How many licensed daycares are in Columbia?

There are 217 licensed child care providers in Columbia.

What percentage of Columbia daycares have high quality ratings?

75% of Columbia daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 73% statewide in South Carolina.

What types of childcare are available in Columbia?

140 center-based, 70 home-based providers operate in Columbia.

How do Columbia daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of South Carolina?

Columbia daycares average 3.0 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a South Carolina statewide average of 2.9.

Is there financial help for childcare in South Carolina?

South Carolina offers childcare subsidies and assistance programs for income-eligible families. See income limits, waitlist status, and how to apply.

Childery

Best Daycares in Columbia, SC — Independent Quality Ratings

Of Columbia's 217 daycares, 162 (75%) hold a 4 or 5 star rating from Childery, matching South Carolina's statewide rate of 73%. Locally, providers average 3.0 stars on Process inputs (state QRIS, NAEYC and other accreditation, federal Head Start CLASS scores) and 4.8 stars on Structural inputs (state regulatory baseline plus provider-level licensing data), compared with South Carolina averages of 2.9 on Process and 4.6 on Structural.

The local market includes 140 centers, 5 group child care homes, 65 family child care homes, and 7 license-exempt programs.

Listed alphabetically below are some of the highest-rated providers in Columbia. Childery ranks providers using publicly auditable inputs: state QRIS scores, NAEYC-aligned ratios and group sizes, and federal CCDBG training coverage. See the South Carolina methodology page for the full breakdown.

217

Daycares

162

4 or 5 Stars

Rating Distribution in Columbia

91(42%)

71(33%)

53(24%)

2(1%)

0(0%)

Mean rating across all displayed daycares in Columbia: 4.2 (Sample of 217).

Process rating across all displayed daycares in Columbia: 3.0 (Sample of 133).

Structural rating across all displayed daycares in Columbia: 4.8 (Sample of 217).

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Some of the Best Daycares in Columbia

Arthurtown Child Development Center

Columbia, SC

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Asbury Kindergarten & Preschool

Big Blue Marble Killians Crossing

Columbia, SC

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Boys & Girls Club (E.E. Taylor Elementary

Columbia, SC

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Boys & Girls Club (Windsor Elementary)

Columbia, SC

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands (Sandel Elementary)

Columbia, SC

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Other cities in South Carolina

Frequently Asked Questions

How many licensed daycares are in Columbia?: There are 217 licensed child care providers in Columbia.
What percentage of Columbia daycares have high quality ratings?: 75% of Columbia daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 73% statewide in South Carolina.
What types of childcare are available in Columbia?: 140 center-based, 70 home-based providers operate in Columbia.
How do Columbia daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of South Carolina?: Columbia daycares average 3.0 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a South Carolina statewide average of 2.9.
Is there financial help for childcare in South Carolina?: South Carolina offers childcare subsidies and assistance programs for income-eligible families. See income limits, waitlist status, and how to apply.Childcare subsidies in South Carolina

All 217 Daycares in Columbia

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