Ccdf-2026 - child care and development fund mandatory & matching

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded the South Carolina Department of Social Services $28,615,573 on October 1, 2025, under the Child Care and Development Fund Mandatory and Matching program (CFDA 93.596), a formula grant providing mandatory child care funding to help low-income families access child care and improve child care quality.

The award funds child care services delivered across all 46 South Carolina counties through the department's administrative oversight at 1535 Confederate Avenue, Columbia, South Carolina, with a period of performance running through September 30, 2028. The department passes through funding to local community partners, including the United Way Association of South Carolina, Inc., which uses sub-award funding to purchase local child care services from participating United Way Community partners to increase and sustain child care availability throughout the state consistent with CCDF regulations.

The Mandatory and Matching funds are entitlement allocations made available under section 418 of the Social Security Act and are not subject to annual appropriations. The lead agency must submit a triennial CCDF plan for Administration for Children and Families review and approval within 90 days, designate policies and procedures, establish a sliding fee scale, hold at least one public hearing with at least 20 days of statewide public notice, and coordinate services with other federal, state, and local child care and early childhood development programs. The department maintains compliance with 2 CFR Parts 200 and 300, retains CCDF records for three years from Financial Report submission, and reports quarterly financial data and triennial plan submissions to the federal awarding agency.