ROCK HILL, S.C. — 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.”
Among those South Carolina residents supporting the change is Stephanie Pollock. She spends part of her summers watching her granddaughter, Abby.
“She is a really, really good grandma and she lets me go to the park sometimes," Abby, 6, said.
Those precious memories are made, in part, because of the cost of childcare.
"It’s just expensive," Pollock said. "I watch her through the summer and pick her up in the afternoons to help out with my family. If it’ll help the families, I agree, 100%.”
But, Williams has mixed feelings. While she's hopeful the change will increase staffing, she worries it may make child care centers too lax in hiring new child care workers.
“Of course, you need more staff, but I want them to get the right staff," Williams said. "I don’t just want my kids with just anybody and everybody.”
In addition to the new hire changes, starting next year, regular approval, regular license and renewal licenses for public child care centers, group child care homes, private child care centers, and licensed family child care homes will occur every three years instead of every two years.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.