Doing It All When Your Children Are Small: A Support Group for Faculty Parents
Attention, faculty parents! The demands of parenthood can be overwhelming and the pandemic has only intensified these challenges. Faculty parents are not only teaching courses, trying to write and conduct research, but also caring for and schooling their children. Do you sometimes feel as though you’ll never sleep again, let alone have a clear intellectual thought? Does publishing seem like a pipe dream? You are not alone.
In Spring 2026, we will host drop-in Zoom support group meetings at various days to accommodate faculty parent schedules. Meet and connect with other faculty as we share ideas and strategies for engaging in research and writing while parenting. Please feel free to join these web meetings at any time between 12-1pm and for as little or as long as you like. The meetings are open to UC Davis and UC Irvine faculty parents.
All parents are welcome, as are their children!
Spring 2026 Schedule
Monday, April 20, 2026, 12-1pm
Protecting Time to Write and Preparing Your Dossier
As children grow older, their needs change, but despite these shifts, the demands on parents' time and energy do not; in fact, they may intensify. Academic Senate Chair and Professor of Economics Katheryn Russ and CAP Oversight Committee Chair and Professor of English Gina Bloom, both former chairs and parents, will share their insights and advice about the ongoing challenges of protecting your time for research and writing when the demands of parenting are impossible to ignore. They will also offer helpful advice about preparing your dossier for merit and promotion.
Thursday, May 21, 2026, 12-1pm
Practicing Self Care
Nourishing yourself ends up as a low priority in light of all the demands on you as an academic and a parent in addition to everything else in your life. Self-care is different for everyone. What are ways to practice self-care that will help sustain you and give you strength? And how can you find the time to do it? Faculty Parent Support Group Founder and Convener Diane Wolf will discuss these different aspects and then ask participants to share their experiences and questions.
The convener of the Faculty Parent Support Group, Professor Emerita Diane Wolf, is also available for one-on-one confidential consultations to fit your schedule, including faculty parent of all school-age children. Please contact her directly via email at [email protected].
For additional information and all other inquiries, please contact Diane Wolf, [email protected], or Brad Horton, Program Coordinator for Faculty Relations and Development, [email protected].