Child Care

There are three stand alone child development centers on Fort Jackson serving children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old, one stand alone school age center serving children in grade kindergarten through fifth, and two combination center serving both child development and school age children with sufficient space to meet the diverse needs of the Community.

The Pickens Child Development Center is open Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m. The center has an operating capacity for 288 children and provides primary full-day care.

The Scouts Out Child Development Center is open Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. The center has an operating capacity for 42 children and provides full-day care. The curriculum for all center programs is child-oriented with an emphasis on creative, age-appropriate activities, which encourage children to acquire knowledge about themselves and their environment.

The Scouts Out School Age Program provides programs for youth in Grades K-5 and is open Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The program has an operating capacity for 165 children.

Lighthorse School Age Center (LSAC) and Lighthorse Child Development Center (LCDC) hours of operation are 5:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. also provide full-day care for children 6 weeks to 5 years old. LSAC hours of operation are 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. LSAC has an operating Capacity for 52 CDC children and 105 School Age children. LCDC has an operating capacity for 146 CDC and 96 Kindergarten children.

Liberty Extended Care Center (LECC) is open after hours 1800-0530 Monday-Friday and around the clock on Saturday and Sunday, in support of mission related extended hour needs of single or dual military service members.

The Fort Jackson Youth Program serves youth in grades sixth through twelfth for before school care and free open recreation after 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Patrons can pre-register for CYS online and clicking start new registration. Registration forms are located on the top right by clicking forms.

Please visit for more detailed information about our programs and offerings.

The Family Child Care Program is a system of home-based childcare. Family members living in government housing who provide childcare for more than 10 hours per week on a regular basis are required to be certified through this program. This requirement does not apply to care given in the child's home.

FCC applicants go through an extensive certification process before being allowed to care for children in their government quarters. Once certified, these individuals provide services that offer an alternative to complement the care given in centers. Programs available include: Full-day, part-day, before and after school care and hourly care. Some providers on Ft. Jackson offer extended hours of care that meets the needs of soldiers in drill status and those working shifts.

Child and Youth Services provides the Fort Jackson community with quality child development options, which can reduce the conflict between parenting responsibilities and mission requirements, enhance the development of children and engage them in constructive activities during their discretionary time.

The School-Age Care Program bridges the gap between Child Development Services and Youth Services and provides programs for youth in Grades K-5. It takes the worry out of what to do with your child before and after school, during winter and spring school vacations, and during the summer holidays with programs for regular users and open recreation. The program is DOD certified and Council on Accreditation (COA) accredited and provides transportation to and from on-post elementary schools, and designated schools off-post. The School Age Care Program are affiliated members of the Boys and Girls Club and 4-H. Programs that provide care are: Scouts Out School Age, Lighthorse School Age, and Lighthorse Child Development Center. Hours of operations are: Scouts Out School Age hours of operation are: 5:30-6 p.m.; Lighthorse School Age hours of operation are: 5:30 -1800; and Lighthorse Child Development Center's hours of operation are: 5:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (Single/Dual Military Families). All Fort Jackson School Age Programs offer full day summer camp, winter camp, and spring camp.

Scouts Outs School Age Program Provides Transportation to the following to the following Elementary Schools (ES) in R1 and R2:

• Catawba Trail
• Pontiac
• Polo Rd.
• Sandlapper
• Round Top
• Bethel-Hanberry
• Killian
• North Springs
• Lonnie B. Nelson
• Bridge Creek
• Bookman
• Mill Creek
• Satchel Ford
• Jackson Creek
• Lakes Carolina Upper and Lower
• Routes that do not have enough children enrolled are subject to be dropped before the school year begins.
• Lighthorse SAC provides transportation from Pierce Terrace Elementary School (on post) and walks children from CC Pinckney Elementary School (on post).

**Routes are subject to change based on community demand, contact Parent Central Service to see if we serve your child's school.**

Other

Child and Youth Services (CYS) Parent Central Services Office (PCS) is located in room B03 of the Joe E. Mann Community Center and is the first stop for using any Child and Youth Services program. To begin the registration process, you must initiate an application through MWR Webtrac. To make an appointment for a new registration or renew your registration, please contact (803) 751-4865. Before your child (ren) may participate in any programs, your child must be registered. Customers are seen on an appointment only basis. Walk-ins will be taken on an extremely limited basis. Customers with appointments will take priority over walk-in customers. If you are interested in signing up for youth sports or instructional classes, this can be done at PCS. Information is available for all CYS programs. Babysitter training is offered for teens through our instructional classes program.

Effective December 15, 2025 Parent Central Location will be at MWR Central, 6510 Strom Thurmond Blvd.

To put your child on the waitlist for Fort Jackson CYS, please logon to militarychildcare.com. Militarychildcare.com is a Department of Defense initiative for waitlists for CYS programs.