Oregon Student Child Care Grant

The 2026-27 Oregon Student Child Care Grant Application will open mid-January 2026 through the end of May 2026. 

Student parents will need to complete the Oregon Student Child Care Grant Application and the FAFSA or the ORSAA by the deadline. Transcripts are not submitted during the application process. Transcripts will be requested only if your application is eligible after the application due date. 

DEADLINE NOTE: If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it will automatically be extended to 11:59 PM (PST or PDT) on the following business day.

To be eligible for the Child Care Grant, you must:

• Be an Oregon resident with a child or legal dependent age 12 and under in need of child care, or, if over age 12, who satisfies the requirements of special needs.
• Use a childcare provider listed with the Oregon Department of Human Services, or, registered or certified with the Oregon Child Care Division.
• Have not earned a bachelor's or higher degree.
• Enrolled or planning to enroll as an undergraduate student at an eligible Oregon postsecondary institution*.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
• Not be in default on any federal Title IV loan or owing a refund on federal Title IV funds previously disbursed.

*Oregon postsecondary institutions include Oregon community colleges, public universities, and private universities. There are some for-profit postsecondary institutions who have campuses in Oregon but are owned by corporations based outside of Oregon. Enrollment at those non-Oregon based institutions disqualifies applicants from receiving the Oregon Student Child Care Grant.

Due to limited funding the Child Care Grant is competitive. Recipients are prioritized in the following order:  

1. Prior recipients who continue to maintain eligibility requirements, have not exhausted maximum eligibility (6 years), or obtained a Bachelor's degree.
2. New applicants will be prioritized based on the following criteria:
   
   • Number of credits earned toward a Certificate, Associates Degree, or first Bachelor's Degree.
   • Financial need as determined by the FAFSA or ORSAA.
   • Use of eligible child care providers. 
   • Students enrolled full-time.
   • Students enrolled half-time must enroll with sufficient hours to earn 36 credit hours (24 at semester schools) per academic year.

Awards are based on the lesser of:

• Student’s actual childcare costs for the eligible child(ren) included on the application; or
• The average childcare costs per child based on the student’s local area rates; and
• Grant amounts cannot exceed $10,000 per academic year.

Grants are sent to the student’s eligible school’s financial aid office to be disbursed onto the student’s billing account with the rest of their financial aid. Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress and continues to have a child who qualifies under the rules of the program. Disbursement is made directly to the school, not to the recipient or their childcare provider. It is the student's responsibility to pay their child care provider.

If a student meets all of the following criteria, their Child Care Grant may be renewed:

• Complete a new application and a FAFSA or ORSAA each year.
• The awardee completes at least 36-quarter or 24-semester hours for credit during the nine month period of fall/winter/spring quarters/semesters.
• Student has not exhausted eligibility or completed a bachelors degree, whichever comes first.
• Continues to be enrolled in an approved program at an eligible school.
• Maintains satisfactory academic progress, as defined by the school.
• The awardee provides all required documents including a transcript of the academic work completed through spring of the prior year.
• The student’s child(ren) continue to be eligible child(ren).
• The student’s child care provider remains listed with the Oregon Department of Human Services, or, registered or certified with the Oregon Child Care Division.

Student Eligibility: Students can qualify to receive childcare support regardless of their employment status, if they attend an institution of higher education that qualifies for federal financial aid and meet other Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program eligibility requirements. Learn more from the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care. 

*Students cannot receive both ERDC and the OSAC Student Child Care Grant.

How to Apply: Contact your local ODHS office or call 1-800-699-9074. Even if you have applied for childcare in the past and did not qualify, many of the rules have changed and you may now be able to receive help paying for childcare. 

Please send any questions about ERDC eligibility to Child Care Policy at children@211info.org