UC offers Bright Horizons Enhanced Family Supports, a comprehensive web-based resource, to help you balance work and family responsibilities. The Bright Horizons programs — including Sittercity, Years Ahead and Bright Horizons preferred enrollment — provide information about pre-screened care providers and services so you can choose the solution that’s right for you.

Eligibility

Who's eligible: Employees with Full, Mid-Level and Core benefits 

Who’s covered: You and your family members

Who pays: UC pays for access; you pay for care or services

Eligibility begins on the first day you become eligible for UC-sponsored health benefits. Call Bright Horizons customer service (888-748-2489) if you need help completing the registration process.

This benefit is subject to collective bargaining. If you’re a represented employee, see the Bargaining Units & Contracts page on UCnet to see your current contract.

Retirees and residents/house staff are not eligible for UC's benefit at this time, but may choose to purchase an individual Sittercity membership to access some of these benefits.

How the plan works

UC pays the fee that gives you access to the Bright Horizons website with its networks of pre-screened providers. You make all the arrangements, including selection and hiring, and pay the provider you choose directly.

Access to the Bright Horizons Care Advantage website provides comprehensive childcare and elder care solutions to complement existing center-based benefits that may be offered on some campuses.

Bright Horizons offers several self-service programs:

  • Sittercity, which offers profiles, reviews and background check information for pre-screened individual in-home caregivers including babysitters, full and part time nannies, pet sitters, tutors, housekeepers and individual senior caregivers
  • Years Ahead, which offers a nationwide network of senior care providers, including certified senior care advisors for guidance, specialized facilities including memory and hospice care and independent and assisted living communities, and in-home healthcare and senior care companions
  • Preferred enrollment at participating Bright Horizons child care centers nationwide
  • Tuition discounts at participating provider centers for ages 2 and older
  • Tutoring and test prep resources and referrals

Visit the UC-specific Bright Horizons site for information about each of the programs available to you and your family. For Sittercity or Years Ahead resources, you’ll need to activate your membership and log in. 

Sittercity

Use Sittercity’s web tools to find appropriate in-home caregivers. You can:

  • Search for caregivers using direct search based on criteria important to you or post a job and have candidates apply to you
  • Read profiles and reviews of caregivers
  • Check caregivers’ references
  • Check references and view background checks for the candidates you prefer before you interview and select the caregiver of your choice

To prepare for last-minute needs, you may interview and select future caregivers in advance, then save the list of names to your Sittercity account. Or you may post a last-minute job to the Sittercity website and have candidates apply to you.

Call Sittercity customer service for assistance using the site.

Years Ahead

The Years Ahead site offers detailed profiles of care providers including photos, experience, capabilities, pricing, reviews and more to help you decide which one is right for you and your family. Years Ahead also provides:

  • A comprehensive needs assessment as a first step for those unsure about the type or level of care needed
  • Certified senior care advisors to help families through the process
  • Shared accounts so that you can share information such as assessments and findings with others involved in the decision making process

Preferred enrollment and tuition discounts

Some Bright Horizons child care centers offer preferred enrollment and tuition discounts (up to 10 percent) to UC members. Use the center search locator to identify centers near you that participate in preferred enrollment or offer a discount.

Tutoring, test prep and homework help

Bright Horizons offers a variety of online and in-person tutoring and test prep options, with exclusive discounts for Bright Horizons families. When you sign up online, a representative will contact you to help you find the resources you need.

If you leave UC

If you leave UC employment or if you become ineligible for this program, your Bright Horizons account access will end on the last day of the month you become ineligible. You have the option to purchase your own individual subscription to access the Sittercity public website at sittercity.com. Features may vary from UC’s program and a subscription fee will apply; please contact Sittercity customer service for more information.