Help with Childcare Costs

Care to Learn Scheme

If you are aged under 20 at the start of your course you can apply for childcare support through the 'Care to Learn' scheme. As long as you meet the residency requirements, Care to Learn will pay for your childcare costs while you study. Please ask Student Services for an application form or visit direct.gov for information on the care to learn scheme you can also telephone the helpline on 0800 121 8989 for more information.

If you are aged 20+ at the start of your course

College Childcare Fund

Students aged 20 years and over may be eligible to receive financial support with the cost of childcare. As funding is limited, it is essential to apply early.

Priority will be given to:

• Students continuing onto the second year of a two-year programme, who have received childcare support previously, and who have met all attendance/progress requirements.
• Students receiving remitted fees for the following reasons:
  • Entry/Level 1 progression onto Level 2 Entitlement
  • Level 2 or Level 3 Entitlement
  • Dependent on Job Seekers Allowance
  • Dependent on Employment Support Allowance (Work Related)
  • Course is Skills for Life (not ESOL)
• Students on Income Support
• Students with a household income below £20,816
• Students who have experienced a drop in income through redundancy
• Lone Parents

You can use the Childcare Fund to pay for childcare in the College Nursery (West Bridgford) or to fund external provision. Students are responsible for arranging their own external childcare places with local day nurseries, childminders or after-school clubs. All supported childcare must be Ofsted Registered and a copy of the registration certificate provided to the College.

Details of local nurseries can be found in the Yellow Pages under Nursery Schools. In addition, details of Nurseries and Childminders can be found on the Day Nurseries website or by contacting the Nottinghamshire Families Information Service on 0800 781 2168 (free from landline) or 01623 520694 (standard rate from a mobile).

Childcare costs will be supported for timetabled classes only (generally, we will allow up to one hour’s travelling time per day if required, although discretion can be used to extend this to meet exceptional needs).

Students will be expected to use any available Education Grant Funding towards meeting their childcare needs.

Payments will be capped as follows:

Duration	Price
Full week	£180
Full day	£40*
Half day (morning or afternoon)	£22
Hourly Rate	£4

Any childcare costs above these rates will have to be met by the student.

* Where a class spans across the middle of the day, a full day’s childcare will only be met by the College when there are at least 4 timetabled hours in the day.

Please note that this fund is limited and once the fund has been allocated we will place your application on a waiting list in case funding is released later in the year.

Applications for childcare support should be directed to:

Or