South Carolina Daycare Ratios: Staff-to-Child Ratios and Group Sizes by Age
South Carolina's licensed daycare centers staff by age-banded ratios: 1:5 from birth to age 1, 1:6 for ages 1 to 2, 1:8 for ages 2 to 3, 1:12 for ages 3 to 4, 1:17 for ages 4 to 5, 1:20 for ages 5 to 6 and 1:23 for ages 6 to 12.
The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) sets the table in Reg. 114-504, nap-time ratios stretch from age 2 up, and the center rule sets no maximum group size in the text our research read.
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At a glance
The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS), Division of Early Care and Education, which runs child care licensing through four regional offices.
1:5 — one staff member for every 5 children, birth to one year.
1:6 for ages 1 to 2; ages 2 to 3 are staffed at 1:8.
1:12 for ages 3 to 4.
1:17 for ages 4 to 5.
1:23 for ages 6 to 12.
As far as our research read the center rule, licensing sets no maximum group size; group caps you may see attached to South Carolina ratios belong to the voluntary ABC Quality standards, not to licensing.
South Carolina ratio rules at a glance
- Center ratio tableRequirement
Reg. 114-504.B sets seven staff-to-child ratios, 1:5 from birth to age 1 up to 1:23 for ages 6 to 12, applying whenever children are present and during activities away from the center.
- Two-staff floorRequirement
There must be at least two staff persons in the center at all times, whatever the rooms' ratios add up to.
- Youngest-child ruleRequirement
In a mixed-age group that includes any infant or toddler, the youngest child's ratio applies to the whole group; without infants or toddlers, the ratio follows the age of the majority.
- Nap-time ratiosRequirement
With another staff person readily available, nap time stretches to 1:16 for ages 2 to 3, 1:24 for ages 3 to 4 and 1:34 at age 4 and older.
- Water-activity ratiosRequirement
Water activities run 1:1 from birth to age 2 up to 2:25 at age 5 and older, supervised by a certified lifeguard who may count in ratio.
- Registered family child care homeRegistration
The home path: up to 6 children present including the operator's own and related children under 12, with an adult aged 18 or older added to the premises when 4 or more children present are under 12 months.
- Licensed group child care homeLicense
7 to 12 children, with an additional teacher/caregiver once attendance reaches 9 children or when 4 or more children are younger than 2.
South Carolina center ratios and group sizes by age
| Age group | Staff-to-child ratio | Maximum group size |
|---|---|---|
| Birth to one year | 1:5 | Not set |
| One to two years | 1:6 | Not set |
| Two to three years | 1:8 | Not set |
| Three to four years | 1:12 | Not set |
| Four to five years | 1:17 | Not set |
| Five to six years | 1:20 | Not set |
| Six to twelve years | 1:23 | Not set |
Age bands are the center rule's own (Reg. 114-504.B); the rule sets no maximum group size in the text our research read, so the group-size column reads Not set — group-size caps you may see attached to South Carolina ratios belong to the voluntary ABC Quality standards, not to licensing.
What are the daycare ratios in South Carolina?
South Carolina's center rules sit in S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 114, Article 5, last amended effective June 22, 2018, and a child care center is a facility licensed for 13 or more children.
The staffing-ratio table is Reg. 114-504.B: 1:5 from birth to age 1, 1:6 for ages 1 to 2, 1:8 for ages 2 to 3, 1:12 for ages 3 to 4, 1:17 for ages 4 to 5, 1:20 for ages 5 to 6 and 1:23 for ages 6 to 12.
The rule says the ratios apply at all times children are present on the premises and during activities away from the center, and that they must be prominently posted in all classrooms.
Alongside the ratio table, the rule sets a center-wide floor: there shall be at least two staff persons in the center at all times.
“The following staffing ratios apply at all times children are present on the premises and during activities away from the center and shall be prominently posted in all classrooms.”
What is the maximum group size in a South Carolina daycare?
As far as our research read the rule, South Carolina's center licensing sets no maximum group size: Reg. 114-504 pairs each age band with a ratio and the rule text our research read sets no companion group-size cap for licensed centers.
The group sizes writers may find attached to South Carolina ratios belong to ABC Quality, the state's voluntary quality rating and improvement system run by SCDSS — not to the licensing rule.
ABC Quality rates programs from A+ through C, with adult-to-child ratio and group size among its evaluation criteria, and its standards pair tighter ratios with group caps: 1:4 with a cap of 8 for ages 0-12 months, 1:5 with a cap of 10 for 12-24 months, 1:7 (14) for ages 2-3, 1:11 (22) for ages 3-4, 1:13 (26) for ages 4-5, 1:15 (30) for ages 5-6, 1:18 (36) for ages 6-9 and 1:20 (40) for ages 9-13.
Those standards apply to programs that join ABC Quality; the licensing rule our research read carries the ratio table and no group-size caps.
What are the mixed-age and nap-time rules in South Carolina?
Mixed-age grouping turns on the youngest child.
In a mixed-age group with one or more infants or toddlers, the ratios applicable to the youngest child apply to the whole group — one one-year-old in a room of otherwise four-year-olds puts that room on the 1:6 ratio.
For mixed-age groups without infants or toddlers, the ratio follows the age of the majority of the children.
Nap time runs on its own scale: with another staff person readily available, the nap-time ratios are 1:5 from birth to age 1, 1:6 for ages 1 to 2, 1:16 for ages 2 to 3, 1:24 for ages 3 to 4 and 1:34 for ages 4 and older — the same 1:5 and 1:6 as the regular table for the two youngest bands, looser from age 2 up.
“For mixed age groups, with one or more infants or toddlers, the ratios applicable to the youngest child in the group apply.”
Who can count in ratio in a South Carolina daycare?
South Carolina's staffing rules handle who counts through supervision provisions rather than a single listed ratio age, as far as our research read them.
Every direct-care staff member is a teacher/caregiver under one standard — the center rules set no separate assistant-teacher tier — and the Reg. 114-503.K(4) qualification minimums are their own rule, separate from the Reg. 114-504 ratio table.
A 17-year-old may serve as a teacher/caregiver only with a GED or high school diploma and continuous supervision by a qualified caregiver in the room.
On volunteers and student teachers, the rule text our research read ties them to supervision before they count toward the ratio, and that text sets no explicit minimum age to count in ratio beyond these staffing provisions; confirm any schedule built on volunteers or minor staff with SCDSS.
One floor applies whatever the room: there shall be at least two staff persons in the center at all times.
“A teacher/caregiver may be 17 years of age if he/she has received his/her GED or high school diploma and is continuously supervised”
How many children can a home daycare keep in South Carolina?
South Carolina caps home capacity by headcount, not by ratio.
A family child care home may have up to 6 children present, counting the operator's own and related children under 12, and must be registered — a family child care license is optional, while group homes must be licensed.
The family home rules were rewritten effective May 24, 2024, and the rewritten rule carries a staffing condition: an additional caregiver, household member aged 18 or older, staff person, emergency person or volunteer must be on the premises when 4 or more children in attendance are younger than 12 months.
A group child care home — a residence caring for 7 to 12 children, counting children living in the home and related children — needs an additional teacher/caregiver when attendance reaches 9 children or when 4 or more children are younger than 2.
At 13 or more children, the facility meets the state's child care center definition and the center ratio table applies.
“There shall be an additional caregiver, household member eighteen (18) years of age or older, staff, emergency person, or volunteer on the premises when four or more children in attendance are younger than twelve (12) months of age.”
What does the staffing math look like for a typical South Carolina center?
As an illustration of the rule's arithmetic, not a staffing plan: a birth-to-one-year room of 10 infants needs 2 staff on the floor at 1:5, and a two-year-old room of 16 needs 2 at 1:8.
A room of 17 four-year-olds needs 1 at 1:17, and 23 school-age children need 1 at 1:23.
Nap time moves the numbers: a two-year-old room of 32 that needs 4 staff while the children are awake needs 2 at the 1:16 nap-time ratio, with another staff person readily available.
Mixed ages change the math too — one infant in a group of otherwise four-year-olds puts the whole group on the infant 1:5 ratio.
And the center-wide two-staff floor sits under every room: even a center whose entire enrollment is 5 infants, which the 1:5 ratio would cover with 1 caregiver, must have at least two staff persons in the center.
Every figure here is the rule's own; the schedule that applies them is each center's to confirm with SCDSS.
What ratios apply to water activities in South Carolina centers?
Water activities pull every ratio much tighter.
Reg. 114-504 sets water-activity ratios of 1:1 from birth to age 2, 1:2 for ages 2 to 3, 1:3 for ages 3 to 4, 1:6 for ages 4 to 5 and 2 staff for every 25 children at age 5 and older.
Swimming must be supervised by a certified lifeguard, and the lifeguard may count in ratio.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the South Carolina licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state staff-to-child ratios series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS), Division of Early Care and Education publishes. For the rest of the picture in South Carolina, see daycare teacher requirements in South Carolina and daycare licensing steps in South Carolina.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the infant ratio in a South Carolina daycare?
Birth to one year is staffed at 1:5 — one staff member for every 5 infants.
Two more rules can change the count: in any mixed-age group that includes an infant or toddler, the youngest child's ratio applies to the whole group, and every center must have at least two staff persons in the center at all times no matter how small the ratio headcount.
Nap time keeps the same 1:5 infant ratio.
What is the South Carolina daycare ratio for 4-year-olds?
Ages 4 to 5 are staffed at 1:17, so a room of 17 four-year-olds needs 1 staff member on the floor by the ratio's arithmetic.
At nap time the same ages stretch to 1:34, the rule's nap-time scale for age 4 and older, with another staff person readily available.
Ages 5 to 6 move to 1:20.
Does South Carolina set a maximum group size for daycares?
Not in the center licensing rule as far as our research read it: Reg. 114-504 sets ratios by age and the rule text our research read sets no companion group-size cap.
The group sizes you may see attached to South Carolina ratios belong to ABC Quality, the state's voluntary quality rating system — for example a cap of 8 for infants at a 1:4 ratio.
Those standards apply to programs that join ABC Quality, not to licensing.
How many kids can a home daycare have in South Carolina?
A registered family child care home may have up to 6 children present, counting the operator's own and related children under 12, and needs an adult aged 18 or older on the premises when 4 or more children present are younger than 12 months.
A licensed group child care home takes 7 to 12 children, with an additional caregiver once attendance reaches 9 children or when 4 or more are younger than 2.
At 13 or more children, the facility meets the center definition.
Do South Carolina daycare ratios change at nap time?
From age 2 up, they do.
With another staff person readily available, the nap-time ratios are 1:5 from birth to age 1, 1:6 for ages 1 to 2, 1:16 for ages 2 to 3, 1:24 for ages 3 to 4 and 1:34 for ages 4 and older — the same 1:5 and 1:6 as the regular table below age 2.
Outside nap time the regular table applies — a room of 32 two-year-olds is a 1:8 room, needing 4 staff while the children are awake.
More South Carolina Resources
Sources
- South Carolina child care licensing regulations (SC Statehouse) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- SCDSS child care licensing requirements (South Carolina Department of Social Services) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- ABC Quality rating system standards (South Carolina ABC Quality) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- ABC Quality rating improvement system (SCDSS Division of Early Care and Education) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
Sourced from the documents listed above. Verified October 2026. This is career and employer information, not licensing or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS), Division of Early Care and Education.