Postsecondary Child Care Grant Program

The Postsecondary Child Care Grant is administered by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education to support student parents enrolled in postsecondary education within the state. The program is designed to reduce financial barriers by helping eligible students offset out of pocket child care expenses incurred while attending classes, studying, or working. Rather than being centrally awarded, the grant is distributed and managed through participating campus financial aid offices, which assess eligibility and determine award amounts based on individual student circumstances and available funding. The primary purpose of the program is to enable students with dependent children to persist in their academic programs by alleviating the burden of child care costs. Funding may be applied toward qualified child care services for children aged 12 or younger, or up to age 14 if the child has a documented disability. The program supports both undergraduate and graduate students, provided they are enrolled in at least one credit per academic term at a participating Minnesota institution. The grant specifically targets students who are already paying for child care out of pocket and who are not receiving full time public child care assistance or duplicative funding from other sources. Eligible expenses are subject to several limitations and caps. Awards may cover up to 40 hours of child care per week per eligible child, and reimbursement is limited by provider rate caps depending on whether care is delivered in a center or home setting. The maximum annual award is 6500 dollars per child for a nine month academic year, with defined per term minimums and maximums. In certain cases, awards may be increased by up to 10 percent to account for higher infant care costs until the child reaches 18 months of age. Funding is reduced by any other child care assistance received, and total awards may not fully cover all expenses due to funding limitations. Eligibility requirements are comprehensive and include residency, academic standing, and financial criteria. Applicants must be Minnesota residents, in good academic standing, not in default on student loans, and must not be receiving benefits from the Minnesota Family Investment Program. Additionally, students cannot have already exhausted the program limit of 10 semesters of funding, though exceptions are made for those who withdrew due to military service. Applicants must also demonstrate that they are currently incurring child care expenses and are not receiving full time subsidized child care assistance. The application process requires completion of both the Postsecondary Child Care Grant application and a federal or state financial aid application such as the FAFSA or MN Dream Act application. After submitting the online application, students must print and complete additional sections with their child care provider, verify all information, and submit the completed application to their institution’s financial aid office. Institutions may request further documentation and require timely updates if child care arrangements change. Final award determinations are made by financial aid administrators, who notify applicants of outcomes. There is no single statewide deadline published, as applications are processed by participating institutions and may be subject to institutional timelines. Awards are typically coordinated with other financial aid disbursements and may be processed afterward. The program operates on an ongoing basis aligned with academic terms, and students may receive support across multiple terms including summer, subject to eligibility limits. Questions and program inquiries can be directed to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education via the provided program contact email.

Ensure all documentation is accurate and complete and report any changes in child care arrangements promptly