childcare when you are at uni..

[alfiebetty]

My uni has a nursery on premises. MIL will mainly be looking after dd, but worried she might get tired once she starts crawling/walking so i'm applying for a place for her at Uni..just wondered how other peeps have found this and also how long it takes for funding to come through to pay for it. Do I apply for tax credits or childcare grant?

I get help with childcare from the NHS under their new scheme. I get 85% paid for towards a full time place. If you work more than 16 hours you can get working tax credit childcare which is 70% of the cost. Beware i fell in the trap of admitting i was getting working tax credit on my application form. I was told by the childcare allowence that i if i hadnt admitted to it my application would have been proccessed without any hassel. instead i had to wait to come off tax credits and get the paperwork to say i was off them and then re apply!
hope that helps?

I'm just applying for a childcare grant at the moment and it said on the application form not to apply if you are getting working tax credit. I think you're better off with a childcare grant.

i wish they would sort out free nursery places for students, or at least ones which are only term time. It really annoys me that I have to pay for 3 months of the year when i'm not actually using the nursery.

Hey beans mum i know its annoying but student nurses, midwives, doctors, dentists and health visitors dont get a three month summer break! if funding and places were term time only we would be bu**ered! Just a thought......

thanks for advice chloeb2002... I thought I might be better off with childcare grant.

What is the childcare grant? I am going to do the PGCE next year. Full time course with a £6000 grant (at least I think it's a grant) as a mature student. However the £6000 will just about cover nursery fees for DD who will be 14 months when I start and childminder for DS who will be starting state nursery then too.

Can I get additional state funding for childcare since I will be worse off than a fellow student with no children?

hi I'm applying to do a PGCE in Scotland next year, DP will be working full time so I didn't think I would get any provision for childcare. I think I will be entitled to a Student Loan thats about it so would be interested to hear what everyone else is doing.

I think with PGCE you are LEA funded? therefore if you are eligible you will recieve funding for childcare through them? I think like wise to the NHS it is up to 85% and therefore it is means tested and awarded on a pro rata scale. If in doubt ask the LEA? they will know for sure.

don't know if it's different in scotland though will check though thanks

Information about the Childcare Grant is available on the dfes website. I'm not using my work pc at the mo so I don't have the links, but there is a pdf file to download from the funding pages.
HTH