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South Carolina Childcare Business Brokerage

Sell Your South Carolina Childcare Center, Preschool, or Private School With Complete Confidentiality

With 37+ years of exclusive early-education transaction experience, SIP and its South Carolina-licensed team help owners maximize exit value while protecting staff, enrolled families, and legacy.

Request a Confidential South Carolina ValuationCall (888) 881-0118 (Hablamos Español)
  • 37+ YearsEst. 1989
  • 1,000+Centers sold
  • $1B+In closed sales
  • ConfidentialBlind-profile process

Why Selling a Childcare Business in South Carolina Requires a Specialist Broker

Selling a licensed childcare center in South Carolina requires coordinating DSS licensing for the buyer, fingerprint and Central Registry checks, ABC Quality participation, and First Steps 4K continuity. General business brokers often overlook these regulatory triggers, risking closing delays or enrollment loss.

Strictly speaking, a South Carolina childcare license does not move with the business on its own. State law (S.C. Code § 63-13-440) says no license may be transferred without the written consent of the Department of Social Services. That one rule sets off a chain of steps the buyer, the lender, and you all have to plan around:

  • DSS licensing for the buyer. Worked out with DSS Child Care Licensing before the buyer takes over.
  • Fingerprint and Central Registry checks. State (SLED) and federal (FBI) fingerprint checks and a DSS Central Registry check for caregivers and staff.
  • ABC Quality participation. Families with SC child care scholarships can use them at ABC Quality programs, the quality program DSS runs.
  • First Steps 4K continuity. First Steps 4K partner centers must participate in ABC Quality, so the buyer's standing matters for 4K classrooms.

SIP has focused on childcare and private-school transactions since E.T. and Pam Strickland founded the firm in 1989, and our South Carolina broker, Robert L. Johnson, is an active center owner. We build these steps into the purchase agreement and closing schedule from the start, so licensing and funding deadlines are planned for, not discovered late.

How We Value South Carolina Daycares, Preschools & Educational Real Estate

A defensible price starts with the right earnings measure and a clear view of the real estate. We work through both with you before your business goes to market.

SDE or EBITDA

Owner-operated centers are usually valued on seller's discretionary earnings (SDE): profit with the owner's salary, benefits, and one-time or personal expenses added back, because the buyer will usually step into the owner's role. Larger centers and multi-site groups with a director and management team in place are usually valued on EBITDA, the measure multi-unit operators and investors use to compare acquisitions.

Leased Facility or Fee-Simple Property

In a leased center, much of the value rides on the lease: the term remaining, renewal options, rent, and whether the landlord will consent to an assignment or a new lease for the buyer. When you own the building outright (fee simple), the real estate is valued separately from the business, and the two can be sold together or separately.

Keep the Building, Become the Landlord

Owners who want ongoing income can sell the business, keep the real estate, and sign the buyer to a new triple-net (NNN) lease, under which the tenant pays property taxes, insurance, and maintenance on top of rent. The rent you set works on both sides: it is an expense in the business's earnings and the income that sets the building's value as an investment.

Multiples vary widely: two South Carolina centers with similar revenue can be valued very differently once enrollment, staff tenure, licensing history, ABC Quality participation, First Steps 4K classrooms, and the lease are taken into account. How our confidential valuation works

Navigating South Carolina DSS Licensing, ABC Quality & First Steps 4K

What changes hands in a South Carolina childcare sale, what doesn't, and who signs off.

Who licenses the new owner

The South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) licenses childcare centers. Because no license may be transferred without DSS's written consent, we contact DSS Child Care Licensing early about the buyer's application and timing, so the closing date reflects them.

Fingerprint and Central Registry checks

Before working in a licensed center, caregivers and staff must complete a state fingerprint-based check through SLED, a federal fingerprint check through the FBI, a DSS Central Registry check for abuse and neglect, and sex offender registry checks (S.C. Code § 63-13-40). Starting the buyer's checks early keeps them off the critical path.

ABC Quality and child care scholarships

ABC Quality is South Carolina's quality rating and improvement program, administered by DSS. Families with SC child care scholarships can use them at programs in ABC Quality, so we confirm with DSS how the buyer keeps that participation.

First Steps 4K

First Steps 4K is a partnership between South Carolina First Steps and private and faith-based child care centers, and partner providers must participate in ABC Quality. If your center offers 4K, we ask First Steps early how a change of ownership affects your classrooms.

Visit SC Child Care Services (DSS)

General information, not legal advice. Agencies update their forms and rules, so confirm current requirements with your licensing office.

Statewide Representation Across Every Major South Carolina Market

SIP's South Carolina-licensed broker and associates represent sellers across the state. DSS licenses childcare centers statewide, so the same rules apply in every market.

  • Upstate

    • Greenville
    • Spartanburg
    • Anderson

  • Midlands

    • Columbia
    • Lexington
    • Aiken

  • Lowcountry

    • Charleston
    • Summerville
    • Beaufort & Bluffton

  • Grand Strand & Pee Dee

    • Myrtle Beach
    • Conway
    • Florence

Don't see your area? Our South Carolina team works statewide; call (888) 881-0118.

South Carolina Childcare Sellers: Common Questions

Private. Confidential. No Obligation.

Request a Confidential South Carolina Valuation

Tell us about your South Carolina center and what you are considering. Your inquiry is confidential and puts you under no obligation.

Robert L. Johnson, Broker at School Investment Properties, childcare business brokerage

Broker | Multi-State

Robert L. Johnson

Robert has owned and operated several centers in the Southeast and currently owns a center in Monroe, Georgia. That operating experience helps bring the right buyer and seller together and keep a sale moving through closing.

Meet our team

Also licensed in South Carolina

  • Madolyn ColeSales Associate
  • Tristen GeorgeSales Associate

Prefer to call?

(888) 881-0118

Hablamos Español

Headquarters: 3309 Northlake Blvd, Suite 107, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33403

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