Which one is yours?
This is the part families get stuck on, so start here. All three schemes require a registered childcare provider — we are registered and Ofsted-inspected, so our fees qualify.
Care to Learn — childcare and travel costs up to a weekly cap.
Childcare Grant — up to 85% of costs. Not repaid.
Learner Support — awarded by your college.
Childcare Grant — the one most university parents use
- For full-time students in higher education with dependent children
- Covers up to 85% of your childcare costs, to a weekly maximum that depends on how many children you have
- You do not repay it. It is a grant, not part of your student loan
- Applied for through Student Finance, alongside your other funding
You cannot get the Childcare Grant if you or your partner receive Universal Credit childcare costs or Tax-Free Childcare. If that is your situation, see our Universal Credit guide before applying for either.
Care to Learn — if you are under 20
For young parents continuing their education at school or sixth form. It pays towards your childcare and your travel to the provider, up to a weekly cap, so that having a child does not end your course.
Apply at gov.uk/care-to-learn. Your school or college will have someone who helps with this — they will have done it before.
Also worth knowing
- Parents' Learning Allowance — a separate grant for full-time students with children, towards course costs rather than childcare. You can usually hold it alongside the Childcare Grant.
- Your funded hours are unaffected. Whatever you study, your child keeps their government-funded hours if eligible. These schemes help with what is left.
What to do next
- Work out which scheme applies from the three above. If you are between two, your college or university student services will know.
- Check the current amounts at gov.uk/childcare-grant or gov.uk/care-to-learn. The weekly maximums change each year.
- Ask us for our provider details. You will be asked for our registration details and usually for confirmation of your costs.
- Apply early. These are processed alongside student finance and can take weeks. Before term starts is much easier than chasing it afterwards.
This guide is a summary, not advice. The schemes, amounts and eligibility rules are set by the government and change from time to time. Check the current position on gov.uk and talk to your college or university student services.
Studying and looking for a nursery place?
Come and see us. We can talk you through how the funding works in practice at JLK, and make sure you have the provider details and paperwork your application will ask for.