Daycare Licensing in South Carolina: Violations, Inspections & License Lookup
How child care licensing works in South Carolina: who regulates it, the rules providers answer to, how often they are inspected, and the exact steps to look up a daycare's violations and verify its license. Sourced from Department of Social Services, Division of Early Care and Education.
Last verified 2026-08-03
How do I look up daycare violations in South Carolina?
- Open the SC Child Care Services provider search at scchildcare.org/provider-search.
- Search by ZIP code, provider name, or county from the dropdown.
- Click the provider to open its Provider Details page.
- Scroll to the inspection reports section and open the linked PDFs (for example the Initial Application and the ABC Annual review).
- Read each report for cited deficiencies, which are labeled High, Medium, or Low severity.
State portal: South Carolina child care search
How do I verify a South Carolinadaycare's license?
- Open the provider search at scchildcare.org/provider-search.
- Search by name, ZIP, or county and select the provider.
- On the Provider Details page confirm the license number, issue date, and expiration date.
- Check the listed licensed capacity and the assigned DSS licensing specialist contact.
State portal: South Carolina license search
Who regulates daycares in South Carolina?
Child care licensing in South Carolina is administered by the Department of Social Services, Division of Early Care and Education, under S.C. Code Regs. Ch. 114, Art. 5. It licenses providers, inspects them, and records the violations found.
How often are South Carolina daycares inspected?
South Carolina conducts at least one unannounced routine licensing inspection each year for every licensed child care provider, and a separate fire and health safety inspection is also required. Complaints against a facility, or reports of unlicensed operation, trigger additional investigations. Cited deficiencies stay visible on the provider's public record for 36 months.
South Carolina rates violations by severity. Worst first:
- High
- Medium
- Low
What our South Carolinadata covers, and what it doesn't
We track South Carolina's licensed providers from the state's public records: license number, status, and capacity. For a provider's full inspection and violation history, follow the steps above at the state's own source.
| South Carolina child care data | On record |
|---|---|
| Licensed providers tracked | 2,423 |
| Independently scorable (Confidence Index) | Not yet scorable |
| Inspection history on this site | Roster only, use state source |
South Carolina daycare licensing: common questions
- How do I look up daycare violations in South Carolina?
- Use the provider search at scchildcare.org/provider-search. Search by ZIP, name, or county, open the provider's page, and download the linked inspection report PDFs. Cited deficiencies are labeled by severity and remain visible for 36 months.
- How often does South Carolina inspect licensed daycares?
- The Division of Early Care and Education conducts at least one unannounced licensing inspection each year for every licensed provider. A separate fire and health safety inspection is also required. Complaints prompt additional investigations.
- What do South Carolina's violation levels mean?
- South Carolina classifies cited deficiencies as High, Medium, or Low. High violations are the most serious and pose a health or safety risk, such as improper supervision. Medium violations are significant and could negatively affect safety, and Low violations are the least likely to affect health and safety.
- How do I verify a South Carolina daycare's license?
- Open the provider's page on scchildcare.org and read the Provider Details section. It lists the license number, issue and expiration dates, and the licensed capacity. You can call the listed regional DSS licensing specialist to confirm current status.
This page republishes the public licensing record and labels every absent field plainly. Primary source: https://scchildcare.org. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.