Childcare Fee Assistance
Every year, Northwestern allocates funds for childcare fee assistance for eligible Northwestern families whose children are enrolled at any of the following childcare centers.
Childcare centers
Contact the centers directly to get started with confirming your Northwestern status and to apply for fee assistance.
- Bright Horizons at Evanston
1629 Orrington Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201 - Bright Horizons Downtown
Bernice E. Lavin Early Childhood Education Center
441 E. Ontario Street
Chicago, IL 60611 - McGaw YMCA Children’s Center
1420 Maple Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201 - University Children’s Center
446 E. Ontario Street
Suite 150
Chicago, IL 60611
Childcare fee assistance eligibility requirements
Funds are awarded to Northwestern families who demonstrate financial need and meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Recipients must be full-time faculty, staff or undergraduate/graduate school students.
- Children may be enrolled full-time or part-time.
- Combined family household income must be $130,000 or less, as documented on their most recent tax return.
- All parents/guardians must be employed or in school full time (as is consistent with Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account rules).
- Recipients cannot be receiving fee assistance or scholarship funds from another source, for example, the TGS Graduate Student Childcare Grant, or employee discounts from family members employed by the center.
Tips for applying for childcare fee assistance
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, beginning in January for the following school year.
- Families currently receiving assistance are given priority.
- School year awards are determined on a first come first served basis. (Please apply early)
See Childcare Fee Assistance Program FAQs.
Tax implications
In accordance with the Internal Revenue Code and related Regulations, certain employer provided dependent care assistance is considered taxable income. The University is reporting employer provided childcare fee assistance on Form W-2. When determining your FSA Dependent Care contribution, you will want to take into account the amount of childcare fee assistance received from the University, as the maximum annual exclusion for tax-free employer provided dependent care assistance is currently $5,000 annually.
If you terminate your relationship with the University, you will remain liable for the taxes associated with fee assistance received, which will be added to your W-2.