Childcare & Family Resources

McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University is a family-friendly employer. All McGaw housestaff and their families are eligible to receive reduced tuition rates at daycare centers conveniently located near the Chicago campus. 

Through an agreement with McGaw, Northwestern University offers childcare fee assistance for housestaff who have children enrolled at the Bernice E. Lavin Early Childcare Center, University Children's Center and Bright Horizons at Evanston. The fee assistance program will have the same eligibility requirements as the existing university childcare fee assistance programs. Funds are awarded to Northwestern University families who demonstrate financial need and meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Both parents must be employed or in school full-time (as consistent with Northwestern Dependent Care Flexibility Spending Account rules).
• Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, beginning in January for the following school year. Families currently receiving assistance are given priority. School year awards are determined on a first-come, first-served basis.

Bernice E. Lavin Early Childhood Education Center

Hours: Monday–Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
411 E. Ontario St., Chicago, Illinois 60611
312-926-5437

Lavin Center required designation form

Additional information is available via the Lavin Center website.

University Children's Center

Hours: Monday–Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
446 E. Ontario St., Chicago, Illinois 60611
312-867-7056

University Children's Center required designation form

Additional information can be found on the Northwestern University benefits site.

Bright Horizons at Evanston

Hours: Monday–Friday, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
1629 Orrington Ave., Evanston, Illinois 60201
847-491-9032

Additional information can found on the Bright Horizons website. 

• Northwestern Medicine Pregnancy Guide
• Northwestern Medicine Maternity Care
• Northwestern Medicine Labor and Delivery guide
• Northwestern Medicine current class listing for expectant parents

Family & Medical Leave

• Questions regarding FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) are addressed to McGaw Payroll/Benefits at: 888-449-0016 or mcgawpayroll@ey.com.
• Notify the program director and submit request for FMLA.
• Notify McGaw and review the Time Away from Training policies on our website.
• With all leaves, it is the responsibility of the housestaff member to confirm, before the onset of leave, with the program director, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) program-specific guidelines and American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) any time requirements for adequate completion of training in their specialty. Time spent on leave does not count toward training. The end of training date may need to be extended to comply with the above.
• Parking Permits: If you have a Northwestern parking permit, contact the Chicago Parking Office at 312-503-1103 to learn how to stop your payroll deduction during your leave.

Benefits will be provided the same as your benefits for any other condition for Covered Services rendered in connection with the diagnosis and/or treatment of infertility, including but not limited to: in-vitro fertilization, uterine embryo lavage, embryo transfer, artificial insemination, gamete intrafallopian tube transfer, zygote intrafallopian tube transfer, low tubal ovum transfer and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.  

Benefits for treatments that include oocyte retrievals will be provided only when you have been unable to attain or maintain a viable pregnancy or sustain a successful pregnancy through reasonable, less costly, medically appropriate infertility treatments; however, this requirement will be waived if you or your partner has a medical condition that makes such treatment useless. Benefits for treatment that include oocyte retrievals are limited to a lifetime maximum of four completed oocyte retrievals

Benefits will also be provided for medical expenses of an oocyte or sperm donor for procedures used to retrieve oocytes or sperm and the subsequent procedure to transfer the oocytes or sperm to you. Associated donor medical expenses are also covered, including, but not limited to, physical examinations, laboratory screenings, psychological screenings and prescription drugs. If an oocyte donor is used, then the completed oocyte retrieval performed on the donor shall count as one completed oocyte retrieval. Following the final completed oocyte retrieval, benefits will be provided for one subsequent procedure to transfer the oocytes or sperm to you.

Benefits will not be provided for the following:

• Services or supplies rendered to a surrogate, except that costs for procedures to obtain eggs, sperm or embryos from you will be covered if you choose to use a surrogate 
• Selected termination of an embryo; provided, however, termination will be covered where the mother's life would be in danger if all embryos were carried to full term
• Expenses incurred for cryopreservation or storage of sperm, eggs or embryos, except for those procedures which use a cryopreserved substance
• Nonmedical costs of an egg or sperm donor
• Travel costs for travel within 100 miles of your home or travel costs not medically necessary or required by the claim administrator
• Infertility treatments which are deemed "investigational," in writing, by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine or the American College of Obstetricians or Gynecologists
• Infertility treatment rendered to your dependents under age 18

In addition to the above provisions, in‐vitro fertilization, gamete intrafallopian tube transfer, zygote intrafallopian tube transfer, low tubal ovum transfer and intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedures must be performed at medical facilities that conform to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines for in‐vitro fertilization clinics or to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine minimal standards for programs of in‐vitro fertilization.

Additional details may be found in Your Health Care Benefit Program booklet.

McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University strives to provide a family-friendly environment for our residents and fellows. Nursing mothers have access to dedicated lactation rooms on the Chicago campus:

American Dental Association (ADA)

Wellness rooms in the ADA building are accessible with a Lurie Children’s Hospital badge and generally located off the elevator near the bathroom or lobby.

• 8th Floor, 08-034
• 9th Floor, 09-034
• 13th Floor, 13-032
• 14th Floor, 14-034
• 15th Foor, 15-004

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

• 12th Floor, Rooms 12-200D-F, J, K (staff elevator, #12-200, to the R, L at hall)
• 14th Floor, Room 14-105 (tower elevator, L out of elevator bank, down hall on R)
• 15th Floor, Room 15-143 (staff elevator, R out of bank, L at 1st hall, L)
• 15th Floor, Room 15-382 (staff elevator, L out of bank, L at 1st hall, double doors)
• 19th Floor, Room 19-375 (staff elevator, L out of bank, R at 1st hall, L at next hall)
• 20th Floor, Room 20-370 (staff elevator, L out of bank, R at 2nd hall)
• 21st Floor, Room 21-364 (staff elevator, L out of bank, R at 2nd hall)

Arkes Family Pavilion

• 11th Floor, Suite 1100 (Contact Property Operations Office at 312-926-4084 for entry code.)

Delnor Hospital

• 1st Floor, Room 181, adjacent to New Life registration area (requires an NM badge for access)

Bernice E. Lavin Early Childhood Education Center

• 1st Floor (inside the childcare center)

Central DuPage Hospital

• Women and Children’s Building, 3rd floor lobby (just off elevators 6 & 7)
• Bed Pavilion, 4th Floor of B Wing (across from elevators 49, 50 & 51)

Feinberg Pavilion

• 2nd Floor, Rooms 2-316A and 2-316B (entry through the women's restroom)
• 2nd Floor, Rooms 2-532 and 2-533 (by the Feinberg Cashier). Contact Property Operations Office at 312-926-4569 for entry code.

Galter Pavilion

• 5th Floor, Room 5-122 (turn right off the public elevators, through Same Day Surgery doors, to the left)

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center

• Bed Tower Pavilion – Room 4625
  • Medela Symphony pump available; provide own Ameda HygieniKit Milk Collection System (dual or single)
  • Refrigeration available
• Damen Pavilion – Room 6476
  • Ameda Platinum & Medela Symphony pumps available; provide own Ameda HygieniKit Milk Collection System (dual or single) or Medela Symphony Double Breast Pump Kit (Symphony Conversion Kit)
  • Refrigeration available

To request access and key card, contact Employee Whole Health Coordinator Shari Pollack (shari.pollack2@va.gov | 312-569-5361 | Office 6423 Damen Pavilion). Each room can accommodate two users.

Lavin Family Pavilion

• 2nd Floor, Room 02-242 (go to the hallway next to Walgreens)

Lake Forest Hospital

• 1st Floor, Pavilion C, Room 1304 (behind main reception)
• 1st Floor, Pavilion E, Universal Care Center, Room 1553 (near E3 elevator)

Olson Pavilion

• 4th Floor, women's locker room

Prentice Women's Hospital

• 1st Floor, Room 01-2322  (by southwest public entrance)
• 2nd Floor, Room 02-2308 (by the escalators)
• 6th Floor, Room 06-2108. (Contact Property Operations Office at 312-926-4569 for the entry code.)
• 8th Floor, Room 08-2814 (by Labor & Delivery in the staff area)

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

• 12th Floor East - Mother's Room A & B 

Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center (333 E. Superior Street)

• Second Floor, Rooms 212 and 213
  • In order to access the room, you must have an iClass WildCARD. Please contact the WildCARD Office at wildcard@northwestern.edu if you need to update your card.
  • In order to gain access, please complete the Campus Lactation Space Access form.

211 E. Ontario St.

• 11th Floor, Suite 1110. (Contact Property Operations Office at 312-472-0211 for entry.)

541 N. Fairbanks Court (building on southeast corner of Ohio and Fairbanks)

• 9th Floor, Room 995
• 17th Floor, Room 1743
• 28th Floor, Room 2827

680 N. Lake Shore Drive (building on corner of Huron/Erie and Lake Shore Drive)

Wellness Rooms located: 

• 13th Floor, 13-101
• 15th Floor, 15-005
• 16th Floor, 16-088

• Email mcgawpayroll@ey.com to add the new member of your family to your insurance (within 30 days of arrival).
• Email mcgawpayroll@ey.com to finalize the dates of your FMLA.
• See Northwestern Medicine's guide to ongoing support after giving birth.

• Red Tricycle connects families with localized points of interest from dining to sightseeing. Regular segments on parenting and seasonal topics, as well as local family-friendly activities are offered. Use the app to identify specific interests through various filters to connect with a virtual tour guide.
• Chicago Children’s Museum at Navy Pier houses a trove of fun activities with free admission every first Sunday and every Thursday evening. 
• Chicago Cultural Center holds art exhibits and free performances. The glorious refurbished library alone makes it worth a trip.
• Chicago Park District is one of the largest public parks system in the country. They offer a huge array of summer camps and low-cost classes in a variety of areas, as well as many free family events. Check their website for park locations and information about seasonal offerings, classes and special programs. 
• Chicago Public Library offers family-friendly activities; locate library branches and take advantage of the program “Museum Passports” that lets you borrow a free admission pass for four to popular museums in the city.
• Garfield Park Conservatory offers special events and free family programming.
• Lincoln Park Zoo admission is free, but there is a parking charge.
• Millennium Park boasts public art exhibits and extensive gardens and offers free concerts and family programs, especially in the summer months. Playing in the fountain is also a kid-pleaser.