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Family-Friendly Benefits

Duke's Staff and Family Programs department provides information and assistance in balancing work and family responsibilities, parenting and other family concerns. Referral assistance is available for both child care and elder care. Please visit the pages below for more information.

Please send us your feedback at Staff-Family-Programs@duke.edu.

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New and Expectant Parents

  • Infertility Services - Duke University offers a full range of infertility services that are tailored to fit your individual needs.
  • Infertility Benefits - Certain Duke health insurance plans offer packages of infertility benefits for Duke employees to choose from.
  • Parental Leave - Duke University Health System (DUHS) provides a Paid Time Off (PTO) program for eligible employees which puts vacation, sick leave, holiday, and funeral leave into one program.
  • Lactation Support Services - Duke recognizes the importance and benefits of breastfeeding for infants and has made special accommodations to support new nursing parents as part of its commitment to providing a family-friendly work environment.
  • Prenatal Classes - The Teer House is proud to offer prenatal classes to Duke employees. These classes cover a wide array of topics, including labor and delivery, baby care, breast-feeding, and child/infant safety.
  • Support Groups - The Teer House offers a listing of support groups for new and expectant parents. Theses groups are sponsored by various departments throughout Duke University Medical Center and the community.

External Resources

  • Postpartum Support International provides information on the treatment of postpartum mood disorders, including baby blues, postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.
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Child Care & Education

External Resources

  • Child Care Services Association is a non profit child care resource and referral agency that helps families access affordable high-quality child care for their children from birth through age 12. This service is provided free of charge.
  • Carolina Parent is a monthly magazine, published as a resource for parents in the Triangle, that provides information for area families with children from the ages of newborn through teens.

Counseling & Referrals

  • Personal Assistance Service (PAS) - Personal Assistance Service is the faculty/employee assistance program of Duke University and Health System. Our staff of licensed professionals offer assessment, short-term counseling, and referrals to help resolve a range of personal, work, and family problems. PAS services are available at no charge to Duke faculty and staff, and their immediate family members.
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Elder Care

  • Duke Dementia Family Support Program - The Duke Dementia Family Support Program serves families and professionals concerned about or caring for persons with memory disorders in North Carolina, and Duke employees seeking help with elder care decisions. The Duke Dementia Family Support Program also provides elder care referrals and resources to Duke faculty and staff who need assistance with an aging parent. As a Duke employee, your benefits include a free, personalized, confidential consultation with one of our experts in aging. These consultations are simple, flexible and convenient. There’s no red tape. Call 919-660-7510 to schedule an appointment.
  • Duke Caregiver Support Program - This program aims to offer extensive assistance to employees who serve as caregivers for their loved ones. The program is free and provides valuable guidance and resource linkage for your community-based and long-term care needs. It provides support in various areas, such as home care, emotional support, support group research, education, placement of loved ones into long-term care communities, transportation, and more. We want to help you navigate the challenges of caregiving while managing your other work and personal commitments.
  • Retirement Plans - Duke offers comprehensive retirement plans that allow employees to save for retirement and pay less in taxes now as the money invested in these accounts and the interest earned is tax-deferred (or tax-sheltered).
  • Duke University Retiree Association (DURA) - An organization open to all Duke retirees.

External Resources

  • CareGuide - an award-winning website featuring a full range of services, articles and resources for elder care.
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Time Away From Duke

  • Flexible Work Options - There are many instances of flexible work arrangements at Duke today. Formal guidelines have been developed to help support supervisors and employees in establishing these arrangements.
  • Holidays, Vacation & Sick Time - Campus and Medical Center staff accrue benefit time using a traditional vacation, holiday, and sick time model.
  • Paid Time Off (DUHS) - Duke University Health System (DUHS) provides a Paid Time Off (PTO) program for eligible employees which puts vacation, sick leave, holiday, and funeral leave into one program.
  • Leaves of Absence - Duke recognizes that during a regular staff member's career circumstances may arise which require a prolonged leave of absence from work. A leave of absence requires the approval of the requesting employee's department.
  • Paid Parental Leave - Duke provides up to six consecutive weeks of 100 percent paid parental leave to the eligible parent serving as the primary caregiver following the birth or adoption of a child.
  • Kiel Vacation/PTO Donation - The Kiel Vacation/PTO Donation Program allows employees the opportunity to donate accrued vacation or PTO hours to fellow employees who have experienced a catastrophic illness or injury and who have exhausted all accrued time, thus resulting in a prolonged, unpaid leave of absence.
  • Other Work Absences - Duke also provides for other types of work absences, including workers' compensation, funeral leave, voting time, jury duty leave, flexible work arrangements, and disability insurance.

Benefits