Description
Some universities in the US offer financial assistance for child care services, using funds from local government grants, federal government grants, and the institutions themselves. Many offer assistance to students, depending on their part-time or full-time status and financial need. For example, the University of California at Davis partners with the city government to provide partial subsidies to students and offers a small number of grants and loans to students through the Financial Aid Office. Likewise, the University of Michigan administers grants for students, faculty, and staff to access the university’s child care centers and subsidies for students to use a child care center, family child care home, or group child care home. Students with financial need may also apply for loans to meet their child care needs. The state government of Michigan and some local jurisdictions, such as the city of Lansing, also offer child care scholarships to residents, usually based on financial need and working/studying status.
Michigan State University offers undergraduate and graduate students several financial assistance mechanisms. These include grants of up to $1,000 per child per semester for children 12 years old or younger or for children up to 19 years old who have special needs; reduced fees; discounts; and free care.com memberships to facilitate the search for a qualified child care provider. The university also uses federal Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) funding to provide grants of up to $3,000 per child in the family, or the equivalent of 666 hours of child care, to undergraduate students who meet financial need criteria to use a child care provider who is contracted with the Spartan Kids program. The program can be used for evening and weekend care if students provide their class and/or work schedule.
Harvard University does not currently have child care financial assistance available for students but does offer some funds to faculty and staff. Ladder ACCESS Program financial awards are available to income-eligible tenure-track faculty who have children under six in child care. Benefits-eligible employees who earn less than $70,000 annually are also eligible for “Just in Time Care,” which reimburses employees or directly pays caregivers up to $350 per employee per year for backup care. US universities also have the option of offering a tax benefit to employees by allowing them to allocate up to $5,000 per year in pre-tax dollars for child care to a dependent care flexible spending account.
Implementation lessons learned
Recognizing that institutions will need to assess their ability to implement this intervention, financial assistance is nevertheless an important component of a child care package to promote faculty and student retention, along with daily and emergency child care. Institutions should consider both internal and external funding sources.
Example
University of Michigan financial assistance for child care
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