Family & Child Care 

GAU is committed to pursuing policy change to secure access to affordable child care and better Family Medical Leave (FML) policies in our contract. GAU does not currently have any rights or guarantees regarding child care or paid FML in the present contract. Our goal is to secure paid leave for all graduate assistants who want to start a family and to make sure they have adequate access to affordable child care facilities while they are working at the University of Florida. UF must ensure that GAs with children do not have to choose between their jobs and their families. Many of UF’s peer institutions already provide their graduate students with family medical leave benefits and/or childcare subsidies. For comparison, see the Top 10 Public Universities Child Care Policy Comparison chart. 


​There are several key family-related issues that the GAU is fighting for:
  • Access to Affordable Child Care: the University provides financial compensation that will allow graduate assistant-parents to access affordable childcare services!
  • Expanded Family Leave Policies: language that allows graduate assistants expanded paid and unpaid family leave options for the birth or adoption of a child, for childcare, or for the care of an immediate family member!
  • A Childbirth Accommodation Policy: a policy recognizing the demands placed on a woman by late-stage pregnancy, childbirth, and the care of a newborn, allowing for a mother to maintain status as a full-time, registered student, and facilitating her return to coursework and academic employment
2018 will mark the initial meeting of the Child Care Research Committee, which is guaranteed to us in our current contract!

​This committee, comprised of GAU, UF admin, and Baby Gator, will discuss ways to increase affordable child care for GAs with children. We encourage you to attend these meetings, share how you’ve been impacted, and contribute thoughts about how better access to child care might be accomplished! Join the Family & Child Care committee email list to attend and receive updates about these meetings.

If you are interested in child care or FML issues, there are two ways to become involved: 1) join our family & childcare committee and work to change policies; 2) email GAU’s child care committee and let us know why these issues are important to GAs as both students and employees. ​
WUFT News segment by Raymon Troncoso on GAU members & parents Rebecca Pethes and Mike Vincent (ft. GAU bargaining chair Bobby Mermer & UF chief negotiator Bill Connellan) shedding light on graduate student-families at UF!