South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness is officially 20 years old today! On June 28, 1999, The Honorable James H. Hodges, Governor of South Carolina (1999-2003), established First Steps as a statewide public-private partnership charged with getting South Carolina’s children ready for success in school and life. Two decades later, as the state’s only…

Hundreds of South Carolina’s Pre-K (pre-kindergarten) teachers returned to their classrooms equipped with new strategies and techniques to educate and engage young learners after attending the “Palmetto Pre-K Jamboree”, a three-day professional development training for the state’s four-year-old teachers from across federal, state and locally-funded Pre-K programs. The training, held June 11-13, was a coordinated…

Financial website WalletHub recently released its list of best and worst states for working moms, and South Carolina landed near the bottom of the list—ranking 49 among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Palmetto state earned this ranking due to its lack of job opportunities in rural areas, a gender wage gap…

Berkeley County First Steps’ pilot “Birthing With Purpose” doula and parenting support program just reached two significant milestones:  It recently celebrated 18 months in existence and welcomed the second baby born through the program.  The “Birthing With Purpose” Doula program came about after Berkeley County First Steps Executive Director, Adrienne Troy-Frazier saw a need in the county…

The room was filled with anticipation, and every chair was occupied at one of the final Needs Assessment Regional Meetings for the state’s Preschool Development Grant held at the Northeast Richland Library on May 29. Representatives from child care centers, non-profit organizations and government agencies across the state attended for the sole purpose of helping…