Care to Learn
Eligibility
You can get Care to Learn if all of the following apply to you:
- you’re a parent under 20 at the start of your course
- you’re the main carer for your child
- you live in England
- you’re either a British citizen or have a legal right to live and study in England
- your course qualifies
- your childcare provider qualifies
If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you might still be able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if you were living in the UK by 31 December 2020. The deadline to apply for most people was 30 June 2021. You can apply if you have ‘reasonable grounds’ for not applying by the deadline - for example, you had an illness or were the victim of domestic abuse.
Your course
Care to Learn is only available for publicly-funded courses in England. This includes courses that take place in:
- schools
- sixth-forms in schools
- sixth-form colleges
- other colleges and learning providers, including Foundation Learning
- your community at Children’s Centres
Your learning provider can tell you if your course is eligible.
Your childcare provider
To qualify, your childcare provider must be one of the following:
- registered with Ofsted
- registered with a childminder agency
- a school
They can be a:
- childminder
- preschool playgroup
- day nursery
- out of school club
Who cannot get Care to Learn
You’re not eligible if:
- you’re an apprentice who gets a salary
- you’re doing a higher education course, for example at university or college