Working in partnership with parents, families, caregivers, educators, and our community, Newberry County First Steps fosters nurturing experiences so that children will reach their highest potential.
More Children Arrive at Kindergarten Ready for Success
Increase the Reach of First Steps Services
Children Are Healthy and Safe
OUR VALUES
Newberry County First Steps will Enhance and Expand Quality Programs • Newberry County First Steps will Provide Accessible and Equitable Services
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Early childhood development is critical in shaping human potential. Families are the single most important influence on the development of their young children. The work of supporting families and caregivers is a collaborative effort between state and local stakeholders within public, private and faith sectors. School readiness is the result of a child's development in the areas of social interaction, play, language, emotional development, physical skills, literacy, and fine motor skills, with each contributing to the child's success in school. Services must be individualized and adaptable to meet the unique needs of children and families. We value and demonstrate in our collaborative work and advocacy, diverse perspectives in the development of public policy and programs. To achieve desired results, services must be high quality and grounded in strong evidence. First Steps operates within a culture of accountability.
PO Box 25 | 709 Kendall Road, Newberry, SC 29108 | 803-321-1073 | www.newberryfirststeps.org
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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “Every day, in a 100 small ways, our children ask, ‘Do you hear me? Do you see me?
Do I matter?’ Their behavior often reflects our response.” ~ L.R. Knost
Sarah Eargle Executive Director Newberry County First Steps
“Do you hear me? Do you see me? Do I matter?” At Newberry County First Steps (NCFS) the answer is a resounding YES! We hear you, we see you, and you matter. NCFS strives to bring high-quality early learning opportunities, resources, and care to Newberry County. This past year offered many challenges due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic. Together, with our community and partners, we listened, watched, and continued to serve. We made changes to accommodate health and safety concerns. The Library Program still distributed books, but Storytime went virtual. Our summer 2020 Countdown to Kindergarten home visits were held outside. The Parenting (PAT) program went hybrid, conducting home visits in multiple ways - inperson, outside, virtually, and with phone calls. PAT added a summer session to work with the whole family and help bridge educational gaps due to virtual learning. With community partners, Newberry County First Steps created two StoryWalks in Newberry County. Creative and innovative solutions were developed to meet the needs of our children and families. This work is not done alone. Families, individuals, and community play a vital role in growing strong, resilient children. Collaboration and community partners are a hallmark of our work. On behalf of NCFS, I thank our Partnership Board, staff, community and agency partners, local government, state government, SC First Steps, and our families, children, and community members. We cannot do this important work without you! Join us as we continue to champion children and families in our community. Take time to read to, listen to, and respond to children. Our children will not only be ready for Kindergarten, but ready for the world!
Sarah Eargle 5
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR
Roberta H. Kinard Newberry County First Steps Board Chair Through collaborative partnerships, dedicated board members, qualified staff members, and under the excellent leadership of Executive Director, Sarah Eargle, Newberry County First Steps provides high-quality early childhood educational programs and services to families in Newberry County. We will continue to provide needed resources to improve school readiness and promote academic success to the children and families we serve.
Board Members and Community Partners at City of Newberry Downtown StoryWalk Opening.
Board Members Alison Bowers and Liz Rivera at Drive-thru Resource Fair.
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Newberry County children will be prepared to
reach their highest potential.
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PAT IN NEWBERRY COUNTY 2020-2021
19
families served
305
total home visits
By providing home visits and parenting group sessions, our PAT Parent Educators build strong relationships with the families they serve. This year, large group meetings and activities were not always possible due to COVID -19 protocols. Our PAT staff developed an innovative program called “Families Grow Better Grub Together”. This program addressed food insecurity by helping meet the need of parents to provide good nutrition and healthy fresh foods to their families. During the four-week program, parents learned about nutrition, raised bed gardening, participated in planting raised beds, and took materials and plants home to create their own raised beds.
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Newberry County AmeriCorps Member
1 Mister B, Regina Eargle, Sarah Eargle, and Greely Saddler (AmeriCorps member)
Our AmeriCorps member served with our Local Partnership team to develop a County Resource Guide, assisted with our Parents As Teachers program during group sessions/ workshops, and helped put together take home kits for families and children to use during home visits. We all had fun at our outdoor concert held during Week of the Young Child. Families with young children were singing and dancing with MiSTER B!
Family Support AmeriCorps member(s)
Hours served in the community
504
hours served by Family Support AmeriCorps member(s)
Segal Education Award
$3,097.50 9
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273
Due to COVID-19 protocols during the summer of 2020, the CTK program was implemented outside at the family’s home, at a park, or on school grounds. The CTK program allowed me and my daughter to feel more comfortable with her new teacher before starting school. We also feel more prepared for kindergarten. -CTK Parent
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During FY21 Newberry First Steps continued to support local childcare centers by connecting them to resources, responding to requested assistance, and providing materials mini-grants. Planning ahead, NCFS began to prepare for the implementation of Quality Counts. Technical assistants received training and centers learned about the program and applied to participate. Quality Counts will allow our technical assistants to work on a quality improvement plan for the entire center, while still providing technical assistance to individual classrooms. Staff trainings will be provided that will address specific needs based on assessments and the quality improvement plan.
Early Childhood Classroom
Newberry County First Steps looks forward to providing the Quality Counts program to two centers in FY22. 11
Health and Safety:
Curriculum:
Helpin g Childre n A dapt to P andemic Bloodborne P athogens
One Book, One Month, Infinite Possibil it ies – 2 sessions
Professional Development:
Growth and Development:
E nvironme nts Matter -Setting up your Classroom for s ucces s – 2 s es s ions
Supportin g Growth Through Interactive Learning
Child Guidance:
Program Administration:
Managing E motions Words to E ncourage and Connect Teaching Childre n Self Regulati ons
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Buildin g Your Team Be the Boss with Soul
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Two child care center staff working on activities during the training, “One Book, One Month, Infinite Possibilities” – trainer Candi Lalonde
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FIRST STEPS 4K IN NEWBERRY COUNTY 2020-2021
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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.
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LIBRARY BASED PROGRAM “Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for buildi n g the knowledge and s kills they will eventually require for learning to read.” Marilyn Jaeger A dams Newb erry First Step s L ib rary -B ased Prog ram is desig ned to p rovide literacy activities for 3 - and 4 -year-olds enrolled in p reschool p rog rams in Newb erry County. Each class receives twice a month visits b y the Outreach Lib rarian. Children receive a b ook each month to add to their own p ersonal lib rary and b ooks are g iven to each classroom lib rary. Reading , rhyming , sing ing , and talking influence literacy and lang uag e develop ment, the foundations for all other learning .
LIBRARY BASED PROGRAM BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021
20 Providers/Schools Served
435 Children Served
4170 Books Distributed
Due to COVID-19 restrictions in schools and centers, Edith Bedenbaugh, our outreach librarian, delivered the books to participating children and classes. Storytime videos were recorded and shared monthly. Mrs. Bedenbaugh recording Mouse Paint.
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REACH OUT AND READ “Child re n are made readers on the laps of their parents” E milie Buchwald T he Reach out and Reach p rog ram is imp lemented throug h a local p ediatrici an’s office. Staff integ rates reading into p ediatric p ractices , advising families ab out the imp ortance of reading with their children, and sharing b ooks that help serve as a catalyst for healthy childhood develop ment. During well visits of children b irth to 5, the trained staff talks with p arents ab out the b enefits of reading aloud with their young children. Parents receive the tools and informati on they need to make reading aloud a daily routine. Children introduced to reading early on tend to read earlier and excel in school comp ared to children who are not exp osed to lang uag e and b ooks at a young ag e (American Academy of Pediatrics).
REACH OUT AND READ BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021
2,461 Well Child Visits and Books Distributed
Newberry First Steps partners with pediatricians in Newberry and Little Mountain by supporting the Reach Out and Read program. The doctors “prescribe” books to their families, giving a book to each child ages 0-5 at well visits. Doctors share parenting information and explain the importance of reading for the child’s growth and development.
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PUBLIC AWARENESS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH T he Newb erry County First Step s Partnership Community Education and Outreach Plan includes: distrib uting education materials to reflect our p artnership 's mission and to inform the p ub lic of availab le resources; p articip ate in and/or co -sp ons or community events that reach our targ et audience; use social media effectively to communica te , inform and activate; and network, coordin a te , educate, convene p arents, local community education al ag encies, early childhood p rofessionals , local leaders and the p rivate sector ab out the imp ortance of early childhood education and school readiness.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021
2,539 Materials/Books distributed
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Projects/events held
691
total event/project attendance
MiSTER B Concert
MiSTER B and fans!
Wise St. Park StoryWalk
Artwork Display at Newberry Museum
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Addressing the needs of young children is a shared endeavor. In addition to p roviding services to fam ilies and sup p ort for childcare p roviders, Newb erry County First Step s m ob ilizes p artners and community memb ers to ensure all children in Newb erry County b eg in school ready to succeed. We serve as a:
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Community/Partner Meetings
Newberry Parenting/Family Literacy and Adult Ed offered a College Admissions Program (CAP) to the community.
Downtown StoryWalk Ribbon Cutting With City of Newberry and Museum Partners
Family Planting a raised bed during Newberry’s Parenting/Family Literacy’s “Families Grow Better Grub together” sessions. 17
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 , Newb erry County First Step s leverag es state dollars to enhance and exp and services to children and families.
FUNDING SUPPORT State of South Carolina (Administered b y SC First Step s): $200,000 Birth to 5 Preschool Develop ment G rant (Administered b y SC First Step s): $70,075 SC Endeavors T raining G rant: $2,000 Midlands G ives and other donations from individuals: $2,430 W estview Behavior al: $500.00
IN-KIND SUPPORT School District of Newb erry County Newb erry County Career Center Newb erry County Lib rary City of Newb erry Parks and Recreation SC First Step s
AmeriCorp s
Newb erry Adult Education SCECA District IV
First Book
T he Newb erry Museum T he Newb erry Op era House City of Newb erry Downtown Businesses
JOIN US For more informati on on our p rog rams and p artnership op p ortunities, email director@ new b er r yfi rsts tep s. o rg , Call 803 -3 2 1 -1073 or visit our web site at www.newb err yf irsts tep s. o rg
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Expenditures of State Funds by Program Type
Since inception, Newberry County First Steps has leveraged $1,445,604.10 from sources outside of state government.
25%
75%
That’s $0.37 for every state dollar.
State Funding
Federal Funding
Private Funding
In-Kind Contributions
Total
Parents as Teachers
$74,676
$34,139
$250
$23,330
$132,395
Child Care Quality Enhancement
$6,978
$0
$0
$715
$7,693
Child Care Training
$22,400
$0
$1,884
$2,714
$26,998
Library Based Program
$18,735
$0
$5,465
$23,133
$47,333
Reach Out and Read
$18,224
$0
$0
$385
$18,609
Countdown to Kindergarten
$24,988
$0
$0
$9,608
$34,596
Partnerships & Community Education
$19,877
$997
$5,797
$1,915
$28,586
Administrative Support
$18,928
$0
$552
$1,155
$20,635
$204,806
$35,136
$13,948
$62,955
$316,845
Total Expenses
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Rob erta Hall Kinard, Chair
Emily Drum
Alison Bowers, Vice Chair
Stacy Farr
Sheridan Murray, Secretary
Ab ig ail Fuller
Crystal Hayward , T reasurer
Lemont G lasg ow
Antionette Alston
Deann McManus
Beth Brooks
Liz Rivera
Bethany Counts
Emily Crump -Saddler
Susan Dawkins
Lynn Williams
Laurie Donahou
Wanda Woodruff
STAFF Sarah Earg le , Executive Director Reg ina Earg le , Prog ram Coordina t or Edith Bedenb aug h , Prog ram Assistant -Lib rar y Prog ram .
CONTACT US P O Box 2 5 | 7 0 9 K enda ll Roa d, Suite B1 0 2 | N ewberry, SC 2 9 1 0 8 8 0 3 -3 2 1 -1 0 7 3 | ema il director@ ne wbe r ryfi rsts teps .or g www.newbe rry fir stst eps.o r g
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