COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s Child Care Scholarship Program is temporarily halting new and renewal applications as the state works to manage reduced funding following the exhaustion of federal COVID-19 relief dollars.

According to the South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS), the pause takes effect December 1, 2025. Any Working Families Child Care Scholarship applications received on or after that date will be denied due to lack of funding, unless the applicant falls into a protected category such as those already receiving TANF, child welfare services, special needs services, and other qualifying programs. Applications from those groups will continue to be processed.

The agency expects to resume accepting new applications after January 2026, once funding availability is

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