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ABOUT US FOR PARENTS OUR PARTNERSHIPS ADDITIONAL FACTS HOW TO GET INVOLVED

READINESS ROADMAP Getting Children Ready for School 1300 Sumter Street, Suite 100 Columbia, SC 29201 Phone: 803-734-0479 Toll Free: 877-621-0865 Fax: 803-734-1431 SCFirstSteps.org

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fter the alarming realization that one in seven children in South Carolina is not ready for first grade, the General Assembly created S.C. First Steps to School Readiness in 1999. Currently,

First Steps is the state’s only entity focused exclusively on increasing school readiness outcomes for all children ages 0 to 5.

Since inception, First Steps has helped more than 500,000 young children prepare for school through programs that strengthen families, improve children’s health and well-being, increase the quality of child care and early education opportunities, and help transition rising kindergarteners into school. Every South Carolina county has a First Steps office that identifies local needs and collaborative opportunities to help our state’s youngest learners be better prepared for school.

ABOUT

First Steps to School Readiness help local young children and their families.

Through its 501(c) 3 status, First Steps mobilizes resources beyond state-allocated dollars, leveraging local private and public funds, federal grants, planned gifts, in-kind contributions, and volunteer time.

WHAT WE DO

WHO WE ARE Nearly one in seven SC children are assessed as not ready for first grade. In some communities, this statistic is as poor as one in four, or greater. Research studies repeatedly show that children who arrive unprepared for first grade’s challenges have a difficult time catching up and succeeding throughout the rest of their school years. Many of these students drop out of school or do not find fulfilling productive jobs after high school as a result of their slow start.

A child’s readiness is determined by many critical components such as good health, nurturing and positive, participatory parenting.

High quality early learning experiences in the home, child care, and school settings allow children to thrive at a time when the brain is most formative.

South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness was signed into law in 1999 to help improve school readiness for the state’s youngest learners. First Steps is a comprehensive, resultsoriented statewide education initiative to help prepare children to reach first grade healthy and ready to succeed. Each South Carolina county has a First Steps partnership comprised of business and community leaders, early education professionals, parents, faith-based and agency partners. First Steps partnerships examine unmet needs in their communities to 2

As the state’s only entity focused exclusively on increasing school readiness outcomes for all children, First Steps focuses on five broad strategy areas.

• Early Education – First Steps leverages state, local and private resources to increase the quality of, and number of children participating in, developmentally appropriate prekindergarten programs in both the public and private sectors. Particular emphasis is placed on fidelity to research-based instructional models and targeting of students at-risk of early school failure. Through early education programs, First Steps seeks to: – Increase first grade readiness and pre-literacy skills of children through quality early education intervention – Increase ongoing 4K documentation, reporting and evaluation of results; – Increase the number of at-risk children served in quality 4K environments, public and private; – Increase the qualifications, professional development and access to training for personnel teaching public and private 4K programs; – Reduce the number of at-risk 4-year-olds on waiting lists for the public school Child Development program; – Increase the evaluation and impact analysis of federal early education spending (head Start, Early Head Start, Title I monies) in quality early education strategies at district levels;

SC FIRST STEPS – Getting Children Ready for School

– Increase parent involvement strategies in 4K and 5K to impact involvement in K-12; and – Increase documentation and analysis of the state’s school readiness progress.

Since inception, First Steps has served over 22,500 children through early education strategies in South Carolina such as expanded public and private 4-year-old kindergarten.

• Family Strenghtening – First Steps works collaboratively with its agency partners, the faith community and private sector to support parents and families in their own efforts to maximize the school readiness, well being and long-term academic success of the state’s young children. Through family strengthening programs, First Steps seeks to: – Increase family literacy and parent education levels; – Improve parental employability and employment; – Increase effectiveness of parenting related to child nurturance, learning and interaction, language, health and safety; – Increase successful parenting/family literacy program targeting, service integration, and results documentation; and – Increase early parent involvement in 4K-12 education settings.

Since inception, First Steps has served over 32,100 families and nearly 96,800 children through family strengthening strategies such as Parents as Teachers and early and family literacy programs.

• Child Care Quality – First Steps recognizes quality child care as a research-based determinant of school readiness. As such, First Steps collaborates with parents, the child care community and its agency and community partners to maximize child care quality throughout the state. Particular emphasis is

placed on assisting parents in their efforts to identify those settings most likely to maximize developmental outcomes, and assisting providers in their own efforts to maximize the learning environments they provide for young children. Through child care quality programs, First Steps seeks to: – Increase availability of quality child care choices for parents, as measured by increasing numbers of child care providers operating at higher levels of quality; – Increase the number of child care vouchers available to S.C. families for quality child care; – Increase school readiness focus in child care settings; – Increase the leverage of federal and private resources to serve the state’s most at-risk children; – Increase the number of child care workers achieving progress toward early education certification and continued professional development; – Improve the quality of the physical and learning environments in child care settings of all types; and – Expand public and private partnerships in 4K. Since inception, First Steps has served

over 3,000 facilities and nearly 180,000 children through child care quality programs like child care scholarships, facility quality enhancement, and child care staff training and consultation.

• Healthy Start – First Steps recognizes the importance of a healthy start in maximizing both school readiness and the long-term well being of the state’s children.

The initiative partners with families, the medical community and other stakeholders to leverage resources

for – and increase awareness of the healthcare, nutrition and early developmental needs of the state’s young children. Through healthy start programs, First Steps seeks to:

children at greatest risk for school failure, expanding medical anticipatory guidance to parents with special needs and other at-risk children.

– Improve the health, growth, and development of young children so they enter school physically and mentally prepared to succeed;

Since inception, First Steps has served over 9,500 families and over 19,300 children through healthy start programs such as early vision and dental screenings, referrals to medical homes, child care nutrition, asthma prevention and prevention of maltreatment and abuse.

– Integrate medical provider, school readiness and early literacy services; – Leverage federal resources for targeted families with young

• School Transition – First Steps recognizes school entry as a pivotal transition point in each child’s educational career.

In an effort to ensure strong collaborative relationships between the state’s families and schools, the initiative develops strategies to maximize parents’ understandings of state and local expectations and ensure a smooth and beneficial school transition for each child.

Through school transition programs, First Steps seeks to: – Maximize parents’ understandings of state and local expectations and ensure a smooth and beneficial school transition for each child; – Introduce children and families to materials and standards to be found in kindergarten or first grade classrooms; – Increase parents’ positive relationship with the school and faculty.

Since 2004, First Steps has served approximately 3,100 children through school transition strategies like Countdown to Kindergarten.

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FOR PARENTS

FIRST STEPS

Support of Parents When children begin first grade healthy and ready to learn, their future opportunities for success are much greater. Plus, communities are improved in the long-term through the creation of a stronger and more competitive workforce. A child’s school readiness is determined by many factors – among the most critical are good health and positive, participatory parenting and nurture by families. First Steps develops enhanced, welltargeted and better coordinated

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family services to support parents – children’s first and strongest teachers.

Early Education First Steps’ efforts to improve early education opportunities for young children in South Carolina include: • 4-year-old Kindergarten (4K) – First Steps works to add half-day and full-day public and private 4K classes and expand 4K child development half-day

SC FIRST STEPS – Getting Children Ready for School

programs to full-day programs.

• Family Initiatives – First Steps creates public-private partnerships or expanded 4K choice in targeted areas, and offers school readiness service integration for parents.

Family Strenghtening First Steps works to increase parents’ ability to stimulate their child’s intellectual, social and physical development with parent programs such as Parents and Teachers, Parent-Child HomeProgram, and early and family literacy programs.

Child Care Quality Research shows that high-quality

child care and early education can boost children’s learning and social skills when they enter school. First Steps strategies for Child Care include: • Quality Enhancement – First Steps assists child care providers to improve program quality by funding targeted upgrades to met DSS licensing or ABC-enhanced requirements, and to further enhance learning environments for young children.

• Staff Training and Development – First Steps provides staff development and mentoring to assist providers in meeting DSS training requirements, increasing the

treatment of physical problems that affect learning.

• Technical Assistance and Health Consultation for Child Care Providers – First Steps identifies health and safety issues in child care facilities and teaches child care workers how to detect and prevent the spread of infections, transmittable illnesses, and foodborne illnesses.

• Nutritional Education – First Steps works to provide low-income families and child care providers with on-site and home-based nutritional counseling, reducing preventable development delays and deficiencies related to poor nutrition.

the overall safety conditions of the homes, provides information about growth and development, and links families to medical homes. These services are offered in collaboration with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

School Transition First Steps programs such as Countdown to Kindergarten and Summer Readiness Initiatives are designed to help rising kindergartners and their families make a smooth transition into the K-12 school system.

Visit our website for additional information on • Pediatric and Postpartum initiatives mentioned here, as Home Health Visits – First Steps assesses the overall physical health of well as programs, associations, infants and their mothers, evaluates and other tips.

knowledge of child care workers and improving the quality of programs offered in participating child care facilities.

• Child Care Vouchers – First Steps provides subsidies for quality child care programs to eligible families and their children and increases the number of child care slots in South Carolina.

• Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H) Early Childhood Project – T.E.A.C.H provides scholarships for teachers working in child care to complete college coursework in early childhood education, often enabling their to increase their compensation.

T.E.A.C.H. is jointly managed

by First Steps and DSS through the Center for Child Care Development in Greenville.

Healthy Start Children’s early physical and mental health is an important determinant of their later readiness for school and success. Since healthy children make better learners, First Steps works to improve young children’s health through healthy start programs such as:

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• Early Periodic Screenings & Confirmed Diagnosis and Treatment – First Steps supports screening at child care centers with a focus on the importance of immunization and early identification, prevention and

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COUNTY PARTNERSHIPS

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County partnerships represent First Steps at the local level. Every South Carolina county has a First Steps partnership comprised of business and community leaders, early education professionals, parents, faith-based and agency partners. The partnerships work to identify local needs, resources, and collaborative opportunities.

Each partnership offers different First Steps services, depending on the needs of that county.

With their unique ability to identify and fill gaps in services to young children, First Steps partnerships are able to efficiently tailor program efforts to local communities and reach children and their families where they live.

Each partnership has a board representing the county’s business, faith, education, health and nonprofit communities. The board’s composition is as follows:

1) Not more than two members from each of these categories are elected to sit on each county First Steps partnership board: • Pre-kindergarten through primary educator; • Family education, training, and support provider; • Child care and early childhood education provider; • Healthcare provider; • Transportation provider; • Non-profit organization that provides services to families and young children; • Faith community; and • Business community.

2) Three parents of pre-school children (being served by First Steps programs); 3) Four members from early childhood education; 4) Each of the following shall designate one member: • County department of Social Services; • County department of health and environmental control; • Head Start; • County library; and • Each of the school districts in the county.

5) After the county partnership board has been formed, if necessary to assure that all areas of the county are adequately represented and reflect the diversity of the county, each county legislative delegation may appoint up to four additional members.

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SC FIRST STEPS – Getting Children Ready for School

WHO CARES? – Recommendations for Improving Child Care in South Carolina GOAL I – Improve the Availability of Child Care

of training per year in areas of child development, curriculum, professional development, health, safety, and nutrition.

This is in addition to CPR and first aid.

Increase the number of affordable quality child care slots for infants, toddlers, children with special health care needs; and in nontraditional hours and in under-served areas.

9. Prohibit corporal punishment in all child care facilities.

10. Include exemption provision in statewide zoning laws pertaining to family child care homes caring for six or fewer children.

1. Promote recruitment and retention of child care programs through child care resource and referral organizations. Sponsor orientation sessions for concerned providers.

11. Require and enforce requirements for child safety seats or age appropriate child passenger restraint devices for all children who are transported by child care programs.

2. Expand training of child care teachers for infant/toddler care and children with special health care needs.

12. Change the legal language from “day care” to “child care.”

3. Pursue funding to increase the number of affordable quality child care slots for these children.

4. Provide funding to increase the capacity of child care resource and referral on a local level.

Through Existing Programs & Agencies 6. Use TANF dollars to provide child care for Family Independence clients and low income working parents.

7. Promote employer use of child care subsidies, dependent care accounts, and advantages of employer tax credits.

8. Identify and pursue all other available sources of funding, ensuring that all of South Carolina’s Children enter first grade ready to learn.

9. Develop mechanisms to assure that families do not pay more than 10% of their gross family income for quality child care.

GOAL II – Improve the Affordability of Child Care No family should pay more than 10% of their gross family income for quality child care.

1. Review successful initiatives implemented by other states to improve affordability of quality child care.

2. Educate policy makers, parents, and public about the cost of quality child care.

3. Develop a workable plan for South Carolina to make quality child care affordable.

4. Secure funding to allow all parents, especially those with lower incomes, to afford quality child care programs.

5. Promote increase in Child Care and Development Block Grant dollars designated for low-income working parents.

centers, health clubs, and similar situations.

4. Require fingerprinting and background checks for all staff at summer day and resident camps serving children for more than 4 hours per day.

5. Streamline the fingerprint and background check process.

6. Lower child-staff ratios and group sizes in all licensed child care facilities. The table at right shows current and proposed adult/ child ratios. Currently, South Carolina regulations do not mention group sizes for child care facilities.

10. Consider ceiling levels for state subsidy for low income families (such as 185% of poverty or 75% of the state median income).

7. Require potential child care providers to complete pre-service training (basic skills/ orientation), including basic information on brain development.

GOAL III – Improve the Quality of Child Care

8. Require registered family child care providers to accumulate 10 hours

Through Legislation and Regulation.

1. Adequately fund the child care licensing agency to monitor child care facilities in accordance with existing regulations; including unannounced inspections of licensed child care facilities. Institute unannounced inspections for at least 30% of registered child care facilities annually.

2. Require registered church facilities to meet the same floor space, child/ staff ratios, and training requirements now expected from licensed centers.

3. Require fire and sanitation standards for centers operating in shopping

1. Increase the number of child care providers meeting standards that exceed state regulatory requirements.

2. Coordinate federal and state agency funding, services, and resources to improve access to and enhance services offered at the local level.

Through Training and Education 1. Promote the development of appropriate training and funding for all levels of child care personnel.

2. Promote articulation transfer agreements between secondary education, technical colleges, and universities.

Through Public Awareness 1. Establish a public awareness campaign to educate parents, child care providers, business community, faith community, healthcare providers, education community, and public officials on the characteristics of quality child care.

2. Establish a public education campaign highlighting the value of quality child care to the child, the family, the community, and the state of South Carolina’s economic future.

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