You can receive Care to Learn if all of the following apply:

• you're under 20 years old on the day you start your course. 
• you must be the main carer for your child.
• you live in England and you're either a British Citizen or have a legal right to live and study in England.
• your course qualifies for some Department of Education Funding (DfE)
• your childcare provider must be on the appropriate Ofsted register for the age of the child(ren) you wish them to care for. 

They can include:

• a childminder (must live apart from the child, be providing registered childcare for other children who are not related at the same time as the child they are related to)
• a preschool playgroup
• a day nursery
• a breakfast or afterschool club

If you have questions after reading our Eligibility Guide, or if there's anything else you need help with you can contact the Financial Support Team on 01522 876000, or email Financialsupport@lincolncollege.ac.uk

Apply for the Care to Learn scheme online through our online application portal. We will tell you if you and your chosen childcare provider are eligible.

When you apply, you must provide a copy of your letter confirming receipt of Child Benefit for that child, or a copy of the child's birth certificate.

If you are eligible:

• You will be sent Part 2 of the Care to Learn Funding application form, which your chosen Childcare Provider will need to complete and return.
• Once this document has been returned to the Financial Support Team,  you will be invited to attend an Induction meeting.
• When you have completed the Induction meeting an award letter will be sent to you and your childcare provider.

Attendance Monitoring:

• Your attendance will be monitored each week throughout the academic year.

We will contact you at the end of each payment period to review your attendance record. If, however, you experience any issues which impact upon your attendance or ability to succeed you must contact the Financial Support Team immediately.

You must contact the Financial Support Team to report any change in your circumstances, this includes:

• your personal details
• your childcare provider
• your timetabled hours
• if you lose custody of your child(ren), even temporarily
• if you become eligible for Government funded hours  (Care to Learn will only support additional hours beyond the Government funded hours based on your timetabled provision)

Payments end when:

• you stop attending your course
• you reach the end of your course
• your child stops attending childcare

These Funds are made available through the Department for Education and are not available to learners on Full Cost courses, Higher Education courses, Apprenticeships or any waged training undertaken. Other rules and regulations apply, including residency criteria.