Additional Benefits

Happy Days Childcare and Learning Center at Colby was established on September 1, 2021, through a collaboration with Jennifer Stevens and Rae Ann Lajoie of Winslow’s Happy Days Childcare and Learning Center. The center serves up to thirty-eight children ages six weeks to five years old and is located in the Millet House on the edge of Colby’s campus.

Happy Days Childcare and Learning Center at Colby is a licensed childcare center that is separate from the College. Colby staff and faculty are eligible to seek enrollment in the center. Being affiliated with the College does not guarantee enrollment. Enrollment at the center is a College employment benefit. If a faculty or staff member is no longer employed by Colby College, access to childcare at the center will end.

To inquire about availability, please complete the following Application for Enrollment Form and submit it to [email protected]. The center will contact you in the event that they are able to accommodate you.

Please contact Director, Jennifer Stevens, at: [email protected] to learn more.

Tuition

• Effective August 1, 2024, $265 per week per child

Contact Information

• Address: 126 Mayflower Hill Dr. Waterville, ME 04901
• Phone: 207-859-6095
• Email: Jen Stevens (Director) at [email protected]
• Hours: 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Mon. – Fri.)
• Colby’s Childcare Facebook Page
• Application for Enrollment Form

Additional Child Care Resources

Attracting and hiring staff to Colby is key to our success. In the current hiring environment, and with numerous vacancies in key areas, we are developing new strategies for recruiting excellent candidates. We know our employees, both faculty and staff, have relationships through their personal and professional networks that can serve as important sources of talent to fill our current and future staffing needs. The Employee Referral Program provides an opportunity for Colby employees to receive monetary rewards for identifying and directing this talent to the College. Both the individual and the College benefit when qualified staff referred by our employees are hired to fill our needs.

Program Details

Beginning February 1, 2023, the Employee Referral Program provides a $1000 cash incentive, subject to applicable taxes, to faculty and staff for successfully referring qualified candidates who are hired into open staff positions. Faculty positions are exempt from this referral program. However, faculty are eligible to participate in this program when referring potential candidates to fill open staff positions.

The incentive amount will be reviewed on an annual basis and as needed throughout the year. Additionally, special employee referral campaigns may be implemented throughout the year to address highly critical areas of need. Human Resources will make final decisions regarding approval of referral bonuses.

Eligibility

All Colby employees, except as noted in the Ineligibility section below, are eligible to participate in this program. To be eligible for the referral payment, the referring individual must be on active payroll at the time of the referral’s start date. The referral bonus will be paid in the first available pay cycle following the referral’s successful completion of 90 days of employment with Colby. Both the current and new employee must be active and in good standing to receive the payment. Colby employees may refer alumni to open staff positions if the alumna/alumnus has not been on Colby’s active payroll or worked for Colby as a temporary or contractor within the prior 3-month period. There are no limits on the number of referral payments an employee is eligible to receive. If more than one employee refers the same candidate, the person who submitted the referral first will receive the referral bonus.

Ineligibility

The following individuals and/or positions are ineligible for participation in this program:

• Contractors, temporary and student employees are not eligible for the referral program.
• Student employment and summer positions are not covered under this program.
• Hiring managers assigned to the open position to which a candidate has been referred are not eligible for a referral bonus for that position.
• Faculty positions are not eligible given the processes and protocols in place to fill these openings.
• Vice Presidents, the Provost, the Dean of the College, and anyone otherwise designated a member of the President’s senior staff team are not eligible for the referral program.
• Human Resources department employees are not eligible for the referral program.

Process

When referring people, it is important to be familiar with the requirements of the role for which they are being referred. Open positions can be found on the Colby Human Resources website, under Administrative Employment. Referrals should be made by completing and submitting this electronic Referral Form.

Colby College and TIAA have teamed up with Savi, a social impact company founded by long-term student loan experts and advocates that can help reduce monthly student loan payments through federal loan forgiveness. Employees and family members now have access to a robust solution that helps to find the best federal repayment and forgiveness programs for your financial situation.

The Savi tool can help strengthen your financial footing in the short term, but it also positions you for student loan forgiveness.

• Caps your payment based on your income and family size
• Frees up funds to direct towards other financial goals
• Removes the complexities of forgiveness and puts the process on autopilot

To see how easy it is to use Savi, how it works to reduce your montly payment, and how to get started–attend a 30-minute webinar.

Who is Eligible?

The PSLF program requirements are summarized below. Eligibility is based on these and several other factors, including income, debt amount, number of dependents and other personal information. Even if your income is high, you may still be eligible. In less than 20 minutes, Savi can help determine your eligibility and assist in the enrollment process.

Employment in public service

You must work full time for a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, government organization or another select not-for-profit for each month you hope to count towards your 120 qualifying payments (Colby qualifies).

Loans through the federal Direct Loan Program

You must have a federal student loan issued through the Direct Loan Program of the U.S. Department of Education. You may also qualify if you consolidate your federal student loans to a Direct Loan.

Enrollment in an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan

You must enroll in an IDR, which bases your payment on your income, debt amount, dependents and other criteria.

10 years of monthly payments

You have to make 120 on-time monthly payments in the IDR, though not necessarily consecutive or with the same employer. Payments before you switched to an IDR may also count toward forgiveness.

For additional information, check out the Savi Quick Start Guide.

Getting Started

First, you will need to provide your income and monthly payment to see your estimated savings instantly. From there, you can finish the online application and enroll. Be sure to have these items handy:

• Social Security number
• Most recent tax return or tax transcript
• Student loan information

There are two options for providing student loan specifics

1. Provide your login information for your student loan servicer (e.g., Navient, Nelnet, Great Lakes, etc.). This will allow Savi’s calculator to use the most up-to-date information.Note: the calculator meets TIAA’s high security standards to keep your information safe but it also streamlines things for you.
2. Or you can simply enter the information.

To calculate your savings, visit TIAA.org/colby/student.

Employees have full use of Colby’s library system, including the withdrawal of books, videos, DVDs, and CDs, and use of research facilities. You must show a valid Colby ID.

Employees have access to a state-of-the-art fitness center, including cardio and weight machines, indoor and outdoor tracks, swimming pool, tennis courts, gymnasium, ice rink, outdoor trails, and more. In addition, a variety of fitness classes are available. You must show a valid Colby ID.

Full-time, continuing employees of the College are eligible during the first 4 years of employment. Learn more. 

Colby’s Wellness Mission

The mission of the Colby Wellness program is to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life of all Colby employees by promoting a supportive environment that helps facilitate health education and healthy lifestyle choices.

Our vision is to offer educational opportunities that support healthy choices for employees and their families, resulting in a healthier, happier, more welcoming Colby community.

Our mission and vision will be attained through the following goals:

1. Communicating and promoting health and wellness opportunities on campus and locally
2. Offering holistic educational programs related to exercise, nutrition, physical, emotional, and mental well-being
3. Leading the way by promoting our mission in our daily interactions with others
4. Building a community committed to physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being for all constituencies
5. Yielding positive results through our efforts based on metrics provided by our healthcare provider

Wellness Working Group

The Wellness Working Group (WWG) is charged with helping to connect Colby faculty and staff with College and community wellness opportunities and programs, in order to raise awareness of wellness among College employees. The group currently has three major activities per year:

• The Health Fair, held in the fall focuses on health care, internal and external health and wellness resources, biometric screening, and more
• Various educational programs, lunch and learns, and wellness challenges to improve overall habits and health
• Act as health and wellness ambassadors to promote and educate the Colby community on the health and wellness options available

Members of the committee are drawn from a wide cross-section of Colby employees as well as representatives from Cigna Insurance. If you are interested in participating, contact Human Resources at ext. 5500.

Sign up for our email list!

Current Wellness Offerings

Wellable

Join the Colby College Wellness Challenge by visiting our Sign Up Page and creating a Wellable account. By joining, you will have access to tools that will track your progress and celebrate your success. This initiative is designed to promote:
› Physical Activity
› Healthy Habits
› Team-Building
› Friendly Competition

Additional resources available to you include:
› Health Content: Get health tip notifications, monthly holistic webinars, and newsletters featuring popular wellness articles through the Wellable app.
› On-Demand Classes: Access a variety of videos including stretching, HIIT classes, meditation, mindfulness series, a recipe library, and sleep stories.
› Health Coaching: Book personalized appointments with certified coaches to receive guidance on nutrition, fitness, work-life balance, and more.

Click here for more information about Wellable.

Cigna Wellness Incentives

Cigna Wellness Incentive Awards Program rewards your healthy actions

Colby and Cigna want to help you get healthy and stay healthy. So when you get involved in wellness goals sponsored by your company, you can easily earn rewards,* including money. And the more you do, the more you earn.

You can earn rewards for participating in a variety of activities, including:
› Health assessment
› Annual preventive exams
› Digital Diabetes Prevention Program
› Coach by phone
› Online health management programs
› Cigna Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies®
› And, a variety of other healthy activities

Getting started is easy! Visit myCigna.com and select “Wellness” or “View my incentives” to:
› Find detailed instructions on how to get started
› View a list of eligible goals and matching rewards
› Check and track your completed goals and earned rewards.
Reasonable alternatives may be available for certain activities. Please refer to the program materials for more information.

For more information, please go here.

Personal health advocates will provide personalized help for navigating the healthcare system and will assist with complex situations, help find specialists, clarify insurance coverage, work on claim denials, and much more. Simply contact MyAdvocate for expert, peace-of-mind answers to your most complicated healthcare-related questions and challenges.

During your first call, you will be assigned a personal advocate who will begin helping you immediately.

Phone: 1-833-968-1775
Web: MyAdvocateServices.com

Resources:

• Program Overview
• Benefits Assistance
• Billing and Claims Assistance
• Finding Providers and Scheduling Appointments
• Assistance with Medical Equipment Needs
• Assistance with Transferring Medical Records
• Coordination of Lab Work, X-rays and Other Testing Needs
• Eldercare Support and Research

Provides a $12,000 annual scholarship to admitted children of Colby employees. For more information, contact Kents Hill School at 207-685-4914 or at the website: kentshill.org.