3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Afternoon block
Open
Drop-in and hourly child care
Child care for evenings and weekends
Tiptoe is a drop-in center in Gaffney for children from 6 weeks to 10 years. Register once, reserve a time, and your child has a room, a teacher and dinner while you work a night shift, keep an appointment or go out for the evening.
Hours
Open every evening and all weekend
Reserve a block, or the hours inside one. Children from 6 weeks to 10 years share the same hours.
Weekly hours
MondayMon
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Evening block
Open
TuesdayTue
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Afternoon block
Open6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Evening block
Waitlist
WednesdayWed
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Afternoon block
Open6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Evening block
Open
ThursdayThu
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Afternoon block
Waitlist6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Evening block
Open
FridayFri
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Afternoon block
Open6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Friday night
Waitlist
SaturdaySat
8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday day
Open6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Saturday night
Full
SundaySun
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sunday afternoon
Open
Sample classes.
Reserve a day ahead when you can, and walk in when there is room.
What you can check
The license, the adults and the routines
What you can look up before you visit, and what every block follows.
License
Licensed by SCDSS
Child care center · SC License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 5 children
Infants and toddlers, 6 weeks to 24 months
1 adult to 8 children
Twos, 2 to 3 years
1 adult to 12 children
Threes, 3 to 4 years
1 adult to 17 children
Fours, 4 to 5 years
1 adult to 23 children
School-age siblings, 5 to 10 years
Capacity
40
Ages 6 weeks to 10 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Safe sleep training
- Mandated reporter training
- Food handler training
Safety routines
Sign-in and pickup
A teacher meets you at the room door and you sign your child in and out. We hand a child over only to the adults on your pickup list, and we ask anyone we don't know for photo ID.
Evening pickup
After dark, a teacher walks each child and parent to the door and waits until they are together. Park by the door, and we watch you to your car.
A first visit
A first block starts with a short settle-in at the door. We ask you what matters: naps, a bottle, a comfort toy and what helps at goodbye.
Allergies
Tell us about any allergy when you register. Once your child is enrolled, we ask again in private.
Rest
Infants sleep on their backs, in their own cot, with nothing else in the cot. An older child who is tired rests on a mat in the quiet room, with a teacher in the room.
Clean hands
Every child washes hands on arrival, before dinner or snack, and after outdoor play, at a sink built for small people.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Age groups
Five age groups, four ways to reserve
Every age group can reserve any block.
| Ages | Adults to children | Afternoon block3:00–6:00 pmMonday to Friday | Evening block6:00–10:00 pmMonday to Thursday | Friday and Saturday night6:00–11:00 pmFriday and Saturday | Weekend day8:00 am–6:00 pmSaturday; Sunday from noon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infants and toddlers6 weeks to 24 months | 1 adult to 5 children | Offered | Offered | Waitlist | Offered |
| Twos2 to 3 years | 1 adult to 8 children | Offered | Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Threes3 to 4 years | 1 adult to 12 children | Offered | Waitlist | Offered | Offered |
| Fours4 to 5 years | 1 adult to 17 children | Offered | Offered | Full | Offered |
| School-age siblings5 to 10 years | 1 adult to 23 children | Offered | Offered | Offered | Waitlist |
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Opens your family's file once, before the first reservation.
- A reserved block
- Holds a room and a teacher for the hours you choose.
- Late pickup
- Covers the extra time when a child is collected after a block ends; ask for the written policy.
Which blocks have room changes by the day.
Sample programs.
The people in the room
Who is with your child tonight
Armon Crutchfield
Owner and director
Armon opened Tiptoe for parents with a night shift, an appointment or an evening out, and he works the floor himself most evenings.
Liana Hedges
Evening lead teacher
Liana leads the evening blocks and the infant and toddler corner. She asks every family about bottles, naps and goodbyes before the first visit.
Makoto Toda
Weekend lead teacher
Makoto leads the weekend blocks and plans the Friday night themes, from the art table to the story corner.
What families say
A few words from parents at pickup.
4.9
18 reviews
5★16
4★2
3★0
2★0
1★0
“I work nights at the hospital, and Tiptoe is the only place that is open when my shift starts. My daughter has her own cubby and a teacher who knows her bedtime story.”
Jenisha T.“I reserved a Friday night for our anniversary and picked up two hours late by text, no fuss. They asked how long we would be before they asked anything else.”
Arlo S.“The first visit was slow and kind. I stayed for a block, and by the second week my son was waving me out the door.”
Malaya R.
Sample reviews.
Friday nights
A theme for every Friday night
Come for the evening and your child spends it on the night's theme, with dinner and a story before pickup.
Fall
Early SeptemberOpenArt night
Paint, clay and big paper on the long table.
Every child gets an easel or a corner of the table, and the night ends with a wall of drawings to take home.
- Ages 2 to 10
- 6:00–11:00 pm
Mid SeptemberOpenStory night
Picture books, cushions and a quiet corner.
We read aloud on the rug, then children pick a book and settle in with a cushion.
- Ages 2 to 10
- 6:00–11:00 pm
Late SeptemberWaitlistMusic night
Drums, shakers and songs on the rug.
A circle of hand drums, a few songs everyone knows and a loud finish.
- Ages 2 to 10
- 6:00–11:00 pm
Early OctoberOpenDance night
Scarves and a dance floor made from the rug.
Children move to the music in scarves and stop when it stops.
- Ages 2 to 10
- 6:00–11:00 pm
Mid OctoberOpenBuild night
Wooden blocks, boxes and a tower for everyone.
Blocks, cardboard and a floor big enough for one tall tower.
- Ages 2 to 10
- 6:00–11:00 pm
Late OctoberFullKitchen night
A play kitchen and a table set for dinner.
Children cook for each other in the play kitchen, then sit down to a real dinner.
- Ages 2 to 10
- 6:00–11:00 pm
Sample sessions.
Themes change by season.
How drop-in works
Register once, then reserve a time
Four steps, and only the first one takes more than a minute.
- 01
Step 1: Register once
Fill in your family's registration: your contacts, the adults who may pick up, and what we need to know about your child. It takes one sitting, and you do it only once.
- 02
Step 2: Reserve a time
Choose a block, or the hours inside one, for the day you need. Reserve a day ahead when you can; if there is room on the day, we take walk-ins.
- 03
Step 3: Arrive
A teacher meets you at the room door and you sign your child in. Tell us anything that helps tonight, like a nap, a bottle or a favorite book.
- 04
Step 4: Pick up
Come when your block ends. We hand your child to an adult on your pickup list, and you sign them out.
Reserve a time
Choose a block, or the hours inside one. We confirm your reservation by text.
Questions parents ask first
What ages do you take?
From 6 weeks to 10 years. Babies and toddlers have their own corner, the older children have the long table, and school-age siblings do homework and play with their brothers and sisters.
When are you open?
Monday to Thursday from 3 pm to 10 pm, Friday from 3 pm to 11 pm, Saturday from 8 am to 11 pm and Sunday from noon to 6 pm.
How do I reserve a time?
Register once, then reserve a block, or the hours inside one, on our reservation page. Reserve a day ahead when you can. On the day, we take walk-ins when there is room.
How long can my child stay in a day?
A child can stay for one block, several blocks in a row or the hours inside a block, as long as we are open. Tell us when you reserve if the day will be long, so we can plan dinner and a rest.
What does the license mean?
The state has licensed Tiptoe as a child care center, up to the capacity on the license. Our license number is at the bottom of every page, with a link to look it up.
How many adults are with the children?
The board on our safety page shows how many children each adult cares for in every age group.
How does tuition work?
It depends on your child's age, the blocks you reserve and how many days and evenings you use. We give you the figures in writing at registration.
Can I visit before I register?
Yes. Reserve a short visit and Armon shows you the rooms, introduces you to the teachers and answers whatever you ask. Children are welcome to come along.
Do you share photos of the children?
Only with your written permission, and never with a child's name. You can change your answer at any time.
What if the block I want is full?
Join the waitlist on the reservation page. When a place opens in that block, we text the family that has waited longest for that age first.