If you have questions about this program, please contact the staff member listed on this page via email. If a staff member is not listed, please email financialaid.ohe@state.mn.us and provide a detailed description of your question.
The Postsecondary Child Care Grant Program helps low income students who have young children pay for child care while the student attends classes.
Minnesota residents who have a child 12 years old or younger (or 14 or younger if the child is handicapped) and whose family size and income qualify for the program. To qualify, students also must:
The student must not be receiving assistance from the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP). Individuals receiving MFIP at this time should contact their County Social Office of Higher Education to get additional information about child care assistance.
Eligible institutions are all public postsecondary schools and private, baccalaureate degree granting colleges and universities located in Minnesota, or nonprofit, two-year vocational schools granting associate degrees.
The amount of child care assistance depends on:
The maximum award amount is $6,500 per eligible child per academic year. The amount of the award cannot exceed 40 hours of child care per week per eligible child.
In some instances, the maximum award may be increased by 10 percent to compensate for higher market costs for infant care.
SAI - Credit Level Enrollment Status Conversion Chart
Interested students should complete the Postsecondary Child Care Grant application below. Students also must complete the FAFSA or MN Dream Act application.
Apply Online Now: Postsecondary Child Care Grant Student Application
Instructions Guide: Creating a MNAid Student Portal Account/Applying for Postsecondary Child Care Grant
Note: documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view.