The College Support Scheme can be used to support the costs of childcare for eligible full time 20+ students whilst you attend College.
The type of childcare you may receive depends on your age.
Childcare for the 16-18 year-old group of young parents is paid by the 'Care to Learn' funding initiative, and if you receive funding your attendance will be regularly monitored. For more information on financial assistance to support your learning visit Care to Learn.
Please note that funds are limited and there is no guarantee that applying for funding for childcare means that you will receive it.
Students under 20
Care to Learn – Childcare for learners under 20 years old.
If you have any queries about this email, call the Provider Helpline on 0300 303 8610.
The aim of the government's Care to Learn Scheme is to give financial support to teenage mothers and fathers who want to continue their education or training, need help with the cost of their childcare and travel expenses and are under 20 at the start of their course. You may be eligible if:
- You live in England.
- You are either a British citizen or a national of a European Economic Area (EEA).
- Your course qualifies.
- Your childcare provider is registered with Ofsted.
If you have any queries about Care to Learn, call the Provider Helpline on 0300 303 8610 or follow the link above.
Students over 20
Students who have applied for the 19+ College Support Scheme or the 19+ Advanced Learning Loan Bursary, may also apply for childcare from their respective Fund. Childcare costs can be paid for registered childcare in the College Day Nursery or another Ofsted registered childcare provided by an external provider will be considered. Childcare funding is up to £160 per child per week, which is enough to cover full-time childcare in this area.
You can apply at the same time as submitting your 19+ College Support Scheme or 19+ Advanced Learning Loan form.
It is advisable to have this form completed in advance to avoid disappointment. There is no guarantee that applying for Childcare means receiving Childcare.
Part-time evening courses will not be eligible. We can only provide assistance for registered child-minders/nurseries. Please note that the College takes no responsibility for the quality of care provided.
Payments will only be made if you achieve an attendance of 90% or over on a monthly basis. You will be responsible for childcare costs for the month if you do not achieve this. The contract is between you and the nursery, and the College will not take responsibility for payments if you do not reach the required attendance.
This form should be completed by your childcare provider and signed by you, the student.
If your child is 3 or over, then you may be eligible for Early Education Funding (EEF). All three and four year olds are entitled to 15 hours of free nursery education for 37 weeks of the year.
Eligibility
You are NOT eligible if:
1. You are an Apprentice who gets a salary.
2. You are a student doing a Higher Education Course at University.
If your child needs specialist childcare, the provider must also be on the Care Quality Commission’s register for specialist provision.
If you want a relative to get Care to Learn for looking after your child they need to be both:
- Providing registered childcare for children they are not related to.
- Living apart from you and your child.
You can also get information and guidance in completing the forms for Care to Learn from a Connexions Personal Advisor
For more information and to apply for Care to Learn funding you can visit the Care to Learn website by clicking here.
Learner Support helpline (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Telephone: 0800 121 8989
Text phone: 0800 917 6048
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DFES Care To Learn
Changes
Additional Childcare Provision is available where courses have additional units added later in the academic year, such as work experience, GCSEs and Functional Skills. Students are responsible for contacting Student Services and Care to Learn to inform them of such changes.
Care to Learn will only backdate Childcare costs for one month from the date they receive a change of circumstances application form.
If your timetable changes it is your responsibility to tell your childcare provider and the Student Services Team. If this change means that you will have to pay more for your weekly childcare then we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet this rise in costs. A rise in your weekly assistance will depend on the funds we have available at the time. Sometimes your weekly rate will change as your child gets older. If this happens it is your responsibility to inform Student Services. If you change the number of days or amount of hours your children attend nursery and you fail to inform Student Services, then childcare support could be withdrawn.
If you withdraw from the College or have funding declined because of poor attendance the College will take no responsibility for payment of outstanding fees to your childcare provider.
General Information
Childcare assistance is only available for the time the student spends in timetabled classes in College. A childcare application form should be completed by the student and signed by you, the childcare provider.
The childcare place is only funded during term time. This means that over the Christmas, Easter and Half Term breaks we will not be able to pay for the childcare place. If you ask for a retainer to save a place in the nursery over these breaks please discuss it with the student. Please note the maximum award is £160 per week per child.
You, the childcare provider will be asked to send the College a detailed invoice on a monthly basis.
Only these invoices will be accepted. We will use the invoice and the students’ timetable to make payments. The student should make you aware that if the students’ attendance drops below 90% for the month we will not cover the cost.
Providing the students’ application for financial support is successful we will be writing to you in due course to confirm the funding and to try to explain the rules surrounding the students’ payments. BACs payments will be made to the Childcare Provider.
Please complete your forms in advance.
Evidence
All assessments will be based on household income and evidence will need to be supplied. An application will not be accepted if it is incomplete.
Please provide photocopies of documents as originals will not be returned or photocopied on your behalf.
Benefits
If you claim Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit then you must supply a copy of all six pages of your Award Notice for this year. Alternatively, if the Learner’s partner is in receipt of any of the following benefits, you must supply evidence of this to cover the current financial year.
- Job Seekers Allowance
- Employment & Support Allowance (income related)
- Income Support
- Universal Credit
- Pension Credit (minimum guarantee)
- National Insurance Credit
Employed
If the learner’s partner is employed with a total household income below £45,000 in the applicable financial year then please supply the following evidence for all working adults.
Please provide photocopies of documents as originals will not be returned or photocopied on your behalf.
P60 for April or March wage slip for the most recent financial year, showing total income to date.
If you are self-employed, we need to see an Accountants Letter stating projected earnings for the most recent full financial year or a photocopy of the relevant pages of your Self-Assessment Tax Return along with any additional evidence for your partner’s earnings.
Please return the form and evidence to: Student Services, Buckinghamshire College Group, Aylesbury Campus, Oxford Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP21 8PD
