How to Start a Home Daycare in South Carolina

Starting a home daycare in South Carolina gives you the opportunity to provide a safe place for children to learn while their parents are at work.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state of South Carolina had approximately 8,700 daycare workers in 2008. If you live in South Carolina and have a passion for children, you can turn it into a business by learning how to start a home daycare in South Carolina.

Instructions

1. Apply for a license. Obtain an application to be licensed as a home daycare in South Carolina from the Division of Child Care Services. Understand that a family child care home allows for care of up to six kids while a group child care home cares for seven to 12 children. Complete the application for the category that fits your home daycare. Submit the application along with reference letters, a copy of your education or experience in childcare and approval from your local zoning authority allowing you to operate the daycare in your home.

2. Prepare your home. Purchase the supplies and equipment needed to operate a daycare from your South Carolina home. This often includes baby beds, playpens, toys, games, learning activities, small tables, books and more. Make your home is safe for a child by installing baby gates at stairs, locking cabinets and storing hazardous chemicals out of a child's reach.

3. Obtain training. Both family child care home providers and group home providers must have training in first aid and CPR. A group home child care provider must also have completed a training class in blood borne pathogens, which teaches the provider how to safely clean up any blood or bodily fluids. Contact the South Carolina Division of Child Care Services to get a list of upcoming first aid/CPR and blood borne pathogens classes in your area.

4. Set the specifics. Decide what days and hours you will provide care for children in your home. Determine what rates you will charge parents and whether you offer a slight discount for two or more children from the same family. Create a schedule for your daycare as well as emergency plans that cover what you will do in the event of a fire, natural disaster or medical problem.

5. Pass checks and inspections. Submit your fingerprints and agree to a background check on you and anyone 15 or older living in your home. Meet with the local fire marshal for an inspection of your home for fire safety as well as a representative from the health department for a sanitation inspection. Complete your last inspection with a worker from the Department of Child Care Services to receive your license.

6. Promote your daycare. Advertise your home daycare services on Craigslist or develop your own website. Inform family and friends of the services you provide, and encourage them to provide referrals to anyone they know looking for child care. Create flyers and place them around in your neighborhood or at your local church or community center to advertise your home daycare in South Carolina.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: South Carolina Daycare Workers
• Child Welfare League of America: South Carolina Child Statistics

Resources

• South Carolina: Division of Child Care Services