The mission of Berkeley County First Steps is to improve the health and education of Berkeley County’s youngest children so they can enter school ready to succeed and eager to learn.
INCREASE THE AVAILABILITY OF HIGHQUALITY EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY FIRST STEPS REDUCE THE RACIAL/ETHNIC GAP IN KINDERGARTEN READINESS
As servant leaders we value families, their inherent strengths, resilience and ability to learn, grow and reach their fullest capacity. We have a culture of learning that promotes compassion, innovation, best practices and continuous improvement. We have a culture of progress that celebrates and encourages excellence.
1.
CHILDEN ARE HEALTHY AND SAFE
2.
HIGH QUALITY EARLY EDUCATION AND CARE IS ACCESSIBLE, EQUITABLE AND AFFORDABLE.
3.
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP, ADVOCACY AND MESSAGING FOR OPTIMAL SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT. .
Street, City SC 00000 | 000-000-0000 | website OR scfirststeps.org/county
6215 Murray Drive, Hanahan, SC 29410 | 843-863-3030 | berkeleyfirststeps.com
4
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR Donna McQueen, Esq.
Chair Berkeley County First Steps Board of Trustees
Adrienne Troy Frazier Executive Director Berkeley County First Steps The only constant is change. BCFS has never stopped evolving to meet the critical needs of young children, families and the early care community, and 2020 was no different. In a year that saw a global pandemic, social unrest, and economic devastation hit families and childcare providers the hardest, we were truly called upon to stretch our resources farther than ever before. Our staff quickly gained new skills and pushed their capacity to reach families and childcare providers however they could, while starting new programs like Nurturing Parenting and HIPPY and providing Covid-19 resources and social supports all centered on the caring for the caregivers. We stood with our families and childcare community and offered virtual and hybrid parenting sessions, wellness workshops, healing supports, crisis counseling, and direct financial assistance for those who needed it most. None of this would have been possible without our staff. Their hard work and resilience, coupled with mutual aid and grants from community partners, allowed BCFS to truly live out our mission, vision and values- to keep children healthy and safe in our community. Though we may have physically been apart, our community remained connected. We’re so proud of the work our team has done this year and over the past 20 years, and we remain hopeful about what the future holds for us. Thank you for joining us on this journey. We wouldn’t be where we are without our community.
For children, Adrienne Troy-Frazier and Donna McQueen
5
Every Child in Berkeley County will enter kindergarten safe, healthy, ready to succeed, and eager to learn.
6
33
18
13
---Our EI&R program is a collaboration with PASOs of South Carolina and Berkeley County First Steps and incorporates the PASOs Community Health Worker (Promotora) model to build trust and best meet the needs of the Latino Community. ---"It is a program with resources that help children, and they educate us on things as parents we do not know. They help my son to be more social and I as a mother to better educate my son. We detected aspects that we did not see before, it helped me to have more communication with my son and pay more attention. Now my son is receiving classes and support materials. ”–Maria 7
PAT GOES VIRTUAL Due to COVID-19, Parents as Teachers (PAT) National provided guidance for affiliates to deliver virtual services via interactive video conferencing and phone calls. South Carolina PAT affiliates rose to the occasion by engaging families in creative and meaningful ways while continuing to
PAT IN BERKELEY COUNTY 2020-2021
55 863
families served
total home visits
meet the Essential Requirements of implementing a quality PAT program during the pandemic.
Parent quote: "I love PAT because it helps me understand my child better, and shows me how she can learn through play."
PAT hosted 34 virtual group connections with fun curbside supply pick-ups.
8
SUPPORTING CARE PROVIDERS THROUGH VISITS
PAT SCPV Parents as Teachers is a leader in using a relationship-based approach to provide support and child development information not only for parents but also for family, friend and neighbor providers. In fact, research supports the effectiveness of home visits as a method of supporting family, friend and
PAT SCPV IN BERKELEY COUNTY 2020-2021
1 21
provider served
total home visits
neighbor care providers. Improvements in language, reasoning skills, and social development were observed in the children of the providers who participated in the program.
A study by Cornell University researchers found that care provider visits using the Parents as Teachers curriculum significantly increased the quality of the care they offered.
9
HIPPY GOES VIRTUAL During COVID-19 HIPPY/AmeriCorps Parent Educators were able to consistently meet with families each week through virtual visits. The HIPPY curriculum was delivered using a variety of virtual platforms, For 26 weeks, Parent Educators used creative ideas to coach parents on lessons about literacy, mathematics, science, motor, and language skills while communicating on screen.
HIPPY IN BERKELEY COUNTY 2020-2021
2 43
families served
total home visits
10
Berkeley AmeriCorps Members
1 1 1
Community Education and Outreach AmeriCorps member(s) Family Support AmeriCorps member(s)
HIPPY Parent Educator AmeriCorps member(s)
Hours served in the community
257 298 295
hours served by Community Education and
AmeriCorps members not only assisted us in supporting our HIPPY and Tri-County Play Collaborative programs, they also devoted time to community service projects by participating in the MLK day of service, Child Abuse Prevention Month, and preparing stockings for our local firefighters over the holidays.
Outreach AmeriCorps member(s)
hours served by Family Support AmeriCorps member(s) hours served by HIPPY Parent Educator AmeriCorps member(s)
Segal Education Award
$3,683
total in Segal Education Awards received by all members serving at the Local Partnership 11
2
44
34
"Quality Enhancement has greatly helped my center improve its quality through teacher coaching, trainings, and new supplies. We are excited to continue our journey in providing the best care for our children" Nicole Wilson, Assistant Director, Creative Kids Child Development Center
12
Preventing Challenging Behaviors Identifying Classroom Interest Areas Guidance on Classroom Schedules, Routines, and Transitions
61
31
3
"The trainings offered were very informative. The trainings, literature and follow-up emails kept us up to date with what was going on in the early childhood community." La'Twania Green, Teacher, Creative Kids Child Development Center 13
For many families in Berkeley County, the cost of quality child care is out of reach. Our scholarship p rog ram makes p ayments to child care p roviders to care for children from low-income families so their p arents can return to school or work.
Berkeley County First Step s offers scholarship s to families enrolled in our Nurturing Parenting Prog ram , Parent as T eacher Prog ram, and as well as income-elig ib le children whose p arent attends school or works at least 2 0 hours p er week.
SCHOLARSHIPS BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021
9
number of children served
3
number of providers served
9
number of developmental screenings provided
100% the money paid to childcare providers goes back into our local economy to benefit the citizens of Berkeley County.
14
NURTURING PARENTING PROGRAM
The Nurturing Parenting Programs are a family-centered trauma-informed initiative designed to build nurturing parenting skills as an alternative to abusive and neglecting parenting and child-rearing practices. The long term goals are to prevent recidivism in families receiving social services, lower the rate of multi-parent teenage pregnancies, reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency and alcohol abuse, and stop the intergenerational cycle of child abuse by teaching positive parenting behaviors.
NURTURING PARENTING BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021
7
families served
36
total home visits
15
FIRST STEPS 4K IN BERKELEY COUNTY 2020-2021
60 6
PREPARING FOR STATEWIDE EXPANSION With First Steps 4K, families are in the driver’s seat. They choose the program that best meets their needs. Families can enroll their child in any of the 244 private, nonprofit, or faith-based child care centers or schools participating in the program. The majority of First Steps 4K providers offer 8-hour day and year-round instruction, including summers, which is at no cost to parents.
16
PUBLIC AWARENESS During this year of social separation, our Inclusion Specialist, Nathan Todd, has worked to provide child care providers, families and children with disabilities some inclusion in the virtual world. Over the past six months, Nathan has provided a monthly story time that was streamed to our families. These story times have focused on lessons about self-love, identity, acceptance, and inclusion. Nathan also co-facilitated two professional development trainings: Inclusion 101 and Ableism 101.
Inclusion Outreach 2020-2021
6
804
2
24
Story times
Children
Trainings
Participants
reached
Parent response to story times: Hi Nathan! I just wanted to give you feedback on the story time we just watched. I thought it was going to get the girls settled in for bed...And since they thought it was live, they were attentive and answering your questions and laughing at your shares. But then it had the opposite effect! They loved you so much... So we will definitely be watching more of your story times but during the day and not at bedtime. 17
Berkeley County works in tandem with multiple community partners to advance the following goals in our region: Increase and improve quality and competency of those providing care to children Collect, analyze apply, and share data for continuous improvement of service delivery Engage the community on a path from input to empowerment, where those most affected by the issues are leading the charge and effectively resourced
31
Community Convenings
60 Local Portal/Crisis Supports
18
T hroug h p artnership s and collab or a ti ons , as well as financial sup p ort from g rants and contrib uti ons , Berkeley County First Step s leverag es state dollars to enhance and exp and services to children and families.
FUNDING SUPPORT Coastal Community Foundation – Charles W eb b /Ed Croft T ri-county Cradle to Career
$5000
Mag nolia Plantation Foundation SC Endeavors
$2500
$1000
$2000
T rident United W ay
$2500
John Drayton Hastie, Jr. FineMark Bank
$1000
$300
Dr. L uke Edmundson
$250
MUSC $ 3 4 ,1 1 8 .0 1
IN-KIND SUPPORT Berkeley County School District DSS
$ 6 0 ,0 0 0
$ 2 1 ,0 0 0
T he AI O G roup
$ 5 8 0 6 .9 6
JOIN US For more informati on on p artnership op p ortunities , visit our web site at berkeley firs ts teps . c om.
19
Expenditures of State Funds by Program Type
Since inception, Berkeley County First Steps has leveraged $2,613,372 from sources outside of state government.
25%
75%
That’s $0.23 for every state dollar.
State Funding
Federal Funding
Private Funding
In-Kind Contributions
Total
Parents as Teachers
$214,070
$1933
$0
$60,000
$276,003
Child Care Quality Enhancement
$54,280
$0
$933
$0
$55,213
Child Care Training
$21,890
$0
$883
$0
$22,773
Child Care Scholarships
$31,919
$0
$0
$21,000
$52,919
PASOs
$32,001
$16,579
$32,559
$0
$81,139
HIPPY
$0
$2241
$0
$0
$2241
Countdown to Kindergarten
$6175
$600
$0
$0
$6775
Nurturing Parenting
$342
$41,733
$2761
$0
$44,836
Partnerships & Community Education
$48,812
$2742
$13,766
$5807
$71,127
Administrative Support
$42,168
$0
$1594
$0
$43,762
$451,657
$65,828
$52,496
$86,807
$656,788 20
Total Expenses
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Brenda Camp b ell, Board Chair Donna McQueen, Esq, incoming Board Chair
Candyce Ravenell
L inda Fontaine, Vice Chair
Meg an Andreas
Samone Johnson, Secretary
Dr. Simone Chinnis
Sharon Fashion
L indsay Odell Patricia Miller-L imehouse
Jocelyn Clark-Quig g le
Sharon T homas
Betty Pressley
STAFF Adrienne T roy-Fra zie r , Executive Director Step hanie Cook Olazab al , Prog ram Coordina t or Ab ig ail Santiag o, PASOs CHW Erla Soto, PASOs CHW Simone L ee, Nurturing Parenting Educator , Doula I vory Mitchell, Child Care Quality Coordina t or Nathan T odd, I nclusion Sp ecialist
CONTACT US 6 2 1 5 Murra y Drive, H a na ha n/ 8 4 3 -8 6 3 -3 0 3 0 | www.berkel ey fi rs ts teps . com
21