Step One: Confirm Your Eligibility

To be eligible for the backup childcare service, you must be:

• a UC Berkeley student continuously registered in a degree-seeking program in the current semester,
• with a dependent child older than six weeks and younger than 18 years of age, and
• able to pay the required co-payments for services provided.

Approved enrollment is required prior to registering with the service provider and scheduling care. Please ensure that your registration status as a UC Berkeley student is current. You cannot complete the enrollment process if you are not a currently registered student.

Step Two: Apply for the Program

Students must begin the process by completing the campus application online. You must be logged into your bConnected account to access the form.

If you experience difficulty submitting the form online, please email us.

Apply Now »

Step Three: Register with the Provider

After your registration status as a current Berkeley student has been verified, you will be sent an email with information on how to complete your enrollment with the service provider, Bright Horizons. You may do that online through a password-protected website or by phone.

Bright Horizons Care Consultants will be available 24/7 to assist you in requesting care.

By completing this three-stage registration well in advance of your need for back-up care, you will minimize delays in the scheduling process and maximize the chances that you will receive the service you want, when you want it. For full details, learn more about the service.

Step Four: Reserve Care

There are three ways to reserve care:

• Online by logging into https://backup.brighthorizons.com
• By phone: 877-BH-CARES (242-2737) available 24/7
• Via the Bright Horizons App (search “Back-Up Care” on the App Store or Google Play)

Questions?

Email the program coordinator at [email protected]