Childcare Program

Tuition

Section Contents

Tuition Rates

Monthly Tuition Rates for Academic Year 2026-27

 Income-based Discounts

Families may use one of the following programs, not both.

To ensure all available state assistance is utilized prior to awarding institutional support, the following change was made to the scholarship application process:

If your household income is below $74,999 (tier 1 and tier 2 scholarship), you are required to first apply for the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TN-DHS) Child Care Certificate Program before submitting your Vanderbilt Tuition Scholarship application. If you are denied by the TN-DHS program, you must provide official documentation of the denial when applying for the Vanderbilt scholarship. Thank you for your attention to this important requirement.

For more information on the TN-DHS Child Care Certificate Program, please visit: Tennessee Department of Human Services website.

  • TN-DHS Child Care Certificate Program

    The Child Care Certificate Program is a state program that assists Families First participants, parents transitioning off Families First, parents working or enrolled in post-secondary education programs, teen parents, and children in foster care. It’s also called the subsidized child care program. To participate in the program, families must be declared eligible by the Department of Human Services (TDHS) staff or by the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) staff for children in foster care.

    TDHS provides financial assistance with child care costs for families meeting income guideline criteria through several child care assistance programs. For more information go to the Tennessee Department of Human Services website.

  • Vanderbilt Tuition Assistance Scholarship Program

    This Opportunity Vanderbilt-inspired tuition adjustment program helps full-time Vanderbilt employees and students access affordable, high-quality child care.

    Acorn families with household incomes of less than $125,000 may apply for a Vanderbilt tuition rate adjustment.

    The amount of the adjustment is based on gross household income levels ($0 - $59,999 – 60%); ($60,000 - $74,999 – 40%); ($75,000 - $99,999 – 20%); ($100,000 - $124,999 – 5%) and the total funding available.

    If approved, please be advised that federal tax law designates these discounts as a taxable benefit.   If you receive a paycheck from Vanderbilt the discount will show up as an imputed earning.   If you do not receive a paycheck from Vanderbilt, please discuss with your tax consultant as this is still a taxable benefit.

    The application should be returned as soon as possible and must be received by the 15th of the month in order for the approved discount to be applied to the next month.   Please do not submit an application until after you have received an offer of admission.


Automatic Online Payments

Online payments through Brightwheel are the required method of payment of tuition for Acorn Families. Automatic online payments are the default method of payment for VU Employees.

Once enrolled in our program, you will receive an invitation to Brightwheel, our billing and enrollment software, to sign up for automatic payments. Payments can be made by ACH or credit card.

Payment Processing Fees

If you choose to pay by credit/debit, processing fees charged by the credit companies will apply.

  • ACH: VCFC will absorb the cost of the flat fee of $0.50 per transaction   
  • Credit/Debit: 2.7% payment processing fee