In December, the Office of Human Resources sought input from the Pitt community about options for dependent care services for faculty, staff and students on the Pittsburgh and regional campuses.
One of the results of that study was an agreement with Carnegie Mellon University to make CMU’s full-day, on-campus proctoring program available to children of Pitt faculty, staff and students on a temporary basis starting Jan. 19.
The program at the Posner Center on CMU’s Oakland campus is open to children in grades 1 through 6 who are currently enrolled in online schooling. The center is staffed by five proctors who are available to assist if children have trouble understanding an assignment. When they are not working on synchronous or asynchronous schoolwork, children might have a stretch break, complete an art activity or go outside (weather permitting) in a group with a proctor.
CMU launched the program for children in grades 1 to 6 in October 2020, along with childcare and kindergarten for younger children of employees. The program for younger children is not currently available to Pitt employees.
Faculty and staff continue to request additional flexibility and support for their school-aged children, because of the COVID-19 pandemic (see related story, XXX). While many suburban schools are offering at least some in-person instruction, Pittsburgh Public Schools have been completely online since last spring.
The CMU center hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with drop off from 8 to 8:45 a.m. and pickup from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $5 per hour, with a minimum of one day or 7.5 hours per week. An FAQ on the Carnegie Mellon website gives more details about the program — including COVID-19 protocols — although some of the information is specific to CMU employees.
Capacity is limited and approval will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis to families requesting care five days per week, followed by those requesting care three to four days per week. If there is remaining capacity, it will be granted to families requesting one to two days per week.
You must complete Carnegie Mellon's registration process for participation in the program prior to scheduling a day and time. After your registration is complete and approved, you will receive a link to schedule your desired days and times.
Find more information about registering for the proctoring program on the Pitt HR website.
Pitt faculty, staff, or students who have questions about this proctoring service should email hrfamilycare@andrew.cmu.edu.
— Susan Jones
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