The SC DSS Scholarship Program is offered by the SC Department of Social Services. The program provides child care tuition support to income-eligible families to enable parents and guardians to work, attend school, or pursue professional training. DSS Scholarships are also available to parents and guardians who have a disability. Many parents share in the cost of care through co-payment based on family size and income.
More information is available here. You can also contact our Child Care Referral Specialist at SCCCRR@mailbox.sc.edu for help starting the application process.
The DLL Scholarship is funded by the SC Department of Social Services. It is specifically for families who speak a language other than English in the home and have a child aged 0-12 years old.
Parents and guardians are required to do one of the following to qualify:
- work a minimum of 15 hours per week
- attend school (this includes ESL classes)
- actively seek employment
For more information and an application, please contact our Dual Language Learner Specialist at CCRRDLL@mailbox.sc.edu.
The HI Scholarship is funded by the SC Department of Social Services. Families currently experiencing homelessness as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act (lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence) and who have a child aged 0-12 years old may be eligible for the Homeless Initiative Voucher.
For more information and an application, please contact our HI Support & Child Care Referral Specialist at CCRRHI@mailbox.sc.edu.
First Steps 4K offers free four-year-old kindergarten programs to qualifying South Carolina children. First Steps 4K partners with private, non-profit, faith-based, independent, and charter school preschool programs across the state. Families may also be eligible for First Steps 4K + Siblings, a collaboration with DSS that extends to siblings 0-12 enrolled in First Steps 4K for free child care scholarships.
To learn more or to apply, please visit SC First Steps 4K.
Head Start is a federally funded, completely free comprehensive early childhood education program serving children from low-income families, from birth to five years old. Additionally, Head Start provides health and nutrition services and actively engages family and community members in the program and classrooms.
For more information, please visit Head Start.
Child Early Reading Development and Education Program (CERDEP) is a free, full-day 4-year-old program for at-risk children. Enrollment eligibility is income-based. CERDEP classrooms may be housed in public elementary schools or public child care centers. Local school districts may offer half-or full-day options, with eligibility determined at the district level.
For more information, please visit their site.
The DSS Division of Early Care and Education is proud to partner with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to provide Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-PLUS (MCCYN-PLUS), a program offering affordable, accessible child care options to military families.
MCCYN-PLUS offers fee assistance to eligible military and DoD civilian families when on-base child care is unavailable or if families do not live near base. This gives families a sense of ease when searching for high-quality child care.
The program is eligible for active-duty military personnel, National Guard members, reservists, and DoD civilian personnel.
Families can choose eligible licensed child care and family home programs that have at least a B+ rating through ABC Quality, South Carolina's quality rating and improvement system.
Families can sign up for MCCYN-PLUS here.
To find out if you qualify for SC Voucher, First Steps 4K, Head Start, or SCDE Public School Pre-K, please visit Palmetto Pre-K.
