May 2005

GW Offers Family-Friendly Benefits

By Jamie L. Freedman

There’s no question about it. When you’re a working mom, life is a complex juggling act. For years, GW has tried to ease the burden through a variety of programs and services aimed at helping working moms cope with the unrelenting demands of balancing work and family life.

In 1996, the University established an on-campus branch of the nationally acclaimed Bright Horizons Family Center at 21st and K Streets. The center, known as Bright Horizons at GW University, is thriving. “Currently, 49 GW employees have their children here,” says Rhonda Gilhuys, the facility’s director. The kids, who range in age from six weeks to five years old, benefit from spending their days just blocks away from mom or dad. “Some parents visit during the day, especially breastfeeding moms,” notes Gilhuys. “We also plan family events during the workday. For example, we just had a great family picnic lunch in a campus park, where we released butterflies. It’s so nice to have parents within walking distance of the kids so that we have the flexibility to do those kinds of things.”

According to a Feb. 25 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education entitled “Keeping Kids Close,” GW was “ahead of the curve” in designing a child-care center for professors and staff members, in response to lobbying efforts by the University’s Committee on the Status of Women Faculty and Librarians. The state-of-the-art facility is highly regarded in the community, with some employees placing their childrens’ names on the center’s waiting list before they’re even born. Such was the case for Karen A. McDonnell, who directs GW’s program on maternal and child health. McDonnell’s foresight paid off, both for herself and for son, Christopher, who is now two and still enrolled at the center. “I almost couldn’t have a better scenario,” she stated in the Chronicle article. “This is a block away from my office, it’s reliable, and it’s approved by a national accreditor.”

GW staff members requiring a wider range of family care services have a wealth of information at their fingertips through Family Care Resources, directed by Carol Ann Rudolph, MA ’77. A free University benefit for some 15 years, faculty and staff turn to Rudolph and her team for help finding quality childcare, elder care, and services for disabled loved ones. Family Care Resources casts a wide net, advising clients on eldercare options nationwide, as well as child care offerings, private schools, summer camps, and tutoring and diagnostic services throughout the Washington metropolitan area and further afield. The service is highly personalized, with family care specialists coming to campus twice monthly to provide GW employees with hour-long, individual counseling sessions, generally on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Telephone consultations are available the remainder of the month. After discussing their specific needs and requests with Family Care Resources, GW employees receive comprehensive information packets tailor made for them.

“People seem to appreciate the personal service that we provide,” says Rudoph. “We’re not just your usual telephone resource and referral service. Every GW employee is entitled to face-to-face counseling time plus follow-up detective work, culminating in a list of resources for them to pursue.”

According to Rudolph, employees come away with much more than solutions to their family care problems. “People are more productive and focused on their work when they know that their children, elderly parents, or disabled relatives are well cared for,” she says. “The result is higher morale, lower absenteeism, and lower employee turnover. It’s a win-win situation for everyone!”

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu