CRIMSON PARENTS HANDBOOK A guide for parents at HBS CRIMSON PARENTS HANDBOOK EXCERPT This handbook was compiled for the use of Crimson Parents, a Student Club at Harvard Business School. Its contents are based on the results of a sur- vey completed by some members of Crimson Parents in May 2017 and on content shared by members of Crimson Parents on social medial during the 2016-2017 academic year. Our hope is that this handbook will provide the most recent, up-to-date advice for HBS students and partners for the 2017- 2018 academic year. Crimson Parents does not accept sponsorship nor has Crimson Parents been paid to share any of the enclosed advice or recommendations. Crimson Parents does not assume any responsibility or any liabilities for any negative outcomes or damages that may result from the use of any services, pro- ducts, or anything discussed in this handbook. Written by Crimson Parents Leadership and the Media Committee 2017-2018: Brittany Boren Lorena Reyes Roberto Morfino Sarah Jane Fourness For more information about Crimson Parents, please visit our website: https://crimsonparents.wordpress.com/ Crimson Parents, A Student Club at Harvard Business School, Handbook 3 4 Crimson Parents, A Student Club at Harvard Business School, Handbook CRIMSON PARENTS HANDBOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1: Getting Involved in Section Life & HBS Events page 7 Section 2: Babysitters, Pre-K Child Care, & Libraries 15 Section 3: Crimson Parents Activities and Events 21 Section 4: Schools 29 Section 5: Doctors and Healthcare 33 Section 6: Fitness & Sports Activities 43 Section 7: Well-being and Personal Care 49 Section 8: Household 55 Section 9: Technology 63 Section 10: Food 67 Section 11: Birthday Parties 73 Section 12: Activities Outside of Crimson Parents 77 For more information about Crimson Parents, please visit our website: https://crimsonparents.wordpress.com/ Crimson Parents, A Student Club at Harvard Business School, Handbook 5 6 Crimson Parents, A Student Club at Harvard Business School, Handbook Section 1: Getting Involved in Section Life & HBS Events Section life As a student with (a) child(ren) how did you ensure that you got the most out of your MBA experience and section life in particular? The MBA experience has so much to offer to not only single students but also families. However, combining family life with the MBA experience requires a bit of effort, some planning ahead and occasional trade-offs on the side of the student-parent, but is definitely worth it. Section-orga- nized events are usually late at night and often involve activities that are not always family-friendly. Crimson Parents found that it helps a lot if the student makes sure that the needs of the family are taken into account when planning to attend events. Moreover, balancing academics, family life, and social activities requires some trade-offs: parents should be rea- listic about the extent they will be able to get involved in social activities with their section and carefully select what events they want to attend. If you are able to go to all the events, great! If not, it’s no big deal either, there will always be something else to do so you can catch up with sec- tion mates. Despite the challenges, fellow section members who do not have children are generally thrilled at the opportunity to interact with the children of their classmates, so don’t be shy about bringing your children to section events or to any informal gatherings of section members, if at all possible. The more you are there, the more likely section members are to remember you in theirs plans for future events! On the other hand, family-friendly networks such as Crimson Parents offer a great opportunity to interact with people who are in a similar situation and participate in activities that will suit students, partners, and kids alike. Ultimately, the overall experience depends a lot on the student’s ability to create her/his own inclusive network of friends and forge a subset of strong relationships with like-minded people. If you find that section events just don’t work for your family, remember this tip: host, host, host! (And do Crimson Parents, A Student Club at Harvard Business School, Handbook 7 it often!) Hosting small groups in your own home is an incredible way to really get to know the student’s section members and also other families or individuals you just want to get to know better. Host dinners or game nights after kids go to bed, organize a picnic with another family on Baker Lawn, or have your neighbors over for dessert. It doesn’t have to be fan- cy. Boxed brownies and pizza are always a hit! Invite someone you really don’t even think you have anything in common with. You really never know who you’ll hit it off with. Further, section members love coming to the homes of “established” families, and other Crimson Parents families are always looking for friends. And really, it is far easier to actually get to know someone in the comfort (and quiet) of your own home rather than a noisy bar or restaurant. Don’t hesitate. Just host! On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most and 1 the least, rate your section’s willingness to do family-friendly activities. Tips for helping your section do family-friendly activities: become a section leader. Taking over a section leadership role can be a great way to integrate into your section life and make a meaningful contribution. Section leadership includes roles such as the social planning committee but can also be simply making regular contact with section members. Having a parent (student or partner) involved in section leadership increased the number 8 Crimson Parents, A Student Club at Harvard Business School, Handbook of family-friendly events. But also be realistic about your expectations, students with families are a very small percentage of the overall section (generally just a few parents in each section), so not all events are going to be family-friendly. For those who did not get involved with leadership but still felt involved, they made sure that they participated in family-friendly events, including things like helping set-up and take-down. Showing a strong willingness to engage with the section and investing the extra time (which can feel overwhelming sometimes given the extra responsibilities parents already face) to be involved and invest in the relationships proved to be worth it in the long run. Sometimes making small considerations goes a long way: asking the section to make dinners/drinks early helps. Additionally, vo- lunteering to host events at your apartment if you have a larger place will mean that you can organize the event on your own terms. As a parent, do I need to pay the full section dues? Not necessarily. When it comes to section dues, consider requesting a dis- count to pay for the activities but not the partying, especially if you don’t drink alcohol or don’t plan on going to parties that often. What does it mean to be a parent partner? It should also be acknowledged that while some partners have little trouble fitting into the MBA experience, others struggle to feel like they are part of it. Some of the most common issues faced by those who did not feel involved in the MBA experience are: 1. They lived off-campus and worked full time →Crimson Parents will make an effort to schedule more weekend activi- ties to involve partners during the 2017-18 academic year. 2. The student’s section made no effort to have family-friendly events →Parents have the opportunity to be involved in section leadership, the- reby having an impact on how family-friendly section events are. Getting Crimson Parents, A Student Club at Harvard Business School, Handbook 9 involved with section leadership means that as a partner, you help deter- mine the time, location, and whether or not alcohol is served at events. And don’t forget you can take things into your own hands by hosting more intimate events with section-mates events in your own home. 3. The high cost of hiring a babysitter →Crimson Parents has implemented a babysitting-swap which helps put parents in touch with other parents in their area so they may proactively organize baby-sitting sessions based off of a point-system. Crimson Parents helps families have a more fulfilling MBA experience At around 70 families, Crimson Parents forms a strong, unique community within the Harvard Business School. For many parent-partners, Crimson Parents provides the opportunity to create deep bonds with others in their situation, and there are ways to really own your HBS experience. Each year CP strives to become stronger by providing for the unique needs of student-families and especially partners. One survey respondent even stated that it was becoming a mother that really made her feel part of the HBS experience. Experiencing HBS as a parent is a truly unique, incredible opportunity, and Crimson Parents wants to help all parents and their child- ren get the most out of the brief two years here. Making big HBS events work for parents Holidazzle Did you go to Holidazzle, the RC Christmas party in Boston? If yes, how did you organize it? The vast majority of parents went to Holidazzle (80%) hired a baby sitter. Those who did not either had family living locally who were able to watch their child(ren) or they flew in their family members from other cities to watch the child(ren). A few parents living in student housing asked friends living in a nearby apartment who did not attend the party.