To collaborate with other entities to help families and caregivers prepare our children for school success by maximizing public and private community resources to deliver, enhance, and expand high quality for early childhood services.
1-Families are the single most important influence on the development of their young children. 2-The work of supporting families and caregivers is a collaborative effort between state and local stakeholders within the public, private, and faith sectors. 3-School readiness is the result of a child’s development in many areas, with each contributing to the child’s success.
By FY23, the percentage of children in need who are directly served by Colleton County First Steps will increase from 12% to 15%.
1. Children will be prepared for school 2. Services for children and their families will be high quality 3. Partnerships with other agencies will be strengthened to support children and families
Street, City SC 00000 | 000-000-0000 | website OR scfirststeps.org/county
500 Forest Circle, Walterboro, SC 29488 | 843-782-3634 | www.colletonfirststeps.com
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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Cindy S. Riley
Executive Director Colleton County County First Steps
Colleton County First Steps’ staff and entire partnership board work through out our community with other non-profits, faith- based organizations, businesses, and government organizations to implement programs for children pre-natal to 5 years old. As a small rural community, we must partner with other agencies such as SC DSS, the Board of Disabilities, Nurse Family Partnership, and Baby Net to ensure that our families receive the services they need. Our Parents as Teachers Program is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon Affiliate and our staff works hard to ensure that all of our families’ needs are met! Our efforts with our families would not be possible without our community partners. The Colleton County School District, the Walterboro Rotary Club, the Cherokee Plantation Charities foundation, and local individuals make our work easier by their generous gifts and support!
Cindy S. Riley
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Every child in Colleton County will be prepared for success in school.
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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 COLLETON COUNTY 2020-2021
31 358
families served
total home visits
meet the Essential Requirements of implementing a quality PAT program during the pandemic.
One of our Moms in our program completed her degree in nursing this year and began working in a hospital. She stated that we helped her get through this by providing a scholarship for child care for her daughter while she was working and going to school. 7
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51
298
Countdown to Kindergarten gives our rising Kindergarten students and their parents a jump start for Kindergarten. It helps to build relationships between the teachers, students, and the parents which is a key component for any child’s success in Kindergarten. Cindy Riley, CTK Supervisor
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Safe Sleep Active Supervision II Culture of Safety II Problem Solving with Preschoolers Determining the Meaning & Guiding Challenging Behaviors to Desirable Outcomes • Best Practices in Preschool Learning – Tips for Teaching Part I& II • • • • •
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• What Every Childcare Director Should Know • Making Virtual Leaning Fun Parts I & II • Growing and Developing • Preparing for Tomorrow: How to Build Your Professional Career
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For many families in Colleton County, the cost of quality childcare is out of reach. Our scholarship p rog ram makes p ayments to childcare p roviders to care for children from low-income families so their p arents can return to school or work.
Colleton County First Step s offers scholarship s to families enrolled in our Parents as T eachers p rog ram, as well as income-elig ib le children whose p arent attends school or works at least 2 0 hours p er week. T he scholarship s are handled throug h our p artnership with the SC Dep artment of Social Services.
SCHOLARSHIPS BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021
14
number of children served
7
number of providers served
44
number of developmental screenings provided
100% of money paid to childcare providers goes back into our local economy to benefit the citizens of Colleton County.
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FIRST STEPS 4K IN COLLETON COUNTY 2020-2021
PREPARING FOR STATEWIDE EXPANSION
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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 an 8-hour day and year-round instruction, including summers, which is at no cost to parents.
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PUBLIC AWARENESS Our biggest outreach program in our community is our Christmas Fill the Stocking Project. This program is a community project with the help of individuals, civic organizations and businesses. Through partnerships, volunteers, and collaborations as well as financial support from grants and contributions, Colleton County First Steps continues to look at the needs of the families in our community.
CHRISTMAS FILL THE STOCKING PROJECT BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021
268 Families Served
395 Children Sponsored
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Addressing the needs of young children is a shared endeavor. I n addition to p roviding services to families and sup p ort for child care p roviders, Colleton County First Step s mob ilizes p artners and community memb ers to ensure all children in Colleton County b eg in school ready to succeed. W e serve as a:
3,995 1,306 Books Distributed
Families Served
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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 , Colleton County First Step s leverag es state dollars to enhance and exp and services to children and families.
FUNDING SUPPORT South Carolina State Office of First Step s - $ 2 0 0 ,0 0 0 Coastal Community Foundation - $ 1 1 ,0 0 0 Cherokee Plantation Charities - $ 5 ,0 0 0 W alterb or o Rotary Club - $ 3 ,0 0 0 SC DSS Certified T raining G rant - $ 2 ,0 0 0
IN-KIND SUPPORT Colleton County School District - $ 2 1 ,1 0 0 SC Dep artment of Social Services - $ 1 4 ,0 0 0
JOIN US For more informati on on p artnership op p ortunities, visit our web site at www.colle t on firs tstep s. c om .
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Expenditures of State Funds by Program Type 2%
Since inception, Colleton County First Steps has leveraged $2,008,631.47 from sources outside of state government. That’s $0.49 for every state dollar.
98%
State Funding
Federal Funding
Private Funding
In-Kind Contribution s
Total
$115,086.24
$738.47
$3,110.32
$8,766
$127,701.13
Administrative Functions
$8797.68
$0
$133.57
$3,319
$12,250.25
Child Care Training
$11930.90
$0
$3,418.39
$,2853
$18,202.29
Core Functions
$6682.99
$1,864.93
$5,558.98
$3,319
$17,425.89
Scholarships Initiative
$41,610.99
$0
$0
$16,853
$58,463.99
Countdown to Kindergarten
$7,155.00
$8,538.26
$0
$0
$15,693.26
$191,513.90
$11,141.65
$12,221.26
$35,110
$249,986.81
Parents as Teachers
Total Expenses
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS L atoya L ynah, Chair
Rob in Horton
Deb b ie Skoland , Vice-Chair
Martha Johnson
Eb one Edwards, Secretary
Barb ara Kulisek
Susan Dodd
Nicole Moultrie
Juliette W illiams
Redelma Saxb y
T ang ela G reen
Jessica W illiams
Julie Hiott
Janice Young
STAFF Cindy S. Riley, Executive Director Mary Kaye Bailey, Parent Educator Susan Martin, Parent Educator L esley Utsey, Parent Educator Sup ervisor
CONTACT US P O Box 2 0 9 0 , W a lterboro, SC 2 9 4 8 8 | 8 4 3 -7 8 2 -3 6 3 4 | www.colleto n firs ts t eps . co m
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