9.1.2 Authorizing Care-Students
ISSUE DATE: 03/2026
Do not authorize more than 120 hours per child every two weeks.
Guidelines for authorizing care for education
The number of hours authorized for each child should be the number of hours that care is needed to support the parental authorized activities, excluding the hours that the child does not need child care or the hours that the provider is unavailable.
Authorize care as needed (considering child school schedule and provider availability) for:
· All hours of actual class time (including in person and online actual class time).· Time periods between nonconsecutive classes· One hour per week per credit hour for independent study, internships, and online courses that do not have actual class time.· Up to two hours of travel time per day (for class days and study days). · Two hours per week per credit hour for post-secondary students for study time and academic appointments. Example 1: PRI is enrolled in online postsecondary education without a set schedule for 12 credits for the semester. Child is not in school. PRI provides client statement showing they do all schoolwork and study time Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during the day. Authorize care for:
· 12 hours per week per credit hour (12 hours x 1 credit)· 24 hours per week for study time (12 credits x 2 hours)· 8 hours per week for travel time (up to 2 hours per day x 4 days)· Up to 44 hours of care can be authorized per week (12 + 24 + 8 = 44) Example 2: PRI is in postsecondary education with 4 credits of in person classes and 6 credits of online courses; the online courses do not have actual class time. Child is not in school. PRI provides schedule verification showing they have in-person classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 – 11:00 am. PRI provides client statement showing that they do all their schoolwork and studying for their online courses on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Authorize care for:
· 4 hours per week for in-person class time· 6 hours per week per credit hour for online courses (6 hours x 1 credit)· 20 hours per week for study time (10 credits x 2 hours) · 8 hours per week for travel time (up to 2 hours per day x 4 days)· Up to 38 hours of care can be authorized per week (4 + 6 + 20 + 8 = 38) Example 3: PRI is in postsecondary education with 12 credits of in person classes. The child is not in school. PRI provides schedule verification showing they have in-person classes Monday 9:00 – 12:00 pm and 2:00 – 5:00 pm and Tuesday/Thursday 9:00 – 12:00 pm.
· 12 hours per week for in-person class time· 2 hours for time between classes on Monday. · 24 hours per week for study time. (two hours per credit) · 6 hours per week for travel time (up to 2 hours per day x 3 days)· Up to 44 hours of care can be authorized per week. (12 + 2 + 24 + 6 = 44)See Chapter 7.27 (Schedule Verification – Employment and Education) for information about verification of class schedules.
See Chapter 9.1.1 (Authorizing Care – Employment) for information about authorizing care for employment hours when a student is employed.
See Chapter 9.1.17 (Authorizing Care – Mental Health Support for MFIP Child Only Families) for information on how to authorize care to support mental health and approved education activities.
Other circumstances when determining authorized care
· Child care assistance for remedial classes is subject to the agency’s approval of an acceptable course of study. Authorize child care assistance for remedial classes as needed for the student to attend class and complete class assignments.· For Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) students, authorize child care assistance for activities in the approved Employment Plan. If the Employment Plan does not include enough hours for actual class time, credit hours for independent study and internships, up to two hours of travel time per day for class days and study days, and/or two hours per week per credit hours for post-secondary students for study time and academic appointments, those additional hours of care may be authorized to support the needs of the family. · During the 12-month eligibility period, students on school breaks who are expected to return to school at the end of the break remain eligible during the break, including summer break. See Chapter 8.9 (Suspending) and Chapter 9.15.3 (Care During Temporary Breaks from Authorized Activities). · Do not reduce their authorized hours or end their Service Authorization unless requested.· At application or redetermination, when a parent is on a temporary break from their education activity, whether they are considered to be in an authorized activity at application or redetermination depends on whether their return to the activity is verified and if they meet all other eligibility requirements. See Chapter 3.7 (Processing Applications), Chapter 10.6.3 (Redetermination Processing - Standards), and Chapter 8.9 (Suspending) for more informationLegal authority
Minnesota Statutes 142E.12
Minnesota Rules 3400.0040
Minnesota Rules 3400.0110, subp. 3
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