Child care help for student parents

Student parents can get help paying for child care through campus programs funded by the federal CCAMPIS grant and through their state's child care subsidy, which can count going to school as a reason you need care.

Checked against official sources October 11, 2026

Who qualifies

CCAMPIS: the grant goes to colleges, not to students; at a college that has a grant, participants are low-income parents who are eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant.
State child care assistance (CCDF): the child must generally be under 13, the family's income cannot be above 85% of the state median income (states may set lower limits and other rules), and family assets cannot exceed $1,000,000.
The parent must be working or attending a job training or educational program (or the child must need protective services).
Each state writes its own definitions of 'attending' and of 'job training and educational program' in its CCDF plan, so whether college counts, and on what terms, depends on your state.

What you get

CCAMPIS: help through your college's campus-based child care program for low-income students, which may include subsidized child care, care through outside providers, and before- and after-class services; grants run 4 years and favor programs with a sliding fee scale.
State assistance: vouchers, certificates or subsidies that help low-income families pay for child care so they can work or attend school.
Other help on childcare.gov: Head Start and Early Head Start (free for eligible low-income families, birth to age 5), state-funded pre-K, and campus child care that may offer student discounts.

How to apply

Ask your college's financial aid office, student parent office or campus child care center whether the school has a CCAMPIS grant; the Department of Education posts lists of current grantees (FY 2026 new awards and continuation awards).
File the FAFSA, since CCAMPIS participation is tied to Pell Grant eligibility.
For state assistance, select your state on childcare.gov and open its 'Financial Assistance for Families' page to find your local program and apply there.
When you apply, ask how your state treats college enrollment (for example, required credit hours or whether work hours are also needed).

Common mistakes

Assuming child care subsidies are only for working parents: federal rules let states help parents attending an educational program, but each state sets the details.
Looking for a CCAMPIS application on a government site: students apply through their college, and only colleges with a grant have it.
Missing the child and dependent care tax credit and the earned income tax credit, which childcare.gov lists as additional help (the child care credit applies to care paid so you could work or look for work).

Official pages

Your state's version

Program names, extra state rules and where to apply.

We explain programs; government agencies decide who gets them. Spot something wrong? Tell us.