Frequently Asked Questions

There is a great demand for our services, particularly for infants and young toddlers, and unfortunately we are not able to serve all families who apply. If you are eligible for subsidized services, but are not accepted into the program due to space limitations, low priority number or late application, you will be placed on an Eligibility List and called when a vacancy in an age appropriate center occurs for which your child is eligible.

Status on the Eligibility List is based on income and unlike a waiting list your status does not automatically improve over time. All applications are reviewed according to State Eligibility Guidelines as they are submitted and the Eligibility List is updated accordingly. It is your responsibility to inform the Early Childhood Education Programs Office if there is a change in your income, family size, activity of either parent, or if you want your application withdrawn from the list. Although the majority of new acceptances are for enrollment in the fall semester, any vacancies that occur during the year will be filled from the Wait List applicants.

Enrollment is possible at any time, though most calls about fall acceptance for student families occur between early June and August We do not maintain a list of referrals, but a couple of alternatives you may wish to look into are the Berkeley Unified Child Development Center 644-6203, Albany Children's Center 559-6590 and Bananas(link is external)658-0381.

UC Berkeley Early Childhood Education Program does not discriminate in its admission policies against any child because of race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, religion, color or ethnic background. We serve within the limits of our professional abilities children with special needs (physical, linguistic, mental and/or emotional). We ensure that all family records are kept confidential.

Families are generally offered five full days of early childhood education services from 7:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. However, some rooms at ‘nine-month’ centers may have a shorter day (9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. for example). And a very limited number of part-week (3-4 days/week) spaces may be available at specific centers. The Admissions Coordinator will have current information.

Admission can be offered at any time, though most acceptance offers for student families occur between early June and August. Initial acceptances are made on the basis of information on your application, the age of your child, and the vacant spaces in each classroom. If you are applying for full-fee care, once we receive your application, you will be offered a tour of your potential site with the Center Director. You may be given all necessary paperwork as well as a contract at the time of the visit. If you are applying for subsidized care, once you have been notified of your tentative acceptance, you will be scheduled for an intake interview with the Admissions Coordinator to determine your eligibility. After you have been approved, you will be scheduled for a tour with the Center Director and you may receive all necessary paperwork as well as a contract at that time.

• A completed confidential application
• Current income verification (for subsidized care only)
• Child's Medical Form (completed by a physician)
• Training Verification form (for subsidized care only)
• Proof of current UCB Registration (for subsidized care only)
• Child's Birth Certificate (for subsidized care only)
• Child’s Immunization Record (Your child's medical form need not be submitted at the time of application, but will be required upon notification of acceptance to the program. You may want to schedule an appointment with your child's physician for completion of the medical form if you have not already done so.)

The University of California, Berkeley Early Childhood Education Program (ECEP) has a limited number of subsidized early childhood education spaces for students who qualify for California Department of Education subsidies (free or sliding-scale). Students must also meet need eligibility requirements; see ECEP’s Application and Instructions for Subsidized Services for more information click here.(link is external)

* The response below is not currently applicable and will be updated as WHO guidance permits/requests.

There are options in the private/personal/non-UC Berkeley sector for childcare, meaning that you will always have the freedom to secure child care from a provider that may or may not be licensed and/or accredited, by the state of CA.

The SPC understands that quality care isn't always licensed or accredited by the state, and also is responsible for ensuring that you are not sending your child into harm's way, by referring you to private providers pragmatically, or "on the fly", so to speak.

At the start of the semester, the SPC will begin to refer students to private/personal/non-UC Berkeley providers, but with disclaimers that we are not responsible for any harm that might come to you or your dependents, moving forward. We will have more resources of this nature over the next two weeks.

We can also refer you to the independent licensed community providers below, that might possibly be an option during the pandemic.

*Back-Up Child Care(link is external)

*Berkeley Parents Network(link is external)

The response below is not currently applicable and will be updated as WHO guidance permits/requests.

We are still 100% open, virtually/online. Our hours will be from 9a - 5p Monday thru Friday. We will start our Front Virtual Desk during the week of August 10th, 2020. Desk times will be fragmented to respect the COVID-19 shelter in place family obligations for both student and professional staff members.

The response below is not currently applicable and will be updated as WHO guidance permits/requests.

The key factor that most student parents face is the balance of TIME for both student and parent obligations, something that was more feasible before the pandemic. The student parent AND the dependents were at a separate location for a fixed amount of TIME, giving more options to the student parent for methods to complete classwork ahead of parenting responsibilities.

In the COVID 19 pandemic, without child care, you will more than likely need an academic accommodation/modification due to parenting obligations.

To learn more about your academic accommodations as a student parent on campus, please take (you guessed it!), time to review our latest workshop on the historical context and best practices, found HERE(link is external)

To request an accommodation letter, please email studentparents@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail) or tlenear@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail).

The response below is not currently applicable and will be updated as WHO guidance permits/requests.

Yes, you will. In response to the unusual and challenging circumstances that our students are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cancel for Non-Payment (CNP) policy will be suspended for the Fall 2020 semester. The following deadlines and fees still apply to all students

The response below is not currently applicable and will be updated as WHO guidance permits/requests.

No. If you are living in UC Village and you cannot afford to pay back rent, you will not be evicted. Governor Newsom signed AB 3088, which prevents landlords from evicting tenants for failure to pay rent for COVID-19-related financial distress.

COAAR(link is external) allows you to increase your budget and financial aid eligibility if your expenses during the academic year are higher than your standard financial aid budget.

If you complete the form and are approved, money will be added to your financial aid budget. Aid is usually added in the form of loans (money you pay back). However, there are some cases where the money comes from grants (money you do not have to pay back).

Student parents are initially packaged based on the same set of expenses provided for in a "standard student budget".

Students who are eligible for need-based awards and have family-related expenses can submit a COAAR to request an increased award level to help cover child care, housing, and other family maintenance expenses (like food, clothing, transportation).

Student Parent Center staff and interns can assist you with navigating through any/all of these forms and eligibility procedures.

If the income (and/or a spouses income) that you documented for your FAFSA application (on which your initial financial aid offer will be based) will be changing when you start school, you can update your financial information using this appeal form,(link is external) which may result in additional grant or loan eligibility.

If you qualify for need-based aid, the financial aid office provides a Student Parent Grant over and above other grants that you may be eligible for.

The UC Berkeley Food Pantry(link is external) project is a direct response to the need among the student population for more resources to fight food insecurity—the lack of nutritious food. Visit them at MLK Student Union in the Lower Level - B-North Area....Don't forget your Student ID!

SPARR stands for "Student Parent Association for Recruitment and Retention." This is techincally not the Student Parent Cener, but like most RSOs, SPARR works with the SPC for the advancement and success of student parents at Cal. For more information please click here.

The Bear Pantry is located at Apparatus Bay Lot, located at 1040 Monroe St. Albany, CA 94706.

A Bear Pantry food bin contains a two-week food supply and a $30 gift card to a local supermarket for purchasing fresh produce, meat or dairy. This supply availability, amount and content are subject to change each semester. 

The Univeresity Village Recreation Program(link is external), was founded in 1986 and established to serve the needs of the university's famuly housing residents but have sinced broadened to serve the entire community. The program participants represent a cross-section of cultural and international diversity that includes families from 67 countries. Programs, classes and open recreation are available to children, teens and adults. 

Albany Unified School District (AUSD) provides an excellent public education that empower all to achieve thier fullest potential as productive citizens. AUSD is committed to creating comprehensive learning opportunities in a safe, supportative and collaborative environment, addressing the individual needs of each student. Albany has seven public schools, Albany Childrens Center (PDF file)(link is external), Cornell School(link is external), Marin School(link is external), Albany Middle School(link is external), Ocean View School(link is external), MacGregor High School(link is external), and Albany High School(link is external). Enrollment Information here(link is external).

Not necessarily – it depends on the leave policy at your school. If you want to take off more time than your doctor says is medically necessary, you will need to consult your school's non-medical leave policy.

Title IX requires schools to prevent and address sex-based harassment, including harassment based on pregnancy. If you experience this sort of treatment at school, you should seek help immediately. The law prohibits the school from retaliating against you for making a complaint or raising a concern.

You may still have options. Contact your Title IX Coordinator, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights or the National Women's Law Center to learn more. Even if it is too late for you, you can help us ensure that women who find themselves in your shoes do not run into the same barriers.

Yes, your school must let you make up the work you missed while you were out due to pregnancy or any related conditions, including recovery from childbirth. For example, if you have a doctor's note that excuses you from class for several weeks because you were on “bed rest” before giving birth, your school has to provide you with the appropriate assignments and information to make up all of the work you would have been required to complete while you were out. For an extended absence, it is best if your school provides you with the work you miss regularly, so you do not fall far behind.

Your rights as an employee are different from your rights as a student. If you work for the school, you may be eligible for family or medical leave, or may qualify for maternity leave under the school's policy, but that may not include leave from your classes, beyond what is medically necessary.

No, schools cannot terminate or reduce athletic, merit or need-based scholarships based on pregnancy. If you stay in school, you can keep your scholarship.

Yes. Your school must allow you to continue participating in off-campus programs. For example, if your program provides opportunities to “work in the field” your school cannot deny you participation based on your pregnancy. The school cannot require a doctor's note for continued participation, unless the school requires one for all students who have a medical condition that requires treatment by a doctor. If they do ask for a note, they cannot second-guess your doctor's decision.

Title IX requires that schools provide pregnant students with any special services they provide to students with temporary disabilities. If students with temporary disabilities get at-home tutoring to help them keep up with work they miss when absent, the school must provide students who miss class because of pregnancy-related disabilities  and/or childbirth with the same benefit.

While that may be the school's practice, the school administration and professors are bound by federal civil rights law. Title IX requires that schools ensure that all faculty and staff comply with the law and do not discriminate against pregnant and parenting students. An individual professor's policy is not okay if it breaks the law.

You cannot be penalized for pregnancy or related conditions. If a professor provides specific “points” or other advantages to students based on class attendance, you must be given the opportunity to earn back the credit from classes you miss due to pregnancy, so that you can be reinstated to the status you held before you took leave.

Your school must excuse your absences due to pregnancy or any related conditions for as long as your doctor says it is necessary for you to be absent. This is true even if there is no leave policy for students with other conditions. When you return to school, you must be reinstated to the status you held before your leave. The school can require you to submit a doctor's note from you only if that is required of students with other medical conditions.