Care to Learn

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1. Overview

The Care to Learn scheme can help with childcare costs while you study.

You must be aged under 20 at the start of your course.

The scheme is available for publicly-funded courses in England.

Claiming Care to Learn will not affect your family鈥檚 benefits or allowances.

2. What you'll get

You can get up to:

  • 拢180 per child per week if you live outside London
  • 拢195 per child per week if you live in London

What it covers

Care to Learn can help with the cost of:

  • your childcare, including deposit and registration fees
  • a childcare taster session for up to 5 days
  • keeping your childcare place over the summer holidays
  • taking your child to your childcare provider

Payments

Your education provider will make payments directly to your childcare provider.

Before they can be paid:

  • your childcare provider needs to confirm your child鈥檚 attendance
  • your education provider needs to confirm that you鈥檙e attending your course

Your education provider will either pay your travel costs or arrange travel for you.

When payments stop

Payments end when:

  • you stop attending your course
  • you reach the end of your course
  • your child stops attending childcare

3. Eligibility

You can get Care to Learn if all of the following apply to you:

  • you鈥檙e a parent under 20 at the start of your course
  • you鈥檙e the main carer for your child
  • you live in England
  • you鈥檙e either a British citizen or have a legal right to live and study in England
  • your course qualifies
  • your childcare provider qualifies

Your course

Care to Learn is only available for publicly-funded courses in England. This includes courses that take place in:

  • schools
  • sixth-forms in schools
  • sixth-form colleges
  • other colleges and education providers, including Foundation Learning
  • your community at Children鈥檚 Centres

Your education provider can tell you if your course is eligible.

Your childcare provider

To qualify, your childcare provider must be one of the following:

  • registered with Ofsted
  • registered with a childminder agency
  • a school

They can be a:

  • childminder
  • pre-school playgroup
  • day nursery
  • out of school club

Who cannot get Care to Learn

You鈥檙e not eligible if:

  • you鈥檙e an apprentice who gets a salary
  • you鈥檙e doing a higher education course, for example at university or college

4. How to apply

Apply for the Care to Learn scheme through your education provider. They will tell you if you and your chosen childcare provider are eligible.

When you apply, you must give your education provider either:

  • a copy of the child鈥檚 birth certificate
  • a letter confirming receipt of Child Benefit for that child