What is the CCAMPIS grant for college students?

CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents in School) is a federal grant program that provides funding to colleges and universities to subsidize on-campus or community childcare for Pell Grant-eligible student parents.

Can FAFSA help pay for childcare?

Yes. You can request a Cost of Attendance (COA) adjustment with your college financial aid office to include child care expenses, which increases your overall eligibility for student loans, work-study, and scholarships.

Are campus daycares open to all students?

Campus daycares prioritize undergraduate and graduate students, but slots are limited. Many centers also enroll children of university faculty and staff when spaces remain.

Can I receive state childcare subsidies while in college?

Yes. In most states, pursuing an undergraduate degree or vocational training satisfies the work activity requirement for state CCDF child care subsidies.

POLICY & PROGRAMS · BUDGETING

Childcare Grants for College Students: CCAMPIS and Campus Centers

By Sharon Ben-Moshe · October 4, 2026

More than one in five undergraduate college students in the United States are parents, yet the cost of off-campus childcare frequently exceeds university tuition itself. To prevent student parents from dropping out due to childcare expenses, the federal government, state higher education agencies, and universities offer specialized childcare grants and on-campus early learning centers.

Understanding federal CCAMPIS funding, financial aid cost of attendance adjustments, and campus enrollment priority helps student parents complete their degrees.

The federal CCAMPIS grant program

The primary federal funding source dedicated specifically to college student parents is the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

Authorized under the Higher Education Act, CCAMPIS awards multi-year competitive grants to colleges and universities to establish or expand campus childcare services.

Key parameters of CCAMPIS assistance include:

Pell Grant eligibility requirement: To qualify for subsidized childcare under CCAMPIS, a student parent must be eligible for a federal Pell Grant based on their Student Aid Index (SAI) from the FAFSA.
Sliding scale tuition subsidies: CCAMPIS funds reduce campus childcare tuition by 50% to 95%, with many lowest-income student parents paying as little as $10 to $25 per week.
Academic performance criteria: Recipient parents must maintain satisfactory academic progress (typically a minimum 2.0 or 2.5 GPA) and remain enrolled in a minimum number of credit hours.

Check with your college's financial aid or student affairs office to verify whether your institution receives federal CCAMPIS funding.

On-campus childcare center advantages

Many universities and community colleges operate licensed early childhood laboratory schools on campus:

Proximity and class schedule alignment: Campus centers allow student parents to drop off children between lectures, visit during study breaks, and participate in campus activities.
High teacher qualifications: Laboratory preschools are frequently staffed by master teachers and student teachers completing degrees in early childhood education, maintaining low adult-to-child ratios.
Subsidized student rates: Enrolled university students receive discounted rates that are 20% to 40% below civilian community rates, even without CCAMPIS grants.

Review our worked budget breakdown in how to budget for daycare to see how reduced campus tuition impacts monthly expenses.

FAFSA cost of attendance dependent care adjustments

A frequently underutilized financial aid mechanism is the Cost of Attendance (COA) dependent care allowance.

When financial aid officers calculate your financial aid eligibility on the FAFSA, they use a standard cost of attendance covering tuition, housing, and books. Under federal Title IV financial aid regulations, student parents can request a professional judgment adjustment to add actual child care expenses to their COA:

A student parent paying $8,000 annually in off-campus childcare can submit paid receipts to the financial aid office.
The financial aid administrator increases the student's official COA by $8,000.
While this does not increase Pell Grant awards, it increases eligibility for federal subsidized student loans, campus work-study funds, and institutional need-based scholarships.

Explore local subsidy options in our overview of CCDF childcare assistance, and run your numbers through our childcare calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What is the CCAMPIS grant for college students?: CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents in School) is a federal grant program that provides funding to colleges and universities to subsidize on-campus or community childcare for Pell Grant-eligible student parents.
Can FAFSA help pay for childcare?: Yes. You can request a Cost of Attendance (COA) adjustment with your college financial aid office to include child care expenses, which increases your overall eligibility for student loans, work-study, and scholarships.
Are campus daycares open to all students?: Campus daycares prioritize undergraduate and graduate students, but slots are limited. Many centers also enroll children of university faculty and staff when spaces remain.
Can I receive state childcare subsidies while in college?: Yes. In most states, pursuing an undergraduate degree or vocational training satisfies the work activity requirement for state CCDF child care subsidies.