Child Care and Schools

Expecting Parents and Lactating Employees

The Orientation Division at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center (NFATC) supports expectant parents and lactating employees throughout the orientation process.  

Expectant Parents

The Orientation Division’s student leave policy applies to all students attending orientation. If an expectant parent or their partner goes into labor or experiences an emergency, they should contact a member of the Orientation team via phone or email as soon as possible. The Orientation team will review the situation and work with the student to accommodate their needs as expectant parents.

Lactating Employees

The Orientation Division upholds the Department of State’s lactation policy (3 FAM 3860).  We build our course schedule in a way that includes frequent breaks.  If you have any concerns or need extra time, please reach out to OR staff to coordinate.  There is a three-stall lactation room outside the Orientation suite on the 2nd floor of the B building (B-2510), as well another lactation room in the F Building of NFATC.

School Resources in the DC Metro Area

The Global Community Resource Office (GCLO) has excellent resources on public and private schools in the DC Metro Area and information on navigating school choice and enrollment preparation: Transitioning from School to School - United States Department of State

Also, if you are bidding as part of a family that has children with special educational needs, please refer to the Office of Overseas Schools (Office of Overseas Schools - United States Department of State).