Funding childcare for university

[ADawes88]

Hi everyone I've had a real shock today I've had a rubbish year with both my parents and my in laws being ill and have decided to make a huge career change from a chef which I love but the hours are more and more difficult with 1 child in school and a 1 year old working evenings and weekends are near impossible to retraining and getting a degree in social work hoping to be a social worker in the near future. I've handed my notice in and had my last shift last week, my student finance hasn't come through yet and I am due to start my course tomorrow after a long call to student finance I've just found out I'm not eligible for the childcare grant which would pay for my daughters childminder because its means tested despite this there is no way my husband could pay all the bills and pay 180pw in childcare does anyone know of anything that may help me because as it stands I am looking at having to give up my place and am devastated as I was so looking forward to this career change

Have you calculated entitlement to benefits?

Yes we're not entitled to any benefits just child benefit which we already receive tlits the childcare element that will stop me being able to go

The benefits calculators will be asking for your 2018–19 income whereas you need your case assessed based on what your 19–20 income will be given the significant drop. I did an income forecast and then my benefits were calculated based on that.

Presumably your course only has contact time a few hours a week. You might be better off looking for a childminder who is willing to only look after your DC for the required hours rather than nurseries which will charge for the whole session regardless of how much of the time you actually need to use.

Is there a creche at the nursery?

Oops at the uni

Because the degree is in social work the contact time is 9-5.15 Monday to Friday there is a nursery but the same if not more fees apply and after checking entitlements they are all coming up with unable to provide an estimate for a student but I don't believe we would be entitled to benefits

How much can your DH afford to pay towards childcare?

If you're above the means testing threshold it must mean that your household income is fairly decent?

Can you cut down on any luxuries for the duration of your course to help free up some money?

The other thing that occurs to me is whether you could work one evening shift per week as a chef to pay towards the childcare costs (assuming your DH can be at home that evening to look after the DC).

Speak to the money advisor in student services at your university. There is sometimes a funding pot for this very scenario.

Thank you the means testing threshold for childcare grant is 17000 anything above that no help I had stupidly assumed the threshold would be the same as for a maintenance loan my husband is also a chef which means I can't work evenings or weekends we have already cut down on luxuries to be able to afford me going to university and I have called the finance team and left messages over the last 2 days and had no answer or reply

Do you know about 'tax free childcare' saving you 20%?

And once your DC turns 3 they'll get 30 funded hours' childcare.

So it may be a case of building up a bit of debt to bridge the gap between now and then.

If your degree is pretty certain to lead to decent employment it is probably worth a year or so of difficult finances to do it.

Can you speak to anyone at your uni? There may be grants to help? X

What hours does your dh actually work? Does he work evenings??

Are you claiming as much as you can in terms of loans and grants etc? Can any of it be used for childcare?