The halls of SC First Step’s 4K center, ABC Academy, echo with the excited chatter, the clatter of building blocks and art materials, and the sound of students jumping up and down to their favorite Fun Friday song, just like they did when Dakota Chariker was a child herself, when her mother ran the center. Today, she’s the one behind the desk.

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As Outreach Librarian for Newberry County First Steps, Jennifer Polaski partners with local preschools and the Newberry County Library to bring literacy activities to 3- and 4-year-olds. Her goal: get kids excited about reading and give parents the tools to keep that excitement going at home. 

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LaVonda Paul’s passion was afterschool programming. The impact was clear: when children receive support outside the classroom, they’re more likely to succeed inside it. This led her to ask: what if she began working with children even earlier to better prepare them for school?

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Melisa Johnson, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Northeastern Technical College, has seen the power of collaboration firsthand through the creation of Compass Point Preschool, an on-campus early learning center serving 3- and 4-year-olds through Chesterfield County First Steps. As both an administrator and parent, she offers unique insight into how collaboration between higher ed and early childhood systems benefits families.

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