CONDITIONS: Care to Learn family benefit eligibility depends on whether you are:
- Living and studying in England and your course qualifies.
- A parent under 20 at the beginning of your course.
- The main carer for your child and your childcare provider also qualifies.
- Either a British citizen or a national of a country in a European Economic Area (EEA).
Care to Learn Publicly-funded Courses
To qualify to get the Care to Learn benefit your course must be one of the publicly-funded courses in England.
You can get further information from your learning provider. But, as a rule eligible courses are ones which take place at any of the following:
- A school.
- A 6th form in a school.
- A 6th form college.
- A community Children Centre.
- Certain colleges and learning providers (includes Foundation Learning).
Childcare Providers
The childcare provider you use must be registered with Ofsted to qualify and they may be:
- A child minder
- A day nursery
- A preschool playgroup
- An out of school club
Your childcare provider should be on the register for specialist provision at the Care Quality Commission if your child needs specialist childcare.
A relative may get Care to Learn to look after your child. But, they must be providing registered childcare for children they are not related to. They must also be living apart from you and your child.
Not Eligible for Care to Learn
You can check through important information how to claim and the guide notes. But, you are not eligible for claiming the Care to Learn benefit if:
- You are an apprentice receiving a salary.
- You are undertaking a higher education course at university.
ALSO IN THIS SECTION
Care to Learn Scheme: Check what it is and how it can help to pay for childcare costs while you study.
How to Claim Care to Learn: Information on claiming if you are studying and need extra financial help.