Child Care Assistance Program

Child care expenses shouldn’t stand in the way of your education. If you’re a student-parent, Blue Ridge Community College may be able to help with child care costs while you attend classes.

Through funding provided by the North Carolina General Assembly, Blue Ridge Community College offers a limited amount of Child Care Assistance each year. Funding is available pending annual State approval.

Because funding is limited, assistance is not guaranteed for the entire fiscal year (July 1–June 30), and not every student who applies will receive funding.

Review the eligibility requirements below to see if this program may be a good fit for you. If you have questions or would like help applying, speak with your Financial Aid advisor or the Financial Aid Office at (828) 694-1816. We also encourage you to contact the Department of Social Services to see if you may be eligible for additional child care assistance.

Eligibility Requirements

Students must:

• Be accepted into a curriculum program of study leading to an associate’s degree, diploma, or certificate. Continuing Education students are not eligible.
• Be enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours or more). Classes may be seated and/or online.
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards, including a minimum 2.0 GPA, a completion rate of at least 66.5%, and remaining within the maximum timeframe for their academic program. Please refer to the Blue Ridge SAP policy for more details.
• Demonstrate financial need based on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFS
• Submit a completed Child Care Assistance Application.

Eligible child care may include:

• Licensed daycare or individual providers
• Unlicensed child care providers
• Afterschool programs
• Family members of the student-parent
• Personal nanny
• Public School Childcare Sites

Award Determination

Awards are based on enrollment, approval of the child care provider, financial need, and meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards each semester. Child care funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis until the funds are fully awarded or the State ceases to offer child care assistance funds.

Payment amounts are limited to the student’s monthly child care costs or the College’s maximum award amount, whichever is less. The maximum monthly award is based on full-time enrollment (12 credit hours or more) and will be prorated if the student is enrolled part-time.

Award amounts are reviewed annually and may change from year to year based on funding awarded to the College.

Payment to Child Care Providers

If approved for child care assistance, students will be given a copy of the Child Care Request for Payment form. Students must submit a Request for Payment to the Financial Aid Office each month.

• All payments are mailed directly to the child care provider for the prior month’s services. 
• Forms are due to the Financial Aid Office no later than the 5th of the following month.

Be sure to inform your provider that payment is on a monthly basis after the time that services are rendered. For example, if your child was in daycare in September, your provider will receive payment in October.

Per NC Community College System regulations, under no circumstances can Blue Ridge pay child care in advance. Neither the student-parent nor the other parent may be reimbursed for their payment.

The Class Attendance section of the Request for Payment form must be signed by at least one instructor. If the student-parent is enrolled in only online courses, the Financial Aid Office may accept email confirmation of class attendance from the instructor in place of a physical signature.

The Child Care Participation section must be completed by the child care provider. Both the provider and student-parent must sign the form.

Incomplete forms will be considered late.

If your form is submitted late, you will be responsible for paying your child care provider that month. After two consecutive months of failing to submit your form on time, your child care benefit may be suspended and awarded to someone else. If suspended, you will be responsible for your child care payments the rest of the school year and you may forfeit your ability to receive the grant in subsequent years.

Application Process

To be considered for childcare assistance, first, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the current academic year at FAFSA.gov.

Students must also submit a completed Child Care Application Packet to the Financial Aid Office. Packets are available at the Financial Aid Office on the Henderson County Campus (HCC), the Student Services Office on the Transylvania County Campus (TCC), and online with our Financial Aid Forms.

Application packets may be submitted to the Financial Aid Office (HCC) or the Student Services Office (TCC). Applications are considered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Incomplete application packets will not be considered.

A complete application packet will contain the following:

• Application for Child Care Funds
  The student completes this form.
• Child Care Provider Agreement
  The child care provider must complete this form.
• Taxpayer ID form (W-9)
  The child care provider must complete this form.

Students apply only once per academic year. Child care assistance is available for the fall and spring semesters only. Summer assistance is not available through this program. Students must maintain all eligibility requirements to continue receiving assistance each semester.

For more information contact:

Financial Aid Office
Henderson County Campus
(828) 694-1816
finaid@blueridge.edu