UC Santa Barbara students with children are eligible to receive up to $1,000 to help cover childcare expenses due to a new grant by the UCSB Basic Needs Pilot Program launched in the fall.
The grants are issued on a quarterly basis, and eligibility is decided based on the financial needs of students through Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) data. The UCSB Basic Needs Pilot Program led the initiative for this grant.

Student-parents are disproportionately likely to struggle with thingslike food and housing security. Courtesy of UCSB Basic Needs
Eligibility for the award will be based on information reported in students’ FAFSA or CADAA. Most students will not have to submit additional information besides FAFSA. However, if a student is of an international background or is unable to submit a FAFSA or CADAA, they can submit an auxiliary application to be considered for the grant.
According to UCSB Director of Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity Betsy Kaminski, student-parents are disproportionately likely to struggle with things like food and housing security.
“We know from national data that students who have children are usually great students. They have higher than average grade point averages, but they’re also more likely to have food insecurity, housing insecurity, child care expenses, and those things can interfere with their ability to actually finish,” Kaminski said.
The amount awarded will be based on “childcare expenses reported” within FAFSA applications, according to Basic Needs and Rapid Rehousing Manager Rebecca Segundo. Additionally, students may be retroactively considered for a term in the current academic year, even if they did not apply the previous quarter, as long as they maintain eligibility, Segundo said.
“A lot of [award recipients] have said that they’re really excited about this grant, that it’s really helpful, that they’re pleased with how quickly the money is getting into their BARC account, and it seems to be something that’s working really well,” she said.
Kaminski also said that recipients are using the money for various things, including child care expenses, school fees, transportation and housing, highlighting the areas where these students are most insecure.
“I do think this is a population that’s invisible but also facing a lot of challenges … and I just think it’s great that we’re doing what we can to support these students,” Kaminski said.
A version of this article appeared on p. 4 of the Jan. 16, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.