With federal funds gone, DSS seeks money to support childcare in next SC budget [Video]

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Over the last few years, nearly a billion dollars in federal pandemic relief money has supported childcare in South Carolina.

That money is now gone, leaving the Department of Social Services to now seek additional aid from the state to target this crucial industry.

“It really is the backbone of our economy,” DSS Chief External Affairs Officer Connelly-Anne Ragley said. “We have a marketing campaign that we use, saying, work doesn’t work without affordable, accessible, attainable childcare.”

Among the department’s requests for the next state budget is $26 million to continue a program it started with the now-exhausted federal money called SC BOO$T.

It offers one-time bonuses to eligible childcare employees, incentivizing them to stay in the classroom and allowing childcare centers to have the staffing they need to remain open.

“It helped keep those in the early education workforce engaged and employed. It reduced turnover in childcare centers …