By: Majed Farah
South Carolina families seeking help with child care costs can now join an online scholarship waitlist, but assistance will depend on available funding and revised eligibility requirements.
The South Carolina Department of Social Services launched the waitlist Oct. 1 for parents and caregivers who do not qualify under the federally protected categories of the traditional South Carolina Child Care Scholarship Program.
The agency restricted scholarship applications in December 2025 after federal COVID-19 pandemic funding was exhausted. DSS said it has received no additional state or federal money for scholarships and will use eligible existing resources to assist working families as funding becomes available.
Joining the waitlist does not guarantee a scholarship.
DSS State Director Tony Catone said the agency is working to stretch available funding and expand access responsibly, particularly for families with young children.
Under the revised Working Families Child Care Scholarship requirements, eligible children must be ages 0–5 and not enrolled in kindergarten. Assistance is limited to two children per household.
Families must have income at or below 55 percent of the state median income when applying. Once approved, families may continue receiving assistance until a child ages out or household income exceeds 85 percent of the state median income, provided all other requirements remain satisfied.
The new income guidelines took effect Oct. 1 and apply to both Working Families scholarships and federally protected categories.
Applicants must be working, attending school, participating in training or temporarily or permanently disabled. Verification is required.
Families may be responsible for a copayment based on household size and gross monthly income. Households with income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level will not have a copayment. Eligible children will receive 12 months of child care eligibility once approved.
Families selected from the waitlist when funding becomes available will receive a unique online application link. At that point, parents must have already selected and secured a child care provider.
Parents will have 15 calendar days to complete the application, submit all required documents and confirm enrollment with their chosen provider. DSS said the deadline will be strictly enforced.
Families can join the waitlist through the DSS Benefits Portal at https://benefitsportal.dss.sc.gov. Additional information and program updates are available at
https://scchildcare.org.
