Applications for Cornell’s 2017 Child Care Grant will be accepted beginning Sept. 1. Grants of up to $5,000 per year are awarded, tax free, to eligible faculty and staff for child care expenses.

If you are pregnant or planning to adopt and expect to have child care expenses in 2017, you must apply by Sept. 30.

The grant – one of many programs offered through the Division of Human Resources to address the work/life balance needs of faculty and staff – covers infant and toddler care, preschool programs, school-age summer day camps and before/after school care for dependent children. Funds can be used for formal care (center-based) or informal care (for example, babysitters or nannies). Informal care providers must provide a Social Security number and claim the income on their taxes. Read more in the online FAQs.

To receive grant funds tax free, faculty and staff must be eligible to participate in the dependent care flexible spending account. See complete eligibility requirements in the online FAQs. Cornell Cooperative Extension County Association employees are not eligible to apply for the grant program.

Detailed information on the program, the application and eligibility requirements are available on the Human Resources website. If you do not find an answer to your question, call Benefit Services at 607-255-3936 or email childcare@cornell.edu.

Undergraduate and graduate/professional students are not eligible for this program, but can find child care grant information, guidelines and applications on the Cornell Students with Families website.

Ashley Fazio is the director of human resources communications in the Division of Human Resources.