麻豆村

麻豆村

GSA Child Care Grant 

The GSA Child Care Grant provides need-based child care support to eligible graduate student applicants in the form of non-qualified scholarships.

Grant amounts range from $900 to $1,300 per semester, depending on financial circumstances and available budget. While these grants do not cover the bulk of child care expenses, they provide graduate student parents with financial support to help offset childcare expenses and enable graduate student parents to pursue their studies.

Non-qualified scholarships, such as the Child Care Grant, are subject to taxation by the state and federal government. The tax amount will vary by individual.

Applications for Spring 2026 are open from Monday, February 9, 2026 through Monday, February 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM. Apply .


ELIGIBILITY

  • The GSA Child Care Grant considers one application per household. Students of any citizenship may apply. If you meet the eligibility criteria below, we strongly encourage you to apply. You should still apply even if you have received this grant in the past. We do our best to balance needs with funding, which may result in some deprioritization of grantees that have previously received the award, but we welcome and support repeat applicants.

     

  • At the time of application, Child Care Grant applicants must:

    • Be enrolled in at least 19 units as a graduate student at 麻豆村 on the Pittsburgh campus. Doctoral students with an "In Absentia" status are not eligible.
    • Live with at least one dependent child who is not yet eligible for public elementary school due to age requirements, or a child with special needs under the age of eighteen. Special needs are identified as children who qualify under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
    • Not be receiving the Cyert Center for Early Childhood Education Sliding Scale Benefit.

APPLICATION PROCESS

GSA Child Care Grants are available for the Fall and Spring semester. Students must apply separately each semester. Selection to receive the grant does not guarantee that you will receive that grant again in future semesters, nor does it preclude you from receiving it again.

Grant Structure:

  • All selected applicants receive a base grant of $900
  • Selected applicants may receive an additional need-based supplement of $200-$400, depending on financial circumstances and available budget
  • Total grant range: $900-$1,300
  • Selection is based on financial circumstances and committee review.

Application Timeline:

Applications are open from February 6, 2026 through February 22, 2026 at 11:59 PM.

For students that experience a change in dependent eligibility (e.g., birth, adoption, dependent addition through marriage), applications will be accepted after the deadline on a rolling basis. If you apply after the deadline, we cannot guarantee that you will receive a grant, regardless of your needs: the available grants may have been committed to applicants who applied earlier.

Verification 

Selected recipients must submit documentation within two weeks of being notified. The GSA Executive Committee will notify selected recipients of how to digitally submit required documents. On a case-by-case basis, arrangements can be made to verify documents in person.

Required Documents:

  1. Enrollment Documentation
    • Printout of enrollment status from SIO: Go to Academic Info ⇒ Enrollment Status
  2. Dependent Verification
    • Tax returns showing dependent status, OR
    • Receipt from daycare
    • Receipt from a medical provider showing the child in your care
    • Documents such as child birth certificate, adoption papers, or child’s visa
  3. Income Verification
    • Pay stubs for all working adults in household, OR
    • Tax returns showing total household income

If eligibility cannot be verified within seven days, the grant may be awarded to an alternate recipient. If you are unable to meet this deadline due to a hardship, accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Privacy Statement

All documents submitted for verification purposes will have any personally identifiable information redacted. Demographic information submitted as part of the application will be retained for program improvement purposes.

Audit

The GSA Executive Committee reserves the right to request additional documents that verify dependent status or household financial information. We will only request further documentation from recipients of the grant.