WorkLife

Bright Horizons backup care

Last updated: July 2, 2025

 

We understand that life happens—caregivers get sick, schools close unexpectedly, or your regular plans fall through. Bright Horizons Back-Up Care is here to provide reliable, short-term care for those unforeseen, last-minute disruptions to your usual arrangements.

This program is designed to help you navigate unexpected challenges, ensuring you can focus on what matters most while knowing your loved ones are cared for.

Please note: Back-up care is intended for emergent, unplanned needs. For scheduled breaks, such as school holidays or planned closures, we encourage you to explore alternative options like camps, local programs, or personal time off.

Backup care overview

  • PEBB-eligible employees and students are eligible for backup childcare through Bright Horizons at locations throughout Puget Sound and nationwide.
  • Eligible employees and UW students have a total of five backup care uses through Bright Horizons
  • Backup care is provided on a first-come, first-served basis and availability is not guaranteed.
  • Calendar year usage allotments reset annually on January 1.

Appropriate use of backup Care

Bright Horizons Back-Up Care is designed to help you manage unexpected, last-minute caregiving challenges when your regular arrangements fall through. It’s a great resource for emergent needs like:

  • A nanny or caregiver calls in sick
  • School unexpectedly closes for weather or emergencies
  • Your usual care provider has an unforeseen absence

Plan Ahead for Scheduled Breaks

Back-up care should not be used for known breaks in school or childcare schedules, such as:

  • Holidays or teacher in-service days
  • Winter, spring, or summer breaks

For these planned closures, we encourage you to explore options such as:

  • Using vacation time to enjoy with your child
  • Enrolling them in a local camp or program
  • Arranging care in advance through family, friends, or other providers

By reserving back-up care for truly unplanned situations, we can ensure this program remains available for employees who need immediate support.

Bright Horizons backup care

Bright Horizons provides two in-network care options. You may use a combination of these two services up to five times per calendar year:

In-center backup care costs $20 per child and $35 per family per day. Up to 3 children using in center backup care for up to 10 hours would count as one use. Find care in centers throughout the Puget Sound and nationwide through Bright Horizons expansive partner network. This benefit also includes school aged childcare options.

In-home care costs $32 for up to four hours of care. Each additional hour costs $8. With in-home childcare, Bright Horizons will arrange for a nanny to come to your home and care for your loved ones.

To register

PEBB-eligible employees and GAIP-eligible students: Before using backup care, take the following steps to register with Bright Horizons and create your personal account:

  1. On the sign in page, click “Sign Up”
  2. Enter UnivWa in the Employer Username field.
  3. Enter 4Backup in the Employer Password field.
  4. Create your personal Bright Horizons username and password.
  5. Enter your family’s information.

Students who are not GAIP-eligible: To register for backup care, email childcare@uw.edu requesting access to Bright Horizons backup care. Include your name, UW NetID, preferred email, phone number and your UW student ID number in your message.

If you have problems registering, call Bright Horizons at 877-242-2737.

Requesting care

Once you’ve registered, you will receive instructions about how to request your backup care.

If in-home or in-center care are unavailable, out-of-network reimbursable care will allow you to secure care from within your own personal network (a neighbor, friend, or babysitter) and receive a reimbursement of $100 per day.

Backup care cancellations must be made 24 hours prior to the date of care to avoid charges. If you need to cancel your appointment, do so before 5 p.m. on the day prior to your scheduled care. If you cancel after this deadline, you’ll be billed for all the hours you originally scheduled.