Committee on the Economic and Social Well-Being of the Faculty (CESWF) Child Care and Caregiving Survey
Introduction:
The U-M Faculty Senate Committee on the Economic and Social Well-Being of the Faculty (CESWF) commissioned the ADVANCE Program Research and Evaluation team to design and administer a survey that examined: 1) faculty perceptions of caregiving challenges, including challenges they have observed among colleagues; and 2) level of support for possible policy solutions.
Thank you to the nearly 1,500 people who took the survey across UM-Ann Arbor, UM-Dearborn, UM-Flint, and Michigan Medicine!
Key Takeaways:
- Faculty reported they frequently experience child care challenges and observe colleagues experiencing child care challenges. Frequent experienced and observed challenges included child care for a sick child, child care for breaks/holidays/early releases, back-up child care, affordable child care, infant care (under 12 months of age), and child care for summer breaks.
- Survey respondents expressed widespread support for child care and caregiving policies proposed by the Faculty Senate CESWF. The strongest support for child care policies was for investment in growing child care options, a staffed playspace for holidays/snow days, temporary remote teaching to accommodate ill children/child care emergencies, and child care subsidies. The strongest support for caregiving policies included temporary remote teaching to accommodate caregiving responsibilities, resource sharing for local elder care services, and subsidies for paid caregivers.
- When examining responses to policy items by caregiving responsibilities, two-thirds or more of faculty respondents without dependents highly supported resource-sharing for local elder care services and facilities, investment in growing child care options, and a staffed playspace to watch older children during school holidays and/or snow days.
Key Links:
Resources:
- Child and Family Care (U-M Human Resources)
- Temporary Child Care, including Events/Vistor Child Care (U-M Human Resources)
- Virtual Support Group for Motherhood and Returning to Work (FASCCO)
- Youth Hub (Center for Educational Outreach)
- Geriatrics Center (Michigan Medicine)
- Geriatrics, Older Adult Care (Michigan Medicine)
- Elder Care Resources (U-M Human Resources)
Acknowledgement:
While there were many individuals who assisted the CESWF Child Care and Caregiving Survey, the survey would not have been possible but for the tireless service of the following:
- Leigh Stuckey, Lecturer II in Anthropology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Brittany Dernberger, Director of Research and Evaluation, ADVANCE
- Stephanie Shaulskiy, Research Area Specialist Senior, ADVANCE