BASIC NEEDS
FRESHHub
UCI Basic Needs
UCI’s FRESH Hub offers emergency food and toiletries and CalFresh application assistance. The FRESH Hub also connects students to critical on and off-campus resources and provides educational opportunities for students to take personal responsibility for their wellness and the well-being of their communities.
Appointments with Andrea Gutierrez, the Director of the FRESH Basic Needs Hub, are 1-1 confidential appointments for students seeking basic needs resources. Students may be directed to additional services, the Campus Social Worker, and additional community resources. Please book your appointment with Andrea here or email her at andrea.g@uci.edu. (Note: This is NOT where to schedule a CalFresh Application Appointment; for CalFresh, please visit here)
Experiencing financial stress, food/housing insecurity, and other stressors and want support and guidance? Do you have additional basic needs questions or need help navigating campus and community resources? Book a 30-minute consultation on Tuesdays & Wednesdays between 10am-12pm with our Campus Social Worker, Peter Thach! Book your consultation at: calendly.com/peter-fresh During Spring Quarter 2020, consultations will happen digitally via Zoom Conferencing.
Learn more about UCI’s FRESH Hub here.
CalFresh Walk-in assistance at SSI (first come-first serve basis)
Hours and location vary by quarter
You are also welcome to visit any of our CalFresh walk-in sites on campus.
Contact
fresh@uci.edu
4079 Mesa Rd.
Phone: 949-824-0607
Office of Campus Social Work
The Office of the Campus Social Worker supports UCI students during situations and crises that may be impacting their personal and academic well-being through short-term resource referrals and long-term case management. Services are available to the entire UCI community at no cost.
Learn more about these services here
Contact
By appointment only. Referral by faculty or staff member required.
Phone: (949) 824-0101
UCI Family Housing
UC Irvine offers apartment-style housing to graduate and professional degree students and families.
Learn more about UCI Family Housing here.
Contact
housing@uci.edu
Phone: (949) 824-6811
UCI Elder Care Resources
View UCI’s Guide to Elder Care Resources here.
Child Care
UCI Child Care Services promotes participation of student, staff and faculty parents in the teaching, learning, and research missions of the University. The Centers support, nurture and enhance all areas of children’s development. All children are regarded as individuals of equal worth and value who come to the centers at their own developmental level and who bring with them a unique mixture of family background, life experience, learning style and idiosyncratic ways of being in the world.
We are interested in strengthening families to meet the varied demands of maintaining a career and a family in a rapidly changing world. Subsidized care may be available for students of UCI, rates are subject to change.
Learn more about UCI Child Care Services here.
Infant Toddler Center
Child care at the Infant and Toddler Center is available to UCI students, staff, and faculty only. Care is subsidized for full-time students by a grant from the California Department of Education.
Learn more about the Infant Toddler Center here.
Verano Preschool
Verano Preschool offers a half-day preschool program for children two and a half to five years of age (or until eligible for kindergarten). The center serves UCI students, staff, faculty and community.
Learn more about Verano Preschool here.
Children’s Center
The Children’s Center offers a full day preschool program for children two and a half to five years of age (or until eligible for kindergarten). The center serves UCI students, staff and faculty. Subsidized tuition is available to eligible student families through a grant from the State Department of Education.
Learn more about the Children’s Center here.
Early Childhood Education Center
The Early Childhood Education Center offers a full day preschool program for children two years to five years of age (or until eligible for kindergarten). The center serves UCI student, staff, and faculty families, as well as families from the community
Learn more about The Early Childhood Education Center here.
Extended Day Care Center
The Extended Day Center offers an afterschool program for children in grades kindergarten through sixth grade. Subsidized tuition is available to eligible student families through a grant from the State Department of Education.
Learn more about the Extended Day Care Center here.
Contact
Lisa Martinez
lmartin@uci.edu
501 Adobe Circle Road
Irvine, CA 92697
Phone: (949) 824-2100
Children’s Programs & Community Organizations
Verano Housing offers two school-age programs as well as a weekly playgroup for children. Regular activities include quiet time for homework, arts, crafts, sports, and healthy snacks. It is the perfect opportunity to meet other parents in Verano.
Learn more about Verano Housing’s children’s programs here.
Nursing Moms
UCI Lactation Support
UCI is committed to promoting a family-friendly work environment for breastfeeding mothers to help then achieve success at work and in their personal lives. By providing the necessary information and support, UCI is dedicated to helping those lactating to comfortably provide milk after returning to work or school.
For information on lactation support, click here.
- Campus Lactation Rooms Accessibility and Contact Info can be found here.
- Interactive Map can be found here.
- Information on Breastfeeding Classes can be found here.
UCI Center for Student Wellness and Health Promotion
- Lactation Station – This is a quiet, comfortable, secure room where moms can breastfeed or pump for their child. Refrigeration for pumped milk is also available. A diaper changing station is located adjacent to the space. In addition, we have informational resources on pregnancy and breastfeeding.
- The space is available on a first come, first served basis, with a 30 minute time allotment
- Open from 8am – 5pm, Monday – Friday
- Please contact Student Wellness & Health Promotion at 949-824-9355 or studentwellness@uci.edu if you have any questions or concerns
- Learn more about the Lactation Station here.
McGaugh Hall – Biological Sciences II, Room 1301
- The room will be locked inside when occupied
- Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Please contact the School of Biological Sciences at (949) 824-5444 if you have any questions or concerns
School of Social Ecology, Social Ecology I, Room 261
- Email Rick Orth (rorth@uci.edu) or visit the Social Ecology Student Service Office to request a key code
- Open from 7am-11pm M-F
UCI Child Care Services, Infant and Toddler Center, 533 California Ave
- This room is for Child Care employees and parents only
UCI Law School, 401 E. Peltason Drive, Suite 1000
- This room is for Law School employees and students only.
- New mothers may reserve the private lactation room. Please make arrangements through the Director of Student Life (studentlife@law.uci.edu)
UCI Medical Center
- A private room for pumping milk is available to residents and students
- Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- The key is at the desk in the main lobby until 9:30 p.m. when the desk closes. The key is given to the security desk at that time so that it is accessible during the night. We do ask that the key be signed out so that we can track the room’s usage, and to keep people from using the room to take breaks or sleep.
- Please contact the Health Education Department at 714-456-8433 if you have any questions or concerns regarding the room or the process.
Baby Changing Stations
The Center for Student Wellness & Health Promotion provides a lactation station for the campus community which also includes a diaper changing station.
Located in the Center for Student Wellness and Health Promotion office, on the 3rd floor of the Student Center, right off of Ring Road and across the UCI Hospitality and Dining (G319).
Learn more about the Lactation Station here.
Highchair Availability
The UCI Conference Center offers a variety of equipment rentals including child highchairs for all major events.
Learn more about equipment rentals here.
Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity
The UCI Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (OEOD) is responsible for the University’s compliance with federal and state laws and University policies and procedures regarding discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, and sex offenses. OEOD works to promote and integrate the principles of equal opportunity, affirmative action, nondiscrimination, and inclusive excellence at UCI.
Learn more about the OEOD here.
Contact
oeod@uci.edu
103 Multipurpose Science & Technology Building
Phone: (949) 824-5594
Parenting & Pregnancy at UCI
Title IX prohibits educational institutions from discriminating against pregnant students based upon their marital status and cannot discriminate against a student because of childbirth, false pregnancy, or recovery from related conditions.
Information you may need during this exciting time regarding accommodations, leave options, policies, and resources can be found here.
Student Rights
UCI Code of Student Conduct Nondiscrimination Policy:
Parenting or pregnant students are protected under UCI’s Code of Student Conduct’s nondiscrimination policy from any form of discrimination. The policy, which can be viewed here, states:
150.30 – Marital and Parental Status
150.31
No campus may apply any rule concerning a student’s actual or potential parental, family, or marital status which treats students differently on the basis of sex.
150.32
Pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery therefrom must be treated in the same manner and under the same policies as any other temporary disability. This includes the campus policy on exclusion from any class or extracurricular activity; the right to medical services; the requirement of a doctor’s certification for continuance in a normal academic program; and the right to a leave of absence if requested by the student.
Department of Education Office for Civil Rights – Title IX:
Parenting or pregnant students are also protected under the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Title IX from any form of discrimination. The guidelines, which can be viewed here, states:
34 C.F.R. Part 106
Recipients of federal funds “shall not apply any rule concerning a student’s actual or potential parental, family, or marital status which treats students differently on the basis of sex…[and] shall not discriminate against any student, or exclude any student from its education program or activity, including any class or extracurricular activity, on the basis of such student’s pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy or recovery therefrom, unless the student requests voluntarily to participate in a separate portion of the program or activity of the recipient.”
For more information about UCI’s other nondiscrimination policies, please visit the OEOD nondiscrimination policies page.
Family Restrooms
UCI recognizes that there are parents in the community who may need to accompany a child into the restroom. As a result, UCI has many gender inclusive restrooms on campus that also serve as family restrooms but do not have baby changing stations.
For more information on UCI’s gender neutral restrooms, click here.
The Target in University Center (across Watson Bridge) also has two family restrooms with baby changing stations.
4255 Campus Dr A150
Irvine, CA 92612
Transportation
UCI Transportation and Distribution Services
Transportation and Distribution Services (T&DS) provides a wide variety of resources for the UCI community including campus maps, parking information, and sustainable commute solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and savings on travel costs. Find information about the parking system at UCI, carpool, bussing, and the campus shuttle service here.
The Anteater Express is a committed team of anteaters dedicated to providing safe, reliable and cost-conscious transportation to both on and off-campus destinations.
Students with children are welcome on the Anteater Express.
Learn more about the Anteater Express here.
Ring Road Rides
To help students travel across campus, UC Irvine offers personalized site- to-site transportation between pre-defined campus locations under the Campus Accessibility, Rides, and Transportation (CART) Module called Ring Road Rides (RRR).
Riders eligible for this accommodation include students, faculty, and staff with qualifying permanent or temporary disabilities, e.g. broken legs, sprained ankles, manual wheelchairs, etc. There is no cost to the rider for this service, but pre-registration is required and there is a limit to the number of carts and drivers available. For more information, click here.
Parking
Students who need a Temporary Disability Placard should apply for one through their local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). A placard is valid for up to 180 days (six months) or the time noted by your licensed medical professional on the application. Please note you must meet the criteria set by the DMV in order to receive one.
For frequently asked questions about applying for a Temporary Disability Placard or information on how to fill out an application, visit the California DMV website here.
Leave Options
Parenting and pregnant students wanting to temporarily withdraw from the university may want to consider taking the following steps:
- Contact the Disability Services Center (DSC) by calling their office at (949) 824-7494 and schedule an appointment with a Senior Disability Specialist.
- The Specialist will connect you with the correct counselor within your academic department (based on your major), who will work directly with you to manage your academic leave or temporary withdrawal from the university.
- Some students may not have to withdraw from the university, as there are online options available for some required classes.
If you have any other questions, you may contact DSC directly through email at dsc@uci.edu or (949) 824-7494.
UCI Be Well
As part of UC Irvine’s commitment to helping all members of our community prioritize mental health and personal wellness, UCI Be Well offers a tool for searching UCI wellness programs and initiatives for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff in areas of emotional, physical, academic, social, cultural, career, financial, sexual, environmental, and spiritual wellness.
From workshops and programs to counseling and basic needs support, UCI Be Well combines a vast array of available campus resources here.