Help with Childcare Costs - while you study

As a student, you could get help with childcare costs. Getting help with your childcare costs will depend on your personal circumstances, for example, household income, age and number of children.

See the options below:

• Childcare according to age
• Care to Learn - school or sixth form
• Discretionary Learner Support (DLS)
• Student Finance
• Childcare Grant
• Grants and Bursaries/grant finder
• Students with children or dependent adults
• Disabled students/extra help for financial hardship
• Also available - Free Childcare for 2, 3 and 4 year olds
  • Free for 2s - Free Early Learning for 2 year olds
  • Free Early Education - up to 15 hours per week for all 3 and 4 year olds
• Starting work?

See also

• Our Help with Childcare Costs - while you work page

Childcare according to age

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Care to Learn - School or sixth form

You could get weekly payments if you’re under 20 at the start of a publicly-funded course, for example at school or sixth form. You must be aged under 20 at the start of your course.

Note: a publicly funded course is one that you are not charged for attending.

This includes courses in:

• schools
• sixth-forms in schools
• sixth-form colleges

You could get a weekly grant if you are in full-time higher education

You can’t get Care to Learn if:

• you’re an apprentice who gets a salary
• you’re doing a higher education course at university

For full eligibility details or to make an online application go to Care to Learn eligibility pages on GOV.UK (external link).

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Discretionary Learner Support (DLS)

Further education

You can apply for Discretionary Learner Support to pay for childcare if you’re 20 or over and in further education, for example studying for an NVQ, BTEC or PGCE. You can apply to your learning provider (eg your college) for DLS. Your learning provider (eg college) decides how much you get. It depends on their scheme and your circumstances.

Did you know that Discretionary Learner Support can be used to pay for childcare?

For full eligibility details or to make an online application go to the Discretionary Learner Support pages on GOV.UK (external link).

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Student Finance

Whether you qualify for student finance depends on:

• Your university or college
• Your course
• If you’ve studied a higher education course before
• Your age
• Your nationality or residency status

You might also get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children - see the Student Finance Extra Help pages on GOV.UK (external link). For full eligibility details or to apply online go to the Student Finance pages on GOV.UK (external link).

You might get extra money on top of this, for example if you’re on a low income, are disabled or have children.

Students on a low income

You can apply for:

• Income Support (external link)
• Extra help (external link) if you’re experiencing financial hardship

You can claim Student Finance and Childcare Grant at the same time. Use the government's student finance calculator (external link) to see what help you could get.

You can apply for a Childcare Grant if you’re in full-time higher education. You must be eligible for Student Finance to apply for a Childcare Grant. You could get up to 85% of your childcare costs if your child or children are:

• under 15 (under 17 if they have special needs)

You could get up to 85% of your childcare costs

The grant:

• Doesn’t have to be paid back
• Is paid on top of your other student finance
• Income-related, unemployment and housing benefits are not affected by a Childcare Grant

For full details and to see what you could get, go to GOV.UK Childcare Grant pages (external link).

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Grants and Bursaries/grant finder

Adult learners can apply for grants and bursaries to help pay for courses and training and you don't usually have to pay this money back. 

Many grants and bursaries include help with childcare costs

For most grants and bursaries you apply directly to the organisation that gives them out and they would let you know if you qualify. For full details and other grant information, go to the Grants and Bursaries pages on the GOV.UK website (external link).

For more information about grants - why not do a grant search on the Turn2Us website (external link).

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Students with children or dependent adults

You can apply for:

• Childcare Grant (external link) - full-time students only
• Parents’ Learning Allowance (external link) - full-time students only
• Adult Dependants’ Grant (external link) - full-time students only
• Child Tax Credit (external link)
• Extra help (external link) if you’re experiencing financial hardship

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Disabled students/extra help for financial hardship

If you have a disability, long-term health condition, mental health condition or specific learning disability (such as dyslexia) you can apply for:

• Disabled Students’ Allowances (external link)
• Extra help (external link) if you’re experiencing financial hardship

You may also qualify for disability related benefits (external link).

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Also available - free childcare for 2, 3 and 4 year olds

Free for 2s - Free Early Learning for 2 year olds

Free Early Learning places of up to 15 hours per week are available for some families with 2 year old children, claiming certain benefits (eg Income Support, Tax Credits) and have an annual household salary of £16,190 or less. A 2 year old child can also get Free Early Learning if any of the following apply:

• They’re looked after by a local council
• They have a current statement of special education needs (SEN) or an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• They get Disability Living Allowance
• They’ve left care under a special guardianship order, child arrangements order or adoption order

You will need to apply to your local council. If eligible, places start the term 'after' the childs' second birthday (see date when child can start table below):

Note: when the Free Early Learning entitlement for 2 year olds ends, your child will move into a Free Early Education place for 3 and 4 year olds, quite often at the same childcare setting (see Free Early Education details below).You will need to discuss this with your childcare provider.

To find out more, to view the full eligibility criteria, view or download a list of approved childcare providers or simply apply using our online form, visit our Free Early Learning page.

Free Early Education - up to 15 hours per week for all 3 and 4 year olds

Free Early Education places of up to 15 hours per week are available for all families of 3 and 4 year olds. Places for 3 and 4 year olds start the term 'after' their third birthday (see date when child start in the table below).

You do not need to qualify or apply to your local council - simply go direct to an approved childcare provider and ask for a place. Places start from the term after the child's third birthday and stops when the child starts in a school reception class (or reaches compulsory school age, if this is later).

See table below:

Did you know that all 3 and 4 year olds are eligible for the Free 15 hours Early Education offer?

To find out more or view or download our list of approved childcare providers visit our Free Early Education page.

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Starting work?

See what help you could get by visiting our Help with Childcare Costs - While you Work page or download our Help With Childcare Costs While You Work (PDF, 111KB) fact sheet. You can also download the Which Childcare Benefits can be used together? (PDF, 2MB) fact sheet.

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Information correct at time of publication - 18 October 2017. Source: GOV.UK Childcare Service website (external link).