Understanding South Carolina’s ABC Child Care program is as easy as learning your ABC’s.
Since 1992, the DSS ABC Child Care Program has paid for low-income children to attend
child care so their parents could work, or so they could attend school or training
in order to obtain a job. The ABC Child Care program and its standards are purely
voluntary. Vouchers are paid to child care providers who choose to participate based
on the following 3 payment levels:
Level A - providers meeting the highest standards of care provided
in the state
Level B - providers meeting standards above licensing requirements
Level C - providers meeting basic health and safety requirements (licensed or
legally exempt from licensing requirements).
In addition to the payment, providers at Levels A and B have also been paid a $5
bonus for each ABC funded child each week.
Parental Choice
It is very important for parents to be able to choose the kind of care they want for their child. Therefore, the ABC Voucher Program pays the following providers to care for children:
- Licensed Centers
- Licensed Churches
- Licensed Group Child Care Homes
- Licensed or Registered Family Child Care Homes
- Exempt Programs (such as Afterschool Programs)
- Family, Friend, or Neighbor Care
All providers must be legally operating.
Bonus Program (2007-2008)
In addition to the weekly payment, providers at Levels
A and B have also been paid a $5 bonus per week for each ABC-funded child.
We recognize that the costs of providing good child care have risen. The ABC Child
Care Program has retooled our bonus program in an effort to better reimburse providers
for the cost of providing good care to children and families. Payment levels and
bonuses are based on assessments conducted by ABC
Program Monitors who visit providers on a regular basis. ABC Program Monitors
look for things like:
- Staff : Child relationships
- Staff : Child ratios
- Staff qualifications and training
- Health and safety issues
- Good nutrition
- Family involvement
- Variety of materials to interest children
- Activities geared to promote the growing child’s development
These visits to providers help all South Carolina families who have children in
care, because ABC Program Monitors work with providers to improve the care they
provide to all the children they serve – not just the children funded by the
ABC Voucher Program.