SC easing requirements for child care workers amid staffing shortages

Crystal Williams' children are her world, but finding daycare for them hasn't always been easy.
Many others share her struggle across South Carolina and around the country, as childcare centers continue to struggle with staffing and funding challenges.
“My son, he’s four years old and he’s in Head Start at the moment," Williams said. "I wish I could find something where both of them could go at the same time, because my daughter, of course, she's on the waiting list there ... She's been on the waiting list for a year now."
The state is now making changes, hoping to get more child care workers in the door.
South Carolina is easing state child care worker requirements, trading experience for training by replacing the six-month experience requirement with 15 hours of training and 30 days of direct supervision.
"So, if you're brand new out of high school, you may have that high school diploma, you may have the GED, but you may not have that six months of direct experience in childcare ... we believe this will help remove barriers," S.C. Department of Social Services spokesperson Connelly-Anne Ragley told WCNC Charlotte's Kayland Hagwood. "The safety background check, as required by state and federal law, has not changed.”
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