Illinois Tech is committed to supporting parents with children of all ages with policies designed to provide flexibility during their time at our university, as well as a variety of resources that provide support regardless of where they are on their parenting journey.
Time Off for Childbirth, Child Rearing and Bonding, and Adoption
All employees who meet eligibility requirements under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) have the ability to take off up to 12 weeks of leave per rolling calendar year due to the birth or adoption of a child. In most cases, new parents can be paid for the entire leave period using a combination of accrued time and other paid leave benefits.
Staff
Benefits eligible staff receive ten (10) days of parental leave in addition to vacation, sick and personal time. Birth parents who have completed at least ninety (90) days of employment are eligible to apply for short term disability benefits, and all new parents may cover additional time off with accrued leave.
Faculty
Eligible faculty may request leave under the Faculty Family Policy. This policy allows for a full semester off with pay, the timing of which is determined by whether the new faculty member is a birth or non-birth parent. For more information, please refer to the policy available on the Faculty Handbook page of General Counsel’s website.
Flexible and Remote Work Policies
The university recognizes that flexible and/or remote work may be beneficial in a number of ways. While not all positions are eligible for remote or flexible arrangements, many are. Employees who wish to enter into flexible or remote work arrangements should begin by putting in a request with their direct supervisors.
Pregnancy and Post-partum Support
Members of Illinois Tech’s BCBS health plan have access to a variety of resources as par to their medical benefits.
- Ovia Health Pregnancy and Parenting Support: BCBS members have access to Ovia+, Ovia’s subscription only benefits. Ovia has tools to birth parents at all stages, from those trying to conceive through one year post-partum. Ovia Parenting has resources for parents of children from newborns to age 3.
- Well-on-Target: BCBS’ wellness platform provides access to a variety of articles, videos, and interactive tools to help guide birth parents through their pregnancy journey.
- Maternity specialists: these specialists are available via phone Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 6:30pm for individuals from early pregnancy through six weeks after delivery if the pregnancy is high-risk.
- Breastfeeding support: health plan members have access to comprehensive lactation support as well as breastfeeding supplies through the plan. Lactation spaces are available on campus.
Visit the Health page of our website, and open the Health Plan Additional Programs and Benefits for additional information on benefits through the health plan. Contact Human Resources for additional information on lactation spaces.
Daycare Resources
Through WageWorks, Illinois Tech’s Flexible Spending vendor, parents can set aside up to the annual IRS maximum for qualified daycare expenses for children from birth through age 12.
Illinois Tech’s Perkspot perks and discounts program routinely offers discounts on tuition to national day care providers such as Kindercare and La Petit Academy. For more information, Illinois Tech affiliates should set up or log in to their Perkspot account (Illinois Tech login is required to access the Perkspot page).
Post-secondary Education Assistance
Dependent children up to age 23 have access to tuition benefits and opportunities to support their college educations.
- Tuition Remission provides a full undergraduate tuition waiver, and a 50% graduate tuition waiver for qualifying dependents to are admitted to Illinois Tech.
- Tuition Exchange provides dependents with scholarship opportunities at over 700 participating schools nationwide.
Additional Resources
Our has resources for a wide range of work-life balance needs. For those struggling with a difficult toddler, a moody teen, an aging parent, or anything inbetween, TELUS Health has a resource that will help. Note that Illinois Tech login is required to access the TELUS Health page.
Mortgage discounts: if an expanding family is prompting a move to a larger home, Illinois Tech’s partnerships have benefits in this area as well:
- Rate Mortgage: visit the Other Benefits page of our website to learn about exclusive perks available when through Rate.
- Perkspot: our perks and discounts program routinely offers incentives for those who choose national lending partners such as Rocket Mortgage, Better Mortgage, and many others. Perkspot also has our employees covered with a variety of discounts on anything else they may need for their new homes. For more information, Illinois Tech affiliates should set up or log in to their Perkspot account (Illinois Tech login is required to access the Perkspot page).