Daycares in South Carolina
South Carolina scores licensed daycares through ABC Quality, the state's quality rating program. ABC Quality uses five letter tiers — C, B, B+, A, and A+ — across multiple areas: program administration, staff education and professional development, child well-being, family engagement and cultural competency, intentional teaching, ratios, and group sizes.
South Carolina's minimum legal requirements for adult-to-child ratios fall below the standards published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the leading professional accreditation body for early-childhood programs and the most widely cited benchmark for high-quality care, and the state does not regulate maximum group sizes at all. South Carolina caps infant ratios at 1:5 (NAEYC: 1:4), toddler ratios at 1:6 (matching NAEYC), and preschool ratios at 1:17 (NAEYC: 1:10). NAEYC recommends infant, toddler, and preschool group caps of 8, 12, and 20; South Carolina does not set state rules on any of them. The state requires only a high school diploma for a lead teacher in a licensed center, where NAEYC's professional standard is a bachelor's degree. Pre-service training is not set in state rule, and required ongoing professional development is 15 hours per year (NAEYC: ≥25).
These minimum legal requirements apply to every licensed daycare in South Carolina, regardless of its ABC Quality rating. They are one of the Structural inputs in every Childery rating shown above. The rating distribution above combines that Structural input with ABC Quality scores and other Process inputs to produce the Overall scores. For the full breakdown, see the South Carolina methodology page.
Rating Distribution in South Carolina
These are Childery's Overall Ratings (1–5 stars) — our composite that combines this state's QRIS where it exists, national accreditation (NAEYC, NAC, NECPA, NAFCC), federal Head Start CLASS scores, and the state regulatory baseline. They are not the state's stand-alone QRIS score. See our methodology for the full breakdown.
Mean rating across all displayed daycares in South Carolina: 2.4 (Sample of 2,429).
Process rating across all displayed daycares in South Carolina: 2.9 (Sample of 1,248).
Structural rating across all displayed daycares in South Carolina: 2.0 (Sample of 2,429).
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How many licensed daycares are in South Carolina?
- Childery tracks 2,429 licensed child care providers across South Carolina.
- How do South Carolina daycares score on teaching quality?
- South Carolina daycares average 2.9 out of 5 on Childery's Process score, which combines state QRIS ratings, national accreditations (NAEYC, NAC, NECPA), and federal Head Start CLASS scores. 1,248 providers have classroom-quality data.
- Which cities in South Carolina have the most daycares?
- The cities with the most licensed daycares in South Carolina are Columbia (208), Florence (129), and Greenville (113).
- Is there financial help for childcare in South Carolina?
- South Carolina offers childcare financial assistance for income-eligible families. See income limits, waitlist status, priority groups, and how to apply.Childcare subsidies in South Carolina
- How do I choose a good daycare in South Carolina?
- Childery's guide covers what to look for when touring daycares in South Carolina, questions to ask providers, and how to use quality ratings when comparing options.How to find a good daycare in South Carolina
- How does Childery rate daycares in South Carolina?
- Childery's Overall Rating (1–5 stars) combines South Carolina's state QRIS where available, national accreditations (NAEYC, NAC, NECPA), federal Head Start CLASS scores, and the state regulatory baseline.View Childery's South Carolina methodology