Family Resources

• UW-Madison Housing: Find housing on campus, including family housing.
• Off-Campus Housing: Find housing off-campus.
• Tenant Resource Center: Helps renters rental rights and common housing issues (eviction, landlord issues, apartment safety, subletting, etc.)
• Fair Housing Council: Helps individuals who may have experienced discrimination in the housing market.
• The Elizabeth House: Emergency housing for pregnant, single women.
• MGE (Madison Gas & Electric) Payment Support: Help if you have fallen behind on paying your MGE bills, need help paying your bill, and tips to save energy.

• The Open Seat – UW Student Food Pantry
• The Keep Food Pantry
• Find Food Pantries Near You
• Slow Food UW
• Badger Fare Program: Program for students experiencing temporary and ongoing food insecurity
• Summer Food Program: The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) provides meals to children aged 18 years and younger during summer break. Meals are available Monday-Friday at a variety of school sites and community locations.
• Campus & Community Food Resources
• Double Dollars Programs – Double your FoodShare dollars at local Farmers’ Markets.
• Basic Needs Resources (UW Financial Aid): Resources for food, health insurance, mental health, internet & technology.
• Small Item Request (UW Financial Aid): Submit your donation request for small items less than $80 like toiletries, clothes, school supplies, household essentials, or winter gear, etc.
• Badger Caring Closet: Provides clothing, hygiene products and school supplies at no cost to students in need.
• Madison & Dane County Public Health: Food Assistance, health care, housing & utilities, and more.
• City of Madison Health & Safety Resources
• Pregnancy Helpline: Offers child needs assistance for diapers, clothes, etc.
• WIC –  provides vouchers for nutritious foods, nutrition and breastfeeding information, and referrals to other health and nutrition services for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age 5.
• St. Vincent de Paul Clothing Vouchers
• TAA Diaper Program – Free diapers for UW-Madison graduate student families.

• UW Madison Transportation Services: Bikeshare, Campus Bus, Carpool, Emergency Ride Home, etc.
• Parking Permits for Expecting/New Mothers: UW faculty, staff, and students who are expecting or new mothers can purchase a temporary, 1-2 month accessible parking permit with a doctor’s note for $100/month, which allows for parking in most lots.
• Wisconsin app: An app for real-time tracking for all campus bus stops.
• ZipCar: UW-Madison has partnered with ZipCar to provide student memberships to its car-sharing service at a reduced cost.
• Student Parking
• SAFEwalk – A free, nighttime walking companionship service to help you get to and from near-campus locations safely.

• UW Student Health Insurance Plan
• University Health Services (Gynecology) – Services are available at no additional charge for all eligible students.
• BadgerCare Plus: Health care program alternative to the UW Student Health Insurance Plan. It helps low-income children, pregnant people, and adults in Wisconsin.
• UW Recreation & Wellbeing (RecWell)

Healthcare Education & Referral Services

• Covering Wisconsin: Non-profit that connects Wisconsin residents with health insurance and other programs that support health.
• Well Badger Resource Center: The Well Badger Resource Center is Wisconsin’s health information and referral service, connecting you to the social, health, and government programs available in your community.
• SPARKS: Parent video series designed to help families find early moments of connection and strengthen discussions with providers at each primary care visit.

• UW Health Safety Center: Shop for safety products (helmets, safety seats, smoke detectors), receive educational materials and ask our trained staff questions about child safety.
• Find Car Seat Checkups: Get your child’s car seat professionally checked by nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs).
• Occupational Health: See “Workplace Hazards” for information on workplace safety consultations as well as hazard assessment, personal protective equipment, and guidance on other control options.
• Ergonomics: UW Employees have access to free office and laboratory ergonomics services, including assessments and visit to the ergonomic workstation/equipment showroom (appointment required).
• Parents Place: Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange

• UW Mental Health Services
• UHS Couple/Partner Counseling – Only one partner must be a current UW-Madison student to receive couples counseling.
• Badger Recovery – Program for students in or considering recovery from substance use.
• The Rainbow Project Child & Family Counseling & Resource Clinic
• National Alliance on Mental Illness – Wisconsin – Resources for parents of children and youth.
• PlayStrong: A Parent’s Guide to Play Therapy – Learn how to use play to help children and families develop healthy habits, emotional resilience, and physical fitness.
• The Center for Connection – Comprehensive assessment, therapy and counseling services, including parenting support and consultation, speech & language therapy, evaluations and screenings, and mental health services.

• Parent Place: Online Parenting Classes

• Dane County Disability Services
• Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN)
• Birth to Three, Developmental Support for Children and Families
• Dane County Birth to Three Programs
• Understanding Disabilities
• Vroom.com – Digital tools & resources for science-backed early learning for children from birth to age 5
• Parent to Parent of Wisconsin – Helping parents find a one-to-one connection with another parent, who know firsthand about the feelings and realities that come with having a child with special needs.
• Early Childhood Special Education (MMSD)
• Special Education Disability Resources – Find resources and family support organizations for children with disabilities through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
• Kindred Kids – Wisconsin non-profit that lends equipment and tools for children with disabilities.
• Aging and Disability Resource Center: Resources for older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers and families.
• Aging: Programs and Services for Older Adults in Wisconsin

• Process-Oriented Art Activities for Preschool Children: A free e-book by OCCFR director Cigdem Unal that offers developmentally-appropriate art activites to foster creativity, problem solving, and confidence in young learners.
• Play & Learn: A free program for birth to 3+ children and their caregivers who live in the Madison School District.
• UW RecWell’s List of At-home Activities: A curated list created by UW RecWell. Find reading, educational, sensory/craft, and movement activities.
• Madison Reading Project: A FREE age-appropriate children’s book mailed to you home each month.
• Recommended Booklists by Age: Browse booklists for children and teens recommended by the UW-Madison Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC).
• Good Toys for Young Children by Age and Stage
• PBS Kids for Parents
• ABCYA: Preschool Learning Focusing on Early Skills
• ABCMouse: Early Learning Academy
• Adventure Academy: Learning games & videos for reading, math, science, and more

• Graduate School Resources
• Undergraduate Advising 
• UW-Madison Tutoring & Learning Support Resources
• UW-Madison Libraries
• McBurney Disability Resource Center
• English as a Second Language
• Computer and Tech Support
• Career Services
• Teaching Assistants Association
• Office of Student Assistance and Support (formerly Dean of Students Office)

• Wisconsin Student Parents Organization
• First Generation Badgers – for students whose parent(s) did not complete a 4-year college or university degree.
• Gender and Sexuality Campus Center 
• International Student Services 
• Multicultural Student Center 
• Resources for Returning Adult Students
• Transfer Transition Program (Undergraduate Transfer Students)
• University Veteran Services 

• Pregnancy and Parenting Students: Ways to support pregnant and parenting students including absences, rights, and accommodations.
• Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA): Requires a covered employer, including UW-Madison, to provide a “reasonable accommodation” to a qualified employee’s or applicant’s known limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an “undue hardship”.
• Equal Opportunity Complaint
• Report Bias or Hate Incident
• Report Sexual Misconduct
• University Health Services (UHS) Survivor Services
• Restraining Order & Survivor Advocacy Clinic
• File a Child Care Complaint
• Family Court Clinic: Available to low-income individuals who want help with a paternity action, restraining order, divorce, or a post-divorce/paternity matter, such as custody, placement or child support.

• Financial Emergency Support (UW Financial Aid)
• Crisis Loans & Grants – Short term loans/grants typically under $500, offered through the Office of Student Assistance & Support (formerly the Dean of Students Office)
• City of Madison Emergency Assistance: City of Madison one-time payment that can help low-income parents pay an emergency housing or utility-related expense.
• Respite Center: Emergency child care for families in crisis.
• Emergency Child Care Grant: Office of Child Care & Family Resources grant for child care coverage in cases of crisis situations (death in family, unexpected loss of job, child care closure, medical expense, etc.)
• DAIS (Domestic Abuse Intervention Services)