Legislators offer tax credits to deal with the child care crisis in South Carolina – WLTX.com

Columbia, SC – Finding Children’s Care in South Carolina remains a challenge for many families, but a new bill in the State House aims to relieve weight by encouraging business to offer childcare services and encourage more people to enter the field S

Christel Thompson, the owner of kindergartens of young people in Colombia, said her center should often divert parents, especially those looking for baby care.

“We had to reject parents, especially babies who wanted space. Baby care is the most difficult to find because we keep less babies of any other age, “she said.

Licensed SC care centers are required by law to maintain certain ratios for childcare workers to staff. The ratios vary based on age, with babies requiring one employee for every five children.

“Not finding qualified staff is difficult. Finding qualified staff who really wants to be with children is difficult. So I want to say you really have to look, “she said.

The bill sponsored by Senator Tom Davis, R-BEAUAFORT, will extend tax incentives for employers who provide childcare benefits.

Currently, according to state legislation, enterprises that build their own children’s care center can receive up to $ 100,000 to compensate for the cost of creating the program. But according to the bill, businesses can receive up to $ 1 million in tax loans.

It will also expand the stimulus of a child’s tax for businesses that offer programs or pay for the child’s care for their employees from $ 3,000 to $ 12,000 per child. S

“This is intended to encourage the construction of children’s raising establishments in South Carolina. It aims to encourage people to become gifts for children and aims to move forward and make it at affordable prices for young parents, so they can enter the workforce, “Davis said.

In order to encourage more people to become careful, the bill will establish a new tax incentive for childcare workers. They would be entitled to up to $ 3,000, depending on their qualification.

Davis says the repair of the crisis will be crucial for the construction of the economy.

“The workforce is a great component of economic development and in order to maximize our workforce and make them more productive, we need to have good children’s care establishments,” he said.

The bill is still on the subcommittee, with MPs planning to hear more testimony from parents and childcare providers in the coming weeks before they transfer it to the Senate floor.