Hi
Has anyone successfully applied for the childcare grant?
I'm having a very bad day, i've spent all day trying to arrange my childcare but it's gonna be about £300 a week. We will no longer be able to claim tax credits and i have no idea where i'm gonna find the money . We've had a long talk tonight and i have to be realistic in that our mortgage and bills have to take priority and i just wouldn't be able to take my place on the course.
Makes me cry everytime i think about it

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Mummy to 4 and lovin it!

ah Jo
that sounds really sad....are you sure you have done your figures correctly? How did you arrive at figure of £300 for childcare? Don't forget that you are not in uni every day so wont need full time childcare. Are you sure that you can't claim any child tax credit at all?
Also when you are on placement, if you can do long days then that usually only works out to 3 days a week....... so again, may not need full time childcare.
I hate it when money means people cannot fulfill their dreams, it really is sad.
can you not just start and see how it works out and cobble things together as you go?
hugs to you.
x

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Site Administrator, Student Mentor Scheme Manager

STMW 2nd year - no, really!

Please help us raise funds for a bereavement room in Honey's memory by taking part in the SMNET Auction & Raffle here thanks x

Jo, I agree with Olly bolly. We all started wondering how we'd manage, as tbh you don't know until you get there. We're doing it as are all the others!!

Please don't give up before you get there! try and see how you get on, please?

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Thanks for the advice, we have 4 children the eldest two are at school so i only need after school care as and when which is ok but my youngest two will need nursery/childminder. I've spoken to several and they all want contracted hours so even if they aren't there i have to pay to keep their places.
I rang tax credits yesterday and they said once i start uni we won't be entitled to anything.
Hopefully once i start and i have a clearer idea of what hours i am gonna be doing it'll all come together?!
Think i just had a mass panic yesterday, i had know idea chilcare could cost so much it's ridiculous!
The childminder charges £280 a week for two and i would have to contract hours 8 - 5 in order to guarantee a place when i needed it. The nursery charges between £135 and £145 a week PER child and again i would have to pay full time to keep their places for when i needed them.
Thanks for the reassurance it's made me slightly less anxious, hopefully i'll sleep tonight x

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Mummy to 4 and lovin it!

How old are your children Jo, the two in nursery? As my youngest has just turned 3 and they offer free child places in nurseries for children 3 and over. I think its a government scheme??? Its not full time hours that you get free but it would reduce the cost a bit??
Ask the nursery, they may have forgotten to mention it!?
Kate xx

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Cardiff Student Midwife 2008!!

Thanks Kate
i'll make sure i bring that up, non of the nurseries i rang have mentioned that and i spoke to 6 yesterday x
Their ages will be 8,7,3 and 1 in September so I will definately look into it x

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Mummy to 4 and lovin it!

Yes my daughter gets that now, until she goes to school in Spetember. It is 2.5 hours per day. So does help slightly

Good luck with it Jo, it is tight, and childcare is the biggest worry, but most of us get by!

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are you entitled to childcare allowance from bursary peeps? you say you have partner so a lot is obviously dependant on his earnings. Have you got definite figures from them or do you alrady know you are not entitled?

My childminder also charges for a full week which really makes it hard doesn't it? But it does sound as though yours is charging an unrealistic amount. I'm speaking from both sides of the fence here, as have been a childminder in the past, and am now using a childminder....... I understand the need to have a minimum wage each week, but think she needs to be realistic! Most of my work used to be cobbling together different hours for different children. It ended up that i had full time work but no full time kids IYSWIM? That to me is just the nature of the game. Is she competitive, have you looked around for anyone else and got an idea of figures?

Anyway, it does sound as though you are in a slightly better place today which is great! I really hope that you are able to just start and work things through on the way. I remember going through all this myself before i started as I am sure many are doing now! It looks totally un-do-able on paper, but believe me, when you start it all sort of fits into place.

Am really hoping this is the case for you
x

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Site Administrator, Student Mentor Scheme Manager

STMW 2nd year - no, really!

Please help us raise funds for a bereavement room in Honey's memory by taking part in the SMNET Auction & Raffle here thanks x

It's correct that you won't be able to get tax credits for childcare as you will be a student (not working?!?!), but could you not get childcare paid for via the bursery (you can in Wales (85%)).
If you get child tax credits (if you've given up a job you may be entitled if you only have one wage coming in) and/or working tax credits they shouldn't be affected by the bursery as student funding is not treated as income for tax credit purposes.
I was told that bursery is not treated as income for tax credits at an open day at Glamorgan Uni last year but I didn't believe it, but it seems it is true.
I found info for Cardiff Uni via the Student Support Centre and online. Perhaps you could contact Student Services at your Uni for advice. As I said I'm in Wales so I don't know how different things are here.

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Student Midwife 2008

You are still entitled to child tax credits and working tax credits as a student. They are not a taxable income so they do not need to be declared to the NHS bursery people nor does the Bursery need to be declared to the tax credit folks.

The childcare element of the tax credit however cannot be claimed if your claiming the childcare element of the bursery, or if you don't work 16 hours a week or more.

However, even if you do work more than 16 hours, I would still claim childcare through the bursery as they will pay upto 85% as tax creditds only pay upto 75/80% I think.


I am actually better off now I'm at uni as I hadn't worked for the year before I started so all the money I got for my bursery was money in my pocket so to speak. I also have £600 a month to pay in chilcare, but even after paying this I'm still in pocket.


Good luck with it all.

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