouse or partner to travel with you to care for your child.
Is there a specific length of time before or after the travel was completed to submit the application?
Applications should be submitted after the travel takes place and within the fiscal year in which it took place but no later than July 31 of the subsequent fiscal year.
Is it possible to apply for the funds in advance?
Although it is possible to pre-qualify for the funds, they are only distributed after receipt of the application form along with the documentation describing the purpose of the travel and receipts. The documentation may be a copy of the conference schedule or a paragraph describing the research activities.
How will I receive the funds?
The child care reimbursement is included in your monthly paycheck. If you are paid by direct deposit, the funds will be direct deposited. If you are paid by check, the reimbursement will be included in the monthly paycheck you receive.
I have been awarded a travel grant by the conference organizers or research sponsors to cover part of my expenses. Am I still eligible for a Yale Dependent Child Care Travel grant?
Yes!
