PHILADELPHIA –- The University of Pennsylvania has received the 2010 Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation Corporate Leadership Award.

The award recognizes Penn’s dedication to supporting work-life balance and high-quality child care for both Penn families and the surrounding community.
               “Penn is honored to be recognized by the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation for our ongoing efforts to support the work/life needs of our faculty and staff,” said Marie Witt, vice president for business services.

Business Services oversees the Children’s Center at Penn and was instrumental in developing two off-site day-care center partnerships in West Philadelphia.

Committed to helping faculty and staff maintain a balance between work, study, personal goals and family responsibilities, the University rolled out a multi-phased, multi-year plan to expand its family-friendly agenda in 2006.

The comprehensive effort includes a variety of work-life balance programs and enhancements such as:

• A backup-care program that gives eligible faculty and staff access to temporary in-home child and adult care on short notice.

• An adoption-assistance benefit that reimburses eligible faculty and staff for up to $5,000 in qualified adoption expenses.

• The expansion of the Penn Children’s Center, which allowed for additional classrooms and expanded hours of operation.

• A new family-earning threshold at the Penn Children’s Center that increased the number of faculty and staff eligible for subsidized child-care rates.

• A partnership with two West Philadelphia child-care providers to help them improve their facilities and expand capacity for more children, including space for the children of Penn faculty, staff and students. 

 Additional information about Penn’s family-friendly programs is available at www.hr.upenn.edu/quality/worklife.