COLUMBIA, S.C. — A child care shortage in South Carolina is taking a toll on the state's economy, with business leaders estimating the annual impact to be $1.4 billion a year.
In response, the South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) is advocating for a $10 million allocation in the upcoming budget to fund child care scholarships, benefiting approximately 3,000 children.
The scarcity of affordable and quality child care has forced many families into difficult situations, as demonstrated by Emily Mann, a parent who described her search for quality child care as akin to "finding a needle in a haystack."
Mann ultimately chose to become a stay-at-home mom when the cost of child care surpassed her earnings.
“Stressful, hard, best time of my life, the hardest time of my life. Definitely the toughest job I’ve ever had,” Mann said.
Under SCDSS's request, more families like Mann’s would be eligible for child care scholarships to help ease the cost.
"Child care is a necessity for parents, especially working moms looking to come back into the workforce, and we want to make sure that it is safe, affordable, and really is a quality program that's accessible to the public,” Conelly Anne Ragley with DSS said.
To be eligible for the proposed scholarships, a family of three would need to have an annual income between $64,000 and $74,000. Families with incomes below this threshold already qualify for state assistance.
"I think that’s a great thing to do. Obviously, any time families need assistance with their children, I’m 100% in support of that," said Mann.
SCDSS is not only seeking financial support for child care but also requesting funding for the elderly population.
The agency is proposing an expansion of the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program by an additional 10,000 vouchers, aiming to address the current demand and eliminate waiting lists.
“It's currently 100% federally funded. We had over 2,800 seniors on a waiting list for the program this year,” Ragley said. “We had over eight counties that had to cancel their distribution because once the vouchers go, they're gone. We receive about 24,000 vouchers and the demand is so high.”
Additionally, SCDSS is advocating for increased funding to raise foster parent board rates and provider rates for some group care providers throughout the state. The agency contends that these financial adjustments are necessary to ensure the well-being of foster children and enhance the overall quality of care.
“We want to continue to improve those rates for not only foster parents but also group home and great care providers,” Ragley said.
Ragley said DSS is also looking to build a crisis stabilization center.
“This is more for youth that are in the child welfare system. It’s an additional kind of blanket or resources for not only foster parents but resources for our DSS professionals that work in child welfare, really to try to help wraparound and support youth that may have some additional challenges,” said Ragley.
In related legislative action, a new joint committee convened Thursday to address the child care issue through comprehensive legislative measures.