Grants and benefits if you're studying and have a baby

You might be able to get Care to Learn payments if:

• you’re a parent under the age of 20
• you live in England
• you’re studying a publicly funded course – your school, college or learning provider can tell you if your course is eligible
• you’re the main carer for your child
• you’re a British citizen or a national of a European Economic Area (EEA) country
• your childcare provider is registered with Ofsted.

With Care to Learn, you can get up to:

• £160 a child per week if you live outside London
• £175 a child per week if you live in London.

(2020/21 figures)

The payments go directly to your childcare provider.

A weekly grant to help with childcare costs while you study.

The amount you’ll get depends on your income, childcare needs and the number of children you have.

You don’t have to pay a Childcare Grant back.

To get a Childcare Grant, you must:

• be a full-time student
• live in England permanently
• have – or be eligible for – a student finance package
• have a childcare provider who is registered with Ofsted
• have a child under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs.

You can’t get a Childcare Grant if you or your partner are:

• claiming the childcare element of Working Tax Credit
• claiming the childcare element of Universal Credit
• receiving help with childcare costs from the NHS.

The amount you get depends on:

• your household income
• the cost of your childcare
• the number of dependent children you have.

You can get a grant to cover up to 85% of your childcare costs.

In the 2020/21 academic year, the most you can get is:

• up to £179.62 a week for one child
• up to £307.95 a week for two or more children.

(2020/21 figures)

You could get a Parents’ Learning Allowance if you’re:

• a student from England with dependent children
• studying a full-time undergraduate course or an Initial Teacher Training course.

The amount you get depends on your household income.

In the 2021/22 academic year, you could get between £50 and £1,821.

You can apply for Parents’ Learning Allowance when you apply for student finance.

A payment made to single parents living in Scotland with at least one dependent child.

You don’t need to pay back a Lone Parents’ Grant.

You could get the Lone Parents’ Grant if you’re bringing up at least one child on your own and you’re:

• single
• widowed
• divorced
• separated.

You could get up to £1,305. The amount you get depends on your income.

Apply directly to your college for financial support from the Lone Parents’ Grant

Payments from The Lone Parents’ Childcare Grant can be made by your college or university.

It’s to help cover registered childcare costs for the days you attend college or university.

You don’t have to pay the money back.

Lone Parents’ Childcare Grant payments are made on a case-by-case basis. The decision is made by each college or university.

Not all eligible students will get help as the fund is limited – but priority is usually given to lone parents.

You can apply for a Lone Parents’ Childcare Grant payment if you’re:

• a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate student
• getting the maximum student loan available
• eligible to have your tuition fees paid by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

You must be paying for registered childcare, which includes:

• day care
• pre-schools
• after-school clubs
• registered childminders.

If you qualify, you can apply for a payment of up to £1,215.

Your college or university will decide how much the payment should be.

Apply to your college for financial support from the Childcare Fund.

Payments from your college or university to help with the costs of childcare if you’re on a low income.

The fund is also used to help students without children who might need financial help to take part in their course.

You might be able to get help from the Financial Contingency Fund if:

• you’re 16 or over
• you pay for registered childcare
• your annual household income is less than £28,000.

Your college or university will decide how much you get.

Ask your college about help from the Financial Contingency Fund.

Payments to help with the costs of childcare if you’re studying.

You could get help from the Care to Learn scheme if:

• you’re the child’s main carer
• you live in Northern Ireland
• you’re aged between 16 and 20 at the start of your course
• you’re studying a full- or part-time course listed on the National Database of Accredited Qualifications (NDAQ). Your college will be able to confirm if your course qualifies.

You could get up to £165 a week for each child.

Ask your college about help from the Care to Learn scheme.

Weekly payments to help up to 85% of your childcare costs.

You can apply if you:

• are a full-time student
• have children under 15 in approved or registered childcare (or under 17 if they have special needs).

Depending on your household income, you can apply for up to 85% of your childcare costs up to a maximum of:

• £148.75 a week for one child
• £255 a week for more than one child.

You won’t be able to get the Childcare Grant if you (or your partner) get the childcare element of Working Tax Credit.

You can apply for Childcare Grant payments on your main student finance application.

Payments to help with course-related costs if you have children.

You can apply for help if you’re a student with children.

If you qualify, you could get up to £1,538 a year. The amount you get will depend on your household income.

You can apply for Parents’ Learning Allowance on your main student finance application. Complete the section about extra help for students with children.