No hard and fast laws specify what age a child needs to be to babysit in South Carolina, or at what age a child can be left alone. The state does have regulations regarding licensed child care, and online resources can help in finding a babysitter:
Licensed Child Care
The South Carolina Department of Social Services regulates licensed facilities to ensure safety, health and supervision among licensed child care providers. Workers in a licensed care facility must have graduated from high school and must not be on a sex offender registry. All licensed facilities are routinely inspected, and caregivers must have annual training.
Latchkey/Unsupervised Children
Children can be left at home alone, but at what age depends on the parents' judgment and the child's age and maturity. For example, if a teenager is home alone after school and before parents return home from work, it is not considered neglect, but leaving a toddler home while running to the market would be.
Babysitting
Finding a good babysitter is difficult, and most parents rely on word of mouth. When interviewing potential babysitters, ask if they have Red Cross first aid certification or babysitting certification. Community organizations such as churches can also sometimes assist in finding suitable child care.