SC Child Care Licensing logo

Why is Child Care Licensing Important?

Licensing sets standards to promote the health and prophylactic of children receiving care. All South Carolina child care programs are required to be one of the following: licensed, registered, approved, or legally exempt. Kid care providers must be licensed if they:

  • Operate 4 or more than hours a day
  • Operate more than 2 days a week
  • Care for children in your dwelling and you treat more than one family unit not related to you

Types of Care:

All South Carolina child care programs are required to be ane of the post-obit: licensed, registered, approved, or legally exempt. Requirements are determined past provider type.

The country defines four types of child care:

  • Child Care Center—A heart that is licensed for 13 or more children can be commercial, faith-based, or school-based.
  • Group Child Care Home—A facility within a residence occupied by the operator that cares for 7 to 12 children; The number includes those living in the residence and children who are related to the operator must be licensed.
  • Family Child Intendance DwellingA facility within a residence occupied by the operator that cares for no more 6 children; The number includes those living in the residence and children who are related to the operator; Family Child Care Centers must exist registered only may cull to be licensed.
  • Legally-Exempt Operations—Child intendance eye-based programs open up less than iv hours a day and/or open on school holidays; Not allowed for Family Child Care Homes or Group Kid Care Homes.

Annotation: Many parents rely on family unit members, friends, or neighbors who provide intendance. These types of care are not registered or licensed but are regulated.

How SC Licensing Works

Licensing is managed by the SC Segmentation of Early Care and Education at the SC Department of Social Services (SCDSS). We regulate approximately 2,500 child care providers, through four regional offices. There are several primal functions that build safe, salubrious environments for children:

1. Inspections: These help to ensure that providers comply with state laws and regulations through a yearly unannounced inspection. Additionally, a fire and health safety inspection is conducted for all licensed child intendance providers.

2. Land and Federal Comprehensive Background Checks: As required by state law, federal and country background checks must exist conducted on all child care staff members who work in child care facilities. More information on background checks can be found here. Groundwork checks include:

  • SC Child Corruption and Neglect Key Registry & Database checks and out of country Abuse and Neglect checks if child care staff lived out of SC in the past v years.
    • For all center-based intendance, licensed, registered, and legally exempt
    • Licensed and registered home kid intendance facilities
    • Family, Friend, and Neighbor checks for providers enrolled in the SC Voucher Program
  • In-land and National Sex activity Offender Database checks for all child care facility types, to include legally exempt child intendance facilities
  • State and Federal fingerprinting for all kid intendance facility types, to include legally exempt child care facilities

The State of South Carolina uses a digital fingerprint service. Find consummate information here.

3. Investigations: We investigate complaints against regulated facilities and reports of facilities or individuals operating without a license or registration.

4. Regulation: A state Advisory Committee is responsible for reviewing the regulations regarding their improvement.

How to Apply

Step i. Attend Orientation. At orientation, you lot volition receive an awarding package that has all the forms y'all will need to apply. In improver, you will exist able to ask any questions related to the procedure and you are provided resource for your area to assistance as you become through the procedure. To sign upward for orientation, click hither or call your local regional Licensing Part.

Pace two. Submit architectural plans to DSS Kid Care Fire and Health Condom at the Child Care Licensing Key Function:

Kid Care Licensing
P.O. Box 1520
Columbia, SC 29202-1520

Step three. Later on yous have attended orientation and received your awarding packet and your edifice plans have been approved past the Master Fire Align at Child Care Licensing, please contact your local zoning part for zoning blessing, then Submit your Zoning Approval, your application to use and your burn down inspection asking to your local the Child Care Licensing Regional Role.

Step four. Once the higher up items have been submitted to Kid Care Licensing, y'all will be assigned a Licensing Specialist and you will exist asked to complete the necessary document in the application packet. Those items should be completed and submitted for our review.

Footstep 5. Once your items take been approved, nosotros will contact you for a visit. If everything meets the requirements, your example will be submitted for a provisional license.

Footstep half dozen. After you have operated for 45 days, we will visit to complete your total evaluation, and if a successful visit, your case will be submitted for a regular license.

Forms

Related Documents & Links

Contact Information

Cynthia Lara, Director
Child Care Licensing
(803) 898-9024

Child Care Licensing Central Function
Central Part: (803) 898-9020
Toll-Free: (800) 556-7445
Fax: (803) 898-9029

SC Office of Country Burn down Marshal
141 Monticello Trail
Columbia, SC 29203
Tel: (803) 896-9800
Hours: 08:thirty am - 5:00 pm, Monday

Counties

To view contact information for Kid Care Licensing Regional Part select your county beneath.

Oconee Pickens Anderson Greenville Spartanburg Cherokee York Chester Lancaster Kershaw Lee Sumter Calhoun Orangeburg Bamberg Barnwell Allendale Hampton Jasper Beaufort Charleston Dorchester Berkeley Georgetown Williamsburg Florence Darlington Dillon Marion Horry Chesterfield Marlboro Clarendon Colleton Matrimony Laurens Abbeville Greenwood McCormick Edgefield Aiken Saluda Lexington Richland Newberry Fairfield