Resources for Student Parents

Contact Information

• For Policy and Administrative Board Matters:  Ellen M. Cosgrove, Associate Dean and Dean of Students cosgrove@law.harvard.edu, 617-495-1880
• For Classroom, Exam, Medical Leave/Accommodation Issues:  Cat Segal, Assistant Director for Student Services, csegal@law.harvard.edu, 617-496-2437
• For Student Organization Matters, Events and Logistics:  Meg DeMarco, Assistant Director for Student Activities, mdemarco@law.harvard.edu, 617-496-2436

Academics

Each student is expected to carry a minimum of 10 credits per term. Harvard Law School does not offer a part-time J.D. program. However, if you need some ideas about how to maintain a manageable academic load in light of your family responsibilities, make an appointment to meet with Dean Cosgrove to discuss some options.

In cases where the structure of a lecture hall or classroom makes it difficult for a pregnant student to be seated, Cat Segal can arrange for an extra chair or another appropriate seating accommodation to be available during your class. Please let them know right away if the chair is not available during your classes so they can take measures to ensure that it is present in the future.

In circumstances where a student needs to miss an occasional class because of family responsibilities, a classmate may be able to check out a tape recorder for use in recording lectures. Recorders are available from Media Services in Pound 205. You or your classmate must obtain the professor's permission before recording a lecture.

If you have to miss a class due to illness or an unavoidable medical conflict, please get in touch with Cat Segal, who can contact faculty for you to explain your absence from class.

Any student - including new and expecting parents - may take a personal leave of absence from the law school. It is possible to take a leave mid-semester for medical reasons (in which case your tuition for the remaining semester or year will be refunded) as well as to request a full semester or more in advance. Note that a 1L who departs for a leave in the middle of fall or spring semester must return the next year at the beginning of the fall or spring semester, respectively, to complete his or her first-year requirements. Extending a leave from a semester to a year or beyond one year is possible, though the latter requires a petition to the Administrative Board with which Dean Cosgrove or Cat Segal can assist you.  A student wishing to take a personal leave should follow the instructions available at http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/registrar/policies-forms/leave-of-absence-page.html to submit a request to the Registrar's Office. Students may also set up an appointment with Cat Segal if they want to discuss the possibility of taking a medical leave.

1Ls whose scheduled courses conflict with childcare responsibilities, please contact Cat Segal.

If a student is aware of a serious pregnancy- or parenting-related issue that could interfere with exams, some accommodations are available with prior authorization from Cat Segal: for example, extra time may be allotted for bathroom breaks for pregnant students or for pumping/nursing breaks for new mothers, and exams that are scheduled close to a child's due date may be deferred. Accommodations are only arranged through Cat Segal in the Dean of Students Office: please do not contact your faculty member about possible accommodations for exams. Please contact the Dean of Students Office to make an appointment with Cat to discuss possible accommodations as soon as possible.

Financial Aid

The Student Financial Services website has a detailed explanation of the adjustments made to the financial aid packages of students with spouses and/or children at http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/sfs/policy/special-populations/married.html. In short, financial aid packages of students with families include additional fixed allowances from gross income for a spouse and for each child, for health insurance for a spouse and for each child, and for a car (for students who have small children and/or a working spouse). Parenting students who do not have a non-working spouse may also request a "reasonable" allowance for child care, the amount of which is not fixed.  If you have specific questions about financial issues related to child care, please contact Denise Ryan, Assistant Director, Program Development and External Relations for Student Financial Services, at dbryan@law.harvard.edu.

Students with children who work at a public-interest job after 1L year are eligible for the 2L-level SPIF grant.

Housing

Students with children are not eligible for on-campus housing but may choose to live in Harvard-affiliated housing managed by Harvard Real Estate Services, two of whose buildings (Terry Terrace and 29 Garden Street) are close to the law school. Information about HRES housing, as well as guidance in locating off-campus private housing, is available here.

Peer Support

Many students with partners and children belong to the Harvard Law Couples Association: http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/couples/ (hlca@law.harvard.edu).  The HLCA also has an email list and holds many events throughout the year for couples and children.  

Lactation Room

There is a private lactation room on campus equipped with a refrigerator and hospital grade breast pump available to Harvard affiliated nursing mothers.  Please contact Cat Segal for details. 

Child Care

There are six Harvard-affiliated child care centers in Cambridge and Boston. Each center is independently operated and manages its own enrollment:

Botanic Gardens Children’s Center>
26 Robinson St, Cambridge
P: 617-496-0595; E-mail
Fax: 617-496-8428
Kathleen Parrish, Director; Amy Abelli, Assistant Director

Harvard Yard Childcare Center
25 Francis Ave, Cambridge
P: 617-547-3432 Email.
Fax: 617-576-0107
Kaori Hattori, Bonnie Ryan, Co-directors

Oxford Street Daycare Cooperative
25 Francis Ave, Cambridge
P: 617-547-3175;E-mail
Fax: 617-491-1492
Michelle Taylor, Director; Courtney Martell, Assistant Director

Peabody Terrace Children’s Center
900 Memorial Dr, Cambridge
P: 617-496-9160; E-mail
Fax: 617-496-9051
Katy Donovan, Director; Maura Sullivan, Assistant Director

Radcliffe Childcare Centers, Inc.
10 DeWolfe St, Cambridge
P: 617-495-3504; E-mail
Kathy Amon, Director; Rebecca Moser, Assistant Director

Soldiers Field Park Children’s Center
1 Soldier’s Field Park, 101, Boston
P: 617-495-2680; E-mail
Vaughan Cate, Director; Melissa Chieppo, Assistant Director

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