help with childcare for moms who are students

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I have a question. I received a Pell grant for my nursing school. It pays everything related to my schooling.....tuition, books, fees....

But has anyone heard of a way for a mother to get a grant or something to help pay for childcare? My son is getting to the age where he wouldnt mind playing with kids his age but there is almost a 2 year waiting list to get into the center. So for now I have a very nice lady who is watching him. She charges $5 an hour. Which adds up to $120 to $140 dollars a week. I almost hate to put him in regular daycare. He loves this lady and she feels the same. I am afraid if he goes to daycare, he will come home every week with some kind of illness.

I got off the subject. My savings account is fading and fast. I would hope there is some type of grant, scholarship or any type of "free" money a student who is a mom can get for childcare.

If anyone has any advice it is deeply appreciated.

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Here are a few things you can look into... I am not sure if you qualify... but might be worth looking into.

-Through your county there might be a subsidized daycare program - ours will even pay a person you select. There are income restrictions and usually employment requirements, but it might be worth looking into. I would start looking for this by a google search to find a website for your particular county.

- The United Way helps fund a daycare center around here that has a sliding fee scale and does not have the same employment requirements as the county help (25 hours a week). You could see if there is anything like that in your area by looking up the united way's website, then seeing if they have any daycare centers affiliated with them. I know you don't want to put your child in a center, but every avenue is worth looking into.

- I don't know if you are married or single, but if you are single there is a group of child care centers called "mom's house" They are free in exchange for a couple of hours of work a week. They are only for single mothers furthering thier education. I don't know if there is one in your area, but they have a website that you can find with a google search.... there might be other similar programs in your area. I have heard nothing but good things about them.

There is always an answer, you will find something - It may take some digging.

Good Luck!!

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Does your school have an on-site daycare center?

Check with your local DHS - some states/areas offer daycare assistance programs.

There are lots of scholarships out there, have you researched that area at all? Would you be opposed to taking out student loans to help pay your childcare expenses?

Good luck... I'm really fortunate to live in a rural area I suppose, I can't imagine paying that much for childcare! (my 2yo's daycare is $50/week, My 5yo's after school care is $40/week or $60/week if he's there full days/holidays)

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I already have a previous student loan from my last school so I do not want another loan. We are a military family and the base has daycare which is about $60 a week. But unfortunately there is a year and more waiting list I am on. I do not want to put off school for that long. Daycare out around town averages over $150 a week.

Does anyone know of a good site to go to so I can apply for a scholarship or something to help with daycare costs?

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DUH!!! I forgot to mention that my school does have daycare but the child has to be 3 years old to get in. My son willbe 2 in May.

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