Subd. 3. Assistance for persons attending an approved education or training program.

(a) Money for an eligible person according to sections 142E.04, subdivision 3 , and 142E.08, subdivision 1 , shall be used to reduce child care costs for a student. The county shall not limit the duration of child care subsidies for a person in an employment or educational program unless the person is ineligible for child care funds. Any other limitation must be based on county policies included in the approved child care fund plan.

(b) To be eligible, the student must be in good standing and be making satisfactory progress toward the degree. The maximum length of time a student is eligible for child care assistance under the child care fund for education and training is no more than the time necessary to complete the credit requirements for an associate's or baccalaureate degree as determined by the educational institution. Time limitations for child care assistance do not apply to basic or remedial educational programs needed for postsecondary education or employment. Basic or remedial educational programs include high school, commissioner of education-selected high school equivalency, and English as a second language programs. A program exempt from this time limit must not run concurrently with a postsecondary program.

(c) If a student meets the conditions of paragraphs (a) and (b), child care assistance must be authorized for all hours of class time and credit hours, including independent study and internships, and up to two hours of travel time per day. A postsecondary student shall receive four hours of child care assistance per credit hour for study time and academic appointments per service period.

(d) For an MFIP participant, child care assistance must be authorized according to the person's approved employment plan. If an MFIP participant receiving MFIP child care assistance under this chapter moves to another county, continues to participate in an authorized educational or training program, and remains eligible for MFIP child care assistance, the participant must receive continued child care assistance from the county responsible for the person's current employment plan under section 256G.07 .

(f) If a person's MFIP assistance ends and the approved MFIP employment plan included education, the person continues to be eligible for child care assistance for education under transition year child care assistance until the person's education is included in an approved education plan or until redetermination.

[See Note.]