Everything you need to know about taking time off work, enrolling your new child in benefits, and resources to help you take care of yourself and your new bundle of joy can be found on the:

Adding to the family page

For a PDF version of these resources and more, view the Adding to the family (PDF). The info in this document is subject to change. For a PDF version of the checklist, View the checklist (PDF).

Child Care Search
Work/Life Resources provides assistance in locating child care centers or private providers in the area by maintaining a list of child care providers in the area. Please see below. 

On-campus childcare

VCU Child Development Center (This center is available to VCU and VCU Health employees based upon availability but is not affiliated with VCU)         

1128 Floyd Ave. Richmond, VA 23284                           
(804) 828-7377 

 VCU Health System Family Care Center (This location is for VCU Health System team members only so at least one parent must work for the Health System. Enrollment questions should be directed to childcare-ndeck@vcuhealth.org)

607 N. 10th St. Richmond, VA 23298
(804) 828-6291

Off-campus childcare

VCU Health System Child Care at Northside (This center is for Health System team members and members of the community that live in the Northside. Families need to be zoned for the following elementary schools if they are not a Health System team member – Lynwood Holton Elementary, Overby-Sheppard Elementary, Barack Obama Elementary, George W. Carver Elementary, Ginter Park Elementary.  Site supervisor Eric Miller and he can be reached at eric.miller@vcuhealth.org)

800 W. Graham Rd. Richmond, VA 23222
(804) 828-1017

Hope Tree Family Services
Interested in becoming a foster parent? For more information, visit: Hope Tree Family Services Lutheran Family Services

Additional resources

• Back to School Poison Prevention - August 2023
• Care.com
• ChildSavers
• DisABILITY Navigator
• Lead with Love: Strengthening Families Through the Coming Out Process
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• Parents: The Anti-Drug 
• Resources for Parents in the Workplace
• Sittercity Babysitting

Divorce can present a number of issues that require attention. This list will help guide you through some of the actions you may need to take:

• If you are carrying your ex-spouse or step-children on your health coverage, you will need to remove them when they lose eligibility. See Changing your benefits page for more details. 
• You may be considering changes to your beneficiary designations. To update your life insurance beneficiaries, see Changing your benefits page for more details. To update beneficiaries for TIAA or Fidelity Investments accounts, make changes online.
• If you participate in a COVA Health Plan, you have access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for yourself and your family members. The EAP provides helpful resources and access to counseling visits at no cost. Anthem participants may log in with the employer name Commonwealth of Virginia and Aetna participants may log in with username and password COVA. 
• The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides access to free legal consultations and ongoing discounts for the services of network attorneys. Contact your EAP for details.  The EAP websites also provide templates for certain legal documents, including wills and health care directives.
• Make use of VCU’s relocation resources if needed to locate a new residence or secure discounts for home financing. You can find more information on the Moving and relocation page.
• Contact your financial institutions for information about how to change account names as needed.

Contact the Social Security Administration for information regarding how divorce may affect your future benefits, or obtain a new Social Security card if you make a legal name change.

Intimate Partner Violence Crisis Fund
The VCU Division of Trauma, Injury and Violence Prevention Program, Forensic Nursing, Department of Care Coordination and Institute for Women's Health have established a crisis fund that provides monetary assistance and community resources to persons experiencing a domestic or sexual violence crisis.

Funds assist VCU or VCU Health System employees and their children in increasing their safety and becoming more independent and in helping them connect to community resources and services. For more information, visit the VCU Institute for Women's Health website or contact Jean Cheek at jean.cheek@vcuhealth.org or Carol Olson at carol.olson@vcuhealth.org.

Resources for domestic and sexual violence prevention

For free, confidential assistance, 24 hours a day, please call the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Virginia Hotline at (800) 838-8238.

• Title IX
• Signs of Abuse and Abusive Relationships - HelpGuide.org
• VCU Institute for Women's Health
• VCU Police (Rape Aggression Defense Classes)
• VCU Wellness Resource Center
• Richmond YWCA
• Safe Harbor
• Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance

Adult Daycare
Adult daycare center on the MCV Campus. This facility is open to dependents of VCU faculty, staff and students. The program is designed for older adults who need socialization and supervision during the day. For more information, contact Dee Caras at dcaras@mcvh-vcu.edu or (804) 828-8027.

Taking care of a parent or spouse? You are not alone. VCU has partnered with Senior Connections and other organizations in the Richmond community to offer assistance. Contact worklife@vcu.edu for more information. 

Disability Navigator
The Disability Navigator website is designed to meet a wide range of concerns unique to the disability community, and features thousands of programs and services as well as hundreds of educational articles.

Senior Services

In Richmond

• Door to Door Solutions
  Owner: Katie Hamann
  Phone: (804) 261-4124
• Family Care Services - Adult Day Care
  VCU Health System
  Phone: (804) 828-8027
• MoveMyMom LLC
  Phone: (804) 338-2647

In Virginia

• A First Class Move (Falls Church)

In the U.S.

• National Association of Senior Move Managers

Eldercare resources

• Aging:
• Aging with Dignity
• Virginia Center on Aging
• Alzheimer's:
• National Alzheimer’s Association 
• Richmond Area Alzheimer’s Association, including support group meeting schedule and caregiver workshops
• Family Caregiver Alliance
• Retirement planning resources 
• SeniorAdvisor.com
• SeniorNet

VCU and local providers offer quality education and support to families of people struggling with substance use disorders. The sessions titled "Why Can't They Just Stop? Education for Families of People Who Struggle with Addiction" are held:

Northstar Community
563 Southlake Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23236
Every Thursday from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.
No registration is required

For more information, contact Thomas Bannard at recovery@vcu.edu or at (804) 366-8027.

Congratulations on getting married! Here are some resources to help you with planning a wedding or honeymoon, and addressing issues related to your benefits, etc.

• Visit the knot website for local wedding vendors, checklists, a personalized wedding plan based on your budget, guest list manager, registries, etc. There's a wealth of information online to help you plan your special day.
• Carefully check your health insurance plan's Employee Assistance Program for information and services related to real estate, legal services, financial tools, renter's rights, etc. There's also a wedding countdown checklist for handling wedding details.
• Check out VCU's discounts on jewelry, airport parking, auto rental, hotels, and other travel resources.
• A marriage license is issued by the clerk of the circuit court in any county or city in the Commonwealth. Licenses issued in Virginia are for marriages performed in Virginia only. You will need to present a valid photo ID and a certified copy of your birth certificate and the marriage must be performed within 60 days after the license is issued.
• Be sure to review and compare health benefits. Decide if you'll be enrolling your spouse on your health plan or if you'll drop your benefits to enroll with your spouse. To add your spouse to your VCU plan, your marriage must be recognized in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the employee must include a photocopy of a certified or registered marriage certificate. For more information about making these changes see Changing your Benefits page.
• If you drop your medical insurance to go on your spouse's plan and your spouse loses his or her job, that is considered a qualifying event, and you can reenroll within 60 days of the qualifying event.
• Check out VCU's relocation resources with two local real estate firms that will be glad to assist you in purchasing or renting a new home.
• Consider whether to participate in Flexible Spending Accounts or if already participating, decide whether you need to increase or decrease your contributions to cover your spouse's uncovered health and dental expenses with tax-free dollars. If you are gaining a dependent, you may want to begin a Dependent Care Account to pay for daycare or other allowed expenses.
• Consider changing your tax withholding. It's a fact that getting married will affect the amount of taxes you pay. The primary determining factor of your tax status is whether you are a one or two-income couple. You may wish to consult with a financial counselor to discuss your situation. If you decide to change your tax withholding, completed forms should be returned to the Payroll Office at Postal Box 842511 or at payroll@vcu.edu (see Payroll forms on the Forms page).
• Consider the purchase or make changes to your optional life insurance. Getting married is a qualifying event for purchasing or making changes, but it must be done within 31 days of the qualifying event. For more information see Changing your Benefits page.
• It is essential to make sure your beneficiaries are up to date. For more information see Changing your Benefits page.
• If you change your name, first contact the Social Security Administration to change your name on your social security records. Your name on your payroll records must match the name on your social security card. Please provide your Human Resources representative with a copy of your SSN card (Use the Personal Data Form under Employment forms on the Forms page)
• A new address and emergency contact can be changed on the Personal Data Form or on eservices/VCU Self Service.

Also remember, Work/Life resources are available to help you and your family to achieve a meaningful work/life balance. Please contact worklife@vcu.edu if you have questions or ways we can help.

Grief may be experienced in response to physical losses, such as death, or in response to symbolic or social losses such as divorce or loss of a job.  The grief experience can be affected by one’s history and support system. Taking care of yourself and accessing the support of friends and family can help you cope with your grief experience. To see the complete list of resources and information available, please view the VCU HR Work/Life Grief and Loss page.

Are you a new mom seeking a comfortable, serene place to breastfeed your little one or pump in privacy? VCU offers lactation rooms on the Monroe Park Campus and the MCV Campus.

View locations on this map.

VCU offers summer day camp programs to keep your children happy, active and creative this summer.  For information, visit VCU Summer Youth Programs. 

Additional local summer youth programs in your area and the surrounding counties can be found at:

• Richmond Parks and Recreation 
• Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation
• Hanover County Parks and Recreation
• Henrico County Parks and Recreation
• New Kent County Parks and Recreation

Camps from Richmond Family Magazine and ACA-accredited camps throughout the United States:

Area Summer Camps This listing from Richmond Family Magazine offers a comprehensive resource for day and sleep-away camps in the local area for all ages and interests.

American Camp Association (ACA) This listing includes a searchable database of ACA-accredited camps throughout the United States.