The 2006 SC Kids Count reports that approximately 40% of children in Spartanburg County require childcare.  In 2008, 3,467 Spartanburg County children, age three and over were enrolled in nursery school or preschool.  This constituted 4.9% of all county children age three and over, compared to 6.4% nationally (American Community Survey).  However, there are only three child care centers in Spartanburg County that are accredited by The National Accreditation for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC):

·         USC Upstate:  primarily for faculty and students

·         Spartanburg Regional Hospital:  for hospital staff

·         Middle Tyger Community Center: for adolescent mothers in School District 5. 

There are no child care centers open to the general public in Spartanburg that are NAEYC- accredited.

SC regulations require child care staff to have a high school degree or equivalent and to receive 12 hours of training each year; however, national standards require at least one teacher to have a four-year degree in early childhood development.  A 2000 Clemson University survey of SC child care directors revealed that 52% of child care providers have no early childhood credential of any kind.