Having children can be a wonderful experience, if one parent works and the other stays at home. However, when either parent works or it is a one-parent household, it can be challenging to make ends meet if you also have to pay the high cost of child care. There are options available to defray the costs of child care with government grants and subsidies.
Texas Workforce Commission
The Texas Workforce Commission offers child care grants to individuals who work, attend school or are participating in job training programs. This allows a parent to follow his career or work ambitions without worrying about having to pay the high cost of child care. The program is a federally funded and administered by local agencies, such as the Texas Workforce Commission and other cooperating state agencies. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, eligible participants are those receiving or transitioning off welfare, people utilizing protective services or low-income individuals.
Post Secondary Child Care Grant Program
This program helps low income individuals pay for child care while attending college. It is open to residents of Minnesota. According to GetReadyforCollege.org, low-income Minnesota residents with children age 12 and younger are eligible to participate in the program. The student has to be a U.S. citizen or legal non-citizen, reside in Minnesota and be enrolled for not less than six credits per semester. Participants who left school to serve in the military after Dec. 31, 2002, are eligible for an extended term of eligibility. In addition, participants must not have defaulted on any student loans and must not be getting assistance from the Minnesota Family Investment Program.
Private Grants
There are also private organizations that offer grants to help students pay for child care while they are attending school. By helping to defray the costs of child care, these groups allow parents to complete their education. An example of one of these organizations is the Indianapolis, Indiana-based Lumina Foundation. According to its website, the Lumina Foundation's mission is to provide access to a college education for low-income people who would normally not have that chance. The Lumina Foundation also works to improve opportunities for adult students by offering grants to schools and other community organizations for new programs. Child care grants offered by Lumina vary depending on need, family situation and other factors.
