Updated 8/1/2023
The University of Iowa Child Care Subsidy Program provides financial assistance to undergraduate and graduate students with children to assist with the cost of child care, allowing students to better balance their academic responsibilities with family life. By providing this support, the program contributes to the overall well-being of student parents, enhances their academic experience, and reduces financial stress related to child care costs.
Student parents can apply for one of two types of assistance.
- The Ongoing Child Care Subsidy program helps students with the cost of their ongoing child care. This program is tailored to students who require consistent child care on a recurring basis to achieve their academic goals.
- The On Occasion Child Care Subsidy program provides funding to help student parents without ongoing child care expenses to hire care for their child so that they can study, write a paper, do research or participate in a study group . This program is tailored for students who do not require consistent child care to achieve their academic goals.
If you have questions about the Child Care Subsidy Program, please email Family Services or call 319-335-3558.
Eligibility Criteria
- One application per family is permitted.
- Your family/household annual gross income is $55,000 or less.
- You are currently enrolled at the University of Iowa at least part time.
- You may be enrolled at the UI less than part time if you have classes and academic responsibilities/requirements that equate to a minimum of part time. For example, you may be enrolled in one class and have an assistantship/practicum or enrolled in zero classes and working on a dissertation.
- You are currently seeking a UI degree: undergraduate, graduate, professional, master's, or Ph.D.
- The child(ren) needing care resides in your household.
- You must use a paid child care provider. The provider can be based in a centered daycare or professional in-home daycare. You may also utilize a friend or family member who does not reside in your household and does not contribute to your household income.
- The child(ren) needing care are under 13 or your child(ren) are under 19 with a disability.
- The child care provider is legally permitted to work in this country.
- Cannot log into MyUI.
- Are not currently enrolled at the UI.
- Are a post-doctoral student.
- Have a family/household annual gross income of $55,000 or more.
- Are an international student who does not have a social security number.
Apply for a Child Care Subsidy
- Login to MyUI.
- Under the Student Information section, select more.
- Under Student Life Management, choose Child Care Subsidy.
The same application is used for the ongoing and on occasion programs. You only need to apply for the program once per academic year and the application is good for the fall and spring semesters (August through May). Funding is not available during the summer semester.
- Verify all pre-populated responses are correct and accurate.
- If you will be enrolled the full academic year as a student, please select the “Fall and Spring” option.
- Please answer all questions and fields completely and carefully and remember to check “I agree” on the "Submission/Agreement" section of the application before submitting.
- After completing and submitting the online application, your Child Care Subsidy account will be set up in MyUI.
Applying for CCS
- Your annual gross income (total income before taxes).
- Your spouse or partner’s annual gross income.
- If you and your spouse or partner do not pool family resources, include the amount your spouse/partner contributes.
- Child support you receive for child care/household expenses.
- Alimony you receive.
- Financial resources you receive.
Application Status
You will receive an email about your application's status. You can also check your MyUI Child Care Subsidy account for the status of your application
Application Status
You have submitted an application that is under review.
You meet all eligibility requirements and are approved for the program. You will receive an email with details on approval amounts and semester(s). You may also check your MyUI account for these details.
There are various reasons an application can be waitlisted, such as:
- You or your spouse/partner are expecting a child that has not been born yet.
- We are missing information to determine your application status. (You will receive correspondence via email if this is applicable.)
- We are currently funding families with lower financial resources and/or families who have program seniority given previous years participation.
You do not meet one or more of the program's eligibility requirements.
Visit MyUI to:
- Learn the status of your application. (You will also receive an email confirming your application status.)
- View your subsidy allocation.
- Submit your request for reimbursement.
- Learn the status of your request for reimbursement.
Submit for Reimbursement
Once you are approved for the program and allocated funds, you need to submit a reimbursement claim in order to be reimbursed for your child care expenses.
You must submit a reimbursement claim and payment receipt to be reimbursed. If your child care provider does not provide a receipt of payment, you may use the receipt template provided below:
Receipt Templates
Instructions
- You must pay for your child care before submitting a reimbursement claim.
- Retrieve a receipt of payment from your provider or fill out the receipt template above.
- Complete the reimbursement request form in MyUI, attach your receipt, and submit. You may need to scan the receipt to your uiowa email before completing the reimbursement request form.
- You will receive a confirmation message that your receipt was accepted by our system.
- You will be notified via email when your reimbursement is processed.
- Your payment will be deposited into your bank account or a physical check will be mailed to you at the address on your application. Please note: If you have an outstanding U-Bill balance, your child care reimbursement will be allocated to the outstanding U-Bill balance first. You will receive any remaining reimbursement via direct deposit or check. Please contact the University Billing Office for questions related to receipts of payments.
Please refer to the examples below for possible options to submit a reimbursement claim. Note: The examples do not include all options for submitting a reimbursement claim.
A student is approved for the Child Care Subsidy Program for both fall and spring semesters for a total of $,1500 ($750 per semester).
- The student may submit a reimbursement claim for paid child care for five separate weeks during the fall semester for $150 each week and be reimbursed five separate times ($150 each time) for a total of $750 for the semester.
- The student may submit one reimbursement claim during the fall semester for their total child care expense (paid in advance) for five months (August-December), and will be reimbursed one lump sum for their total fall semester allocation of $750.
- The student may submit one reimbursement claim during the spring semester (January-May) for one month of paid child care ($1,000 as an example) and will be reimbursed one lump sum for their total fall semester allocation of $750.
Note: These scenarios do not include all options for submitting a reimbursement claim. We understand needs of student parents vary and are willing to be flexible with personal preference for submitting reimbursement claims. We do request that you wait to submit a reimbursement claim until you have at least $100 in paid child care expenses.
Deadline for Submitting Receipts
- For the fall semester, you may submit paid child care expenses that occur between Aug. 1-Dec. 31. The deadline to submit receipts of payment for the fall semester is the second Friday in December or the Friday before finals week.
- For the spring semester, you may submit paid child care expenses that occur between Jan. 1-May 31. The deadline to submit receipts of payment for the spring semester is the first Friday in May or the Friday before finals week.
We cannot grant exceptions beyond the semester deadlines. If you do not request your funding by the dates listed above for each semester, you will lose the remaining balance of your child care subsidy.
We strongly urge all students to use direct deposit for security reasons and to expedite payment. Make sure your banking information is current when applying for direct deposit.
Set up Direct Deposit
- Login to MyUI and select Financial Aid & Billing on the menu bar.
- Select Bank Information-Refund Account.
- Enter your bank information.
Funds Available for Child Care Expenses
| Age of Child | Allocation Amount |
|---|---|
| A child under 24 months of age | $400 per month |
| A child 24 to 60 months of age, or too young for school/kindergarten | $300 per month |
| A child attending kindergarten through 12 years of age, or a child with a disability up to 19 years of age who is attending school and enrolled in child care | $130 per month |
Please note: the allocation amount is based on the age of the youngest child in care, regardless of the number of children in child care.
For the On Occasion child care program, funding levels are:
- For one child, expenses are reimbursed up to $100 per semester.
- For two or more children, expenses are reimbursed up to $150 per semester.
Child care subsidy funds may be considered taxable income based on an individual student's facts and circumstances. For additional information, review the Child Care Subsidy Taxable Income Information page below or seek assistance from a qualified tax advisor.
Definition of Terms or Phrases on the Child Care Subsidy Application
Household or Family Income is the annual income your household earns before taxes or other deductions. Financial Resources are financial gifts/contributions and/or payments for assistance with rent, food, auto, clothing, schooling, etc. Examples of sources of the financial gifts/contributions and/or payments are:
- Family/relatives, friends, or employer contributions.
- Child support/alimony.
- SNAP food assistance or other financial federal/state assistance.
It does not include scholarships, fellowships, or loans.
The number of hours the student is enrolled. This can include enrolled classes, practicum/internships, dissertation or thesis work, or preparing for comprehensive examinations.
University funding to help pay for child care that is scheduled on a regular basis, not sporadically. For those students who have regularly scheduled evening classes, funds from this program can be used.
University funding to help pay for child care on an occasional basis so that a student can study, write a paper, do research, participate in a study group, etc.
The total annual earned income during the institution’s fiscal year, July 1-June 30. Gross salary means before taxes or any other deductions are taken out.
Financial assistance for U.S. students provided through the U.S. Department of Education. See the Office of Student Financial Aid website for more information.
Federal, need-based grants awarded to the U.S. students who are considered to be in financial need. The student completes the FAFSA to determine eligibility. Only undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree are eligible. See the Office of Student Financial Aid website for more information.