Spouses and families of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars enjoy many benefits from Purdue and the surrounding community. Benefits may include reduced tuition, health insurance, and reduced membership fees at the Purdue Recreational Sports Center.
Use the links below to learn more about the benefits available to your family through both Purdue and the local community.
The Greater Lafayette and Indianapolis areas are home to award-winning, nationally recognized schools. Please see the lists below to find which school(s) fit your family needs.
Note: This is a list of resources available to the public. Purdue University has not vetted nor does the University endorse any of the following schools.
Greater Lafayette Area
- Private Preschools
- Tippecanoe School Corporation
- Lafayette School Corporation
- West Lafayette Community School Corporation
- Tippecanoe County Private Schools
Indianapolis
Here are some resources for finding employment in the community.
Welcome to the HR Family Friendly resource page! This page has a wonderful variety of assets to assist you in balancing your work-life demands. Including family friendly practices & benefits, finding off-campus care, the national tuition assistance program and so much more!
West Lafayette, Lafayette, and other nearby communities offer numerous family-friendly activities. Here is a small sample of some activities you can enjoy:
- The West Lafayette Celery Bog and Lilly Nature Center. The 195-acre Celery Bog is open dawn to dusk, with no admission charge. It contains 4.3 miles of paved trails and 2.5 miles of natural paths through the woods, savanna, and prairie. The Lilly Nature Center is located in the Celery Bog and is open is 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Wed-Sat and 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm on Sun, closed on certain holidays.
- Columbian Park includes Tropicanoe Cove and a zoo.
- Lafayette offers summer fun with its three water centers Castaway Bay; Tropicanoe Cove ; and Prophetstown State Park Aquatic Center.
- Happy Hollow Park is located in West Lafayette and has play equipment! It is pet-friendly, has picnic areas, along with walking, jogging, and hiking trails.
- Indianapolis Zoo and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest children’s museum in the country, are just a short drive away! Forbes.com contributor Larry Olmsted ranked The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis at the top of the 12 best children’s museums in the U.S.
- The Purdue University Bug Bowl gives children of all ages the chance to explore and learn through activities and demonstrations.
- Wolf Park, an educational and research facility, makes learning fun and exciting, especially during Howl Nights!
- Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore is a national park on the shores of Lake Michigan.
- Taste of Tippecanoe will satisfy even picky eaters with samples of local restaurants’ best dishes and live music.
- Explore local history at the Feast of the Hunters’ Moon, a re-creation of an annual fall gathering between the French and Native Americans at Fort Ouiatenon.
- Riverside Skating Plaza offers summer roller skating and winter ice skating.
- Purdue’s campus and West Lafayette’s nearly 20 miles of paved trails provide wonderful jogging, biking, and walking paths.
For more activities, visit the Parks and Recreation Web sites for both West Lafayette and Lafayette and Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources website.
Purdue offers family friendly work-life integration educational resources and benefits. For more information visit Worklife Programs’ Child Care Website call (765) 494-2222, or email hr@purdue.edu.
Worklife Programs also offers resources on finding and evaluating off-campus child care options. Additional resources include: