Assistance and Grants for Single Moms in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Pennsylvania Head Start
Better Choice
Cash assistance in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania WIC
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Child Care Works
Child Care & Development Fund (CCDF)
State Grant

Being a single mother is difficult and exhausting, especially if you have little to no support. It has the potential to cause anxiety, PTSD, and despair. Unfortunately, the suffering of a single mother is not unusual. According to the 2020 United States Census Bureau, single mothers led 80 percent of the nearly 11 million single-parent homes with children under the age of 18. The majority of single-parent families in the United States are headed by a single woman. Since 1950, the number of single-parent homes in Pennsylvania has continuously increased, with up to 33.1 percent of families presently led by a single parent. According to a 2020 estimate, the Keystone State has 415,373 total single-parent households, with single moms outnumbering single dads by 24 percent to 9.1 percent. Thankfully, there are several grants for single moms in Pennsylvania that can provide priceless help for those in need.

Pennsylvania Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides health insurance to over eight million children and families whose earnings are too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to buy commercial insurance.

To be eligible for this program, you must be a Pennsylvania resident with a kid aged 18 and under. You must also be a US citizen, National, or a non-citizen who has been lawfully admitted to the US. You must also be uninsured and Medicaid ineligible. If you match these criteria, you can apply online through Pennsylvania COMPASS.

CHIP offers significant financial security to low-income children and families. CHIP-eligible children have considerably greater access to primary and preventive care, as well as less unmet health needs. This is an excellent service for families who don’t qualify for Medicaid but are unable to afford regular insurance costs. The CHIP program has proven to be a helpful resource for Pennsylvania families.

Pennsylvania Head Start

Head Start is a federal program that promotes school readiness for low-income children between the ages of birth and five by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Most states, if not all, have a head start program. When a child enrolls in Head Start, they not only gain educational benefits, but they also receive a support structure to assist both them and you.

Head Start programs benefit the entire family. The program assists families in achieving stability by assisting with employment and housing.

Better Choice

A program developed by the state government’s Treasury Department and the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association to assist Pennsylvanians in getting out of debt from payday lenders or other sources. It assists in the facilitation of short-term grants and loans from legitimate financial businesses. This program offers short-term, low-interest loans that are preferable to payday lenders.

Cash assistance in Pennsylvania

If you have a low income and little resources, you may be eligible for financial help under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF). The Salvation Army is well-known for providing cash aid and other services to those in need. There is also Diversion, a short-term cash aid program.

Pennsylvania WIC

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal aid program for low-income pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under the age of five. WIC is a food assistance program. WIC emphasizes healthier diets for families and provides nutrition instruction. They have breastfeeding support services as well as formula assistance.

Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP)

The Supplemental Nutrition Help Program (SNAP), originally known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides low- and no-income persons with food purchasing assistance. This is one of the most commonly used grants for single moms in Pennsylvania.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is a United States federal assistance program. The TANF grant has a maximum benefit of two consecutive years and a lifetime limit of five years, and all recipients of welfare aid are required to find work within two years of receiving aid. TANF money may be used for the following purposes: to assist needy families in caring for their children at home; to reduce needy parents’ reliance on government benefits by fostering job readiness, work, and marriage.

Child Care Works

The subsidized child care program assists low-income families in paying for child care. It can be difficult for families to afford dependable, high-quality child care. Child care subsidies enable families with low incomes to obtain dependable, high-quality child care near their homes or workplaces, and they also give financial aid to help them do so.

You must be a Pennsylvania resident to be eligible for this program. You must also have a child who needs supervision while you work or attend school. There are further prerequisites that can be found here.

Child Care & Development Fund (CCDF)

The Child Care and Development Fund assists low-income families who require child care due to work, job-related training, or school attendance.

State Grant

The Pennsylvania State Grant Program was created to help students who cannot afford college or university tuition. If you are a single mother and want to learn more about the program or enroll your child, call the Pennsylvania Department of Education at 1-800-692-7392.

If you are a single mother in Pennsylvania who is struggling, please use these resources. When assistance is required, it is critical to seek it. That is exactly what these programs are designed to do.