South Carolina child care scholarships and free 4K: SCDSS wait list, ABC Quality and CERDEP (2026)

Why most South Carolina working families now start on a wait list

SCDSS paused the program on December 1, 2025, after federal pandemic-era child care funds ran out. Since then it has processed new applications only from five protected categories: TANF families, special needs families, homeless families, child welfare families and domestic violence survivors ⁠¹⁠². Applications filed before that date were still processed ⁠¹.

On October 1, 2026, SCDSS opened an online wait list for the Working Families Child Care Scholarship, the scholarship for families outside those categories. The agency said it received no new state or federal money for it and will draw families from the list only as existing funds allow ⁠². The reopened scholarship is narrower than before ⁠²⁠³:

• Only children from birth to age 5 who are not yet in kindergarten qualify. School-age children are not covered.
• Each household can have at most two children funded.
• The parent must be working, in school, in training, or temporarily or permanently disabled, with verification.
• The parent must already have a child care provider lined up when applying.

SCDSS does not publish a wait time. It posts monthly counts of children served and spending on its Child Care Scholarship Dashboard ⁠².

The 55% entrance and 85% exit limits for October 2026 - September 2027

Starting October 1, 2026, a family’s gross income must be at or below 55% of state median income (SMI) when it applies. The family then stays eligible until its income goes above 85% of SMI, as long as there is no break in service ⁠³. These limits apply to the Working Families scholarship and to the protected categories ⁠². The 55% entrance figures for one to eight people appear in the table above. The exit limits are:

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Annual entrance limits are $39,820 for two people, $49,189 for three and $58,559 for four ⁠¹. The policy manual’s annual exit column shows different, lower numbers that do not match its monthly figures, so use the monthly limits when you check ⁠³.

This is a big cut. South Carolina’s approved FFY 2025-2027 CCDF plan set initial eligibility at 85% of SMI ⁠⁵, and as recently as July 2026 the program page listed $6,101 a month as the limit for three people ⁠¹. Every scholarship lasts 12 months. During that time a temporary change in work, school or income does not end care, as long as income stays at or below 85% of SMI ⁠³. Families may have assets of up to $1,000,000, which they declare themselves ⁠³.

Hours, travel time and full-time versus half-time care

The minimum need is 15 hours a week of work, school or training, and travel time counts. The manual’s example is a parent who works 10 hours plus 5 hours of travel ⁠³. How many hours you have decides how much care is paid for ⁠³:

• Full-time care: 25 or more hours a week, counting travel, or full-time school (12 or more credit hours). The threshold dropped from 30 hours on October 1, 2024.
• Half-time care: 15 to 24 hours a week, or part-time school only.

If you lose your job or leave school, report it to the Control Center within 10 calendar days. Care continues for 3 months (90 days) from the date the activity stopped ⁠³. TANF parents follow their Family Plan instead of the 15-hour rule ⁠³.

Protected categories that skip the wait list

These families still apply directly, but each category has its own rules ⁠³:

• Special needs: The child must be referred by BabyNet, OIDD, Children’s Rehabilitative Services, the SC School for the Deaf and Blind or a similar early intervention provider, or have an IEP, IFSP or 504 plan. Covers children up to age 19, with income at or below 55% SMI and no co-pay.
• Homeless: The family must meet the McKinney-Vento definition, with a referral from a regional homeless coalition, Child Care Resource and Referral or the Department of Education. Parents get a 90-day grace period to show work, school, training or job search. No co-pay.
• Domestic violence: For a parent in a shelter or a state-funded domestic violence program. Income at or below 55% SMI and no co-pay.
• TANF and Transitional Child Care, and child welfare (CPS and foster care): Handled through the family’s DSS case.
• Head Start wrap-around and 4K Plus Siblings: No income or work test and no co-pay ⁠³.

What a scholarship family pays in South Carolina

South Carolina charges a flat weekly fee for each child, set by family size and gross monthly income. The parent pays it to the provider in advance ⁠³. Families at or below 150% of the federal poverty level pay nothing, whatever their funding category ⁠³. A fee set at approval cannot go up during the 12 months, but it can go down if your income drops ⁠³.

Effective October 1, 2025 - September 30, 2026 ⁠⁴. The October 2026 manual lists a 2026-27 scale as Appendix 2, but it could not be read, and the Resources page still linked only the 2025-26 scale ⁠³⁠⁶.

In its CCDF plan, South Carolina reported a highest co-pay of 2% of family income ⁠⁵. The May 2026 federal rule change that dropped the national 7% cap therefore makes little practical difference here. Current federal rules still require co-pays that are not a barrier to care ⁠¹².

The bigger cost is often the gap fee. SCDSS caps its weekly payment by provider type, ABC Quality level, child’s age and urban or rural location. Providers may charge parents the difference ⁠³⁠⁵. In a cost survey cited in the CCDF plan, 62% of providers said they charge this difference. The average full-time gap was $52.52 a week for infants and $39.53 for 4-year-olds ⁠⁵.

ABC Quality levels and how they affect your scholarship

ABC Quality is South Carolina’s quality rating system. Scholarships pay only licensed, registered or exempt providers that take part in ABC Quality ⁠¹. Level C means a program meets basic licensing rules. Level B means it meets standards beyond licensing. Level A marks exemplary programs, and the payment schedules also include A+ and B+ ⁠³. A higher level raises the maximum SCDSS will pay. In the October 2026 manual, the full-time weekly maximum for an infant at an urban center is $296 at Level A+ and $213 at Level C. At rural centers the maximums are $158 and $135 ⁠³. Choosing a higher-rated provider can shrink your gap fee or wipe it out. You can look up a provider’s level with the search tool on scchildcare.org ⁠¹.

Free full-day 4K: CERDEP in schools and First Steps centers

CERDEP is set by S.C. Code §59-156. A child qualifies if they turn 4 on or before September 1 and their family has income at or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines, or Medicaid eligibility ⁠⁷. The program is free: no tuition or fees may be charged to enroll or attend, though providers can charge for care outside the instructional day ⁠⁷. Classes run 6.5 instructional hours a day for at least 180 days ⁠⁷⁠⁸. Parents choose between an approved public school and an approved private provider ⁠⁷.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

These are 185% of the HHS 2026 guidelines ($21,640, $27,320, $33,000 and $38,680) ⁠¹¹. Districts accept a free or reduced-price meal letter or a Medicaid card as proof ⁠⁸.

First Steps 4K is the private-provider side of CERDEP. In 2024-25 it worked with 301 child care centers and private schools, and most offer an 8-hour day. For 2026-27, eligible birthdays fall between September 2, 2021 and September 1, 2022 ⁠⁹⁠¹⁰. Its students qualify for free before- and after-school care, and their siblings aged 0-12 qualify for scholarships through 4K Plus Siblings ⁠⁹⁠³. If a provider has more applicants than seats, it must admit the children with the lowest readiness assessment scores first ⁠⁷.

Getting a South Carolina scholarship or 4K seat, step by step

1. Check the 55% entrance limit

   Compare your gross monthly income with the table above, and confirm you have 15 or more hours a week of work, school or training, counting travel ⁠¹⁠³.

2. Choose a path

   If you fit a protected category, apply directly on the DSS Benefits Portal. Otherwise, add your name to the Working Families wait list on the same portal ⁠¹⁠².

3. Line up an ABC Quality provider now

   When you are picked, you must already have a secured provider ⁠². You can call South Carolina Child Care Resource and Referral at 1-888-335-1002 for openings ⁠¹.

4. Gather documents

   You need proof of South Carolina residency, such as a lease or utility bill, and the most recent 30 days of pay stubs or a current school schedule ⁠³.

5. Act within 15 days of your link

   A selected family gets a unique application link. Within 15 calendar days you must apply, upload everything and confirm enrollment with your provider. SCDSS strictly enforces this deadline ⁠².

6. Pay your fee and report changes

   Pay the weekly fee to your provider in advance. Report a job or school loss within 10 days ⁠³.

7. Appeal in writing within 30 days

   Send it to SCDSS Individual and Provider Rights, P.O. Box 1520, Columbia, SC 29202-1520. You cannot appeal a denial for lack of funding. During the appeal you pay for care yourself ⁠³.

8. Apply for 4K separately

   Use the First Steps 4K online application, or contact your school district. Have ready a certified birth certificate, proof of SC residence, income proof (Medicaid, SNAP or income documents) and the SC Certificate of Immunization ⁠¹⁰⁠⁷.

See how child care assistance compares across states, or read about South Carolina cash assistance.