Study childcare entitlement#

Official government guidance | Legislation

Program description#

Overview#

The study childcare entitlement, specifically the Care to Learn scheme, provides financial support for young parents under 20 who wish to continue their education while caring for children. This program covers childcare costs while the parent is in education or training.

The entitlement provides:

  • £180 per week for childcare costs outside London

  • £195 per week for childcare costs in London

Eligibility requirements#

Age limit#

Applicants must be under 20 years old at the start of their course.

Qualifying courses#

Eligible courses include:

  • Further education qualifications at schools or colleges

  • Foundation learning courses

  • Courses that receive public funding

The program explicitly excludes:

  • Higher education courses (including university)

  • Apprenticeships

Geographic scope#

The Care to Learn scheme is available only in England.

Other requirements#

  • Must be the main carer for the child or children

  • Childcare provider must be registered with Ofsted

  • Students can apply before their course starts

Implementation#

1. Parameter definition#

Located in parameters/gov/dfe/study_childcare_entitlement/care_to_learn/, key parameters include:

  • Program eligibility:

  • Funding parameters:

    • amount.yaml: Specifies the weekly funding rates (£180 outside London, £195 in London)

2. Eligibility determination#

Implemented in study_childcare_entitlement_eligible.py, which checks:

  • Parental status:

    • Verifies the person is a parent with children using the is_parent variable

  • Age requirements:

    • Checks that age is below the maximum threshold (under 20)

    • References the age parameter defined in the care_to_learn parameters

  • Educational status:

    • Ensures the person is not in higher education

    • Ensures the person is not an apprentice

  • Geographic eligibility:

    • Verifies residence in England using country variable

Example table:

Person age

Has children

Education type

In England

Is eligible

19

Yes

Further education

Yes

Yes

20

Yes

Further education

Yes

No

18

No

Further education

Yes

No

18

Yes

Higher education

Yes

No

19

Yes

Apprenticeship

Yes

No

19

Yes

Further education

No

No

3. Entitlement calculation#

Handled by study_childcare_entitlement.py:

  • Defined at the person level (entity = Person)

  • Only calculated for eligible individuals (defined_for = "study_childcare_entitlement_eligible")

  • Uses parameters to:

    • Determine if the person lives in London

    • Apply the appropriate weekly rate based on location

    • Calculate annual entitlement (weekly rate × 52 weeks)

Example table:

Location

Weekly rate

Annual entitlement (52 weeks)

London

£195

£10,140

Outside London

£180

£9,360