Care to Learn Scheme

If you’re a parent aged 16 and under 20 and studying at a further education college, the Care to Learn (NI) Scheme could help towards your childcare costs. You can apply for assistance in advance if you expect to become a parent during your course.

Eligibility

To be eligible, a student must during their course of study be or become:

• a parent
• at least 16 years old
• aged under 20 years of age at the start of their course of study
• live in Northern Ireland and meet residency requirements in accordance with the Education (Student Support) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009

Your local college can advise you on all these eligibilty conditions.

• Northern Ireland Further Education Colleges (Department for Employment and Learning website)

If you are under 16 and a parent studying at an Further Education (FE) college, the college will refer you to the Education Welfare Service of your local Education & Library Board.

If you become 20 years during their course of study may choose to remain on the scheme or to apply for assistance under the FE Support Funds (discretionary).

Please note that if you are in receipt of or eligible for childcare support from other sources, such as Child Tax Credits, Childcare Grant Support Funds or any other DEL or EU-funded programmes; are not eligible for assistance under Care to Learn (NI) Scheme.

A student who is expecting to become a parent during their course of study may apply in advance to establish their eligibility for assistance.

Courses

The scheme is open to full-time and part-time FE and HE students enrolled in FE provision.The course must be listed on the National Database of Accredited Qualifications (NDAQ) and may include, for example, NVQ at Levels 1 to 5, GCSEs, A Levels and AS Levels.

Your local college can advise you if your course is on NDAQ.