S.C. Child Development Pilot Program

First Steps 4-year-old Kindergarten

TO QUALIFY FOR THE 2011-2012 YEAR, YOUR CHILD MUST:
● Be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2011.
 (Please provide a copy of your child’s birth certificate, passport or other official proof of age.)

● Be eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program or Medicaid.
(Please provide a copy of your tax return, proof of food stamps eligibility, TANF, SSI, etc.)

● Live in one of the following school districts: Abbeville, Allendale, Bamberg 1, Bamberg 2, Barnwell 19, Barnwell 29, Barnwell 45, Berkeley, Chesterfield, Clarendon 1, Clarendon 2, Clarendon 3, Dillon 1,  Dillon 2, Dillon 3, Florence 1, Florence 2, Florence 3, Florence 4, Florence 5, Hampton 1, Hampton 2, Jasper, Laurens 55, Laurens 56, Lee, Lexington 4, Marion 1, Marion 2, Marion 7, Marlboro, McCormick, Orangeburg 3, Orangeburg 4, Orangeburg 5, Saluda or Williamsburg.
(Please provide two forms of residency verification, such as a current tax bill, utility bill, rental agreement, etc.)

ABOUT THE 4K PROGRAM
Classes are “full day”: Students attend classes 6.5 hours per day, five days per week during the 180-day school year. All classes are taught using research-based curricula. Eligible providers include those in the following settings: private, community and/or faith-based and Head Start.

Some providers may offer transportation. Wrap-around (non-school hours) care may also be available at an additional cost.

See the brochure with complete details about what the 4K program entails!

HOW TO APPLY
Applications must be submitted to the 4K provider with whom you wish to enroll your child. Contact a provider in your area (listed below) and ask for an application.

For more information, contact your local First Steps county office or South Carolina First Steps.

The S.C. Child Development Pilot Program (CDEPP) was created by the S.C. General Assembly in 2006. CDEPP is expanding 4K options in both school district and non-school district settings; First Steps oversees this work in the non-district settings.

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT

• Approved 4K Provider List 2011-2012
  
• First Steps 4K Expansion Guidelines 2011-2012

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

(NOTE: For additional details on these and other questions, please download the First Steps 4K Expansion Guidelines from the link above.)

Q: What is the South Carolina Child Development Education Pilot Program?
A: In May of 2006 the South Carolina General Assembly created a pilot program designed to expand 4-year-old kindergarten in both school district and non-district settings.

Q: Who administers the program?
A: South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness oversees 4K expansion in private, community/faith-based, Head Start and other non-school district settings. Expansion within the state's public school districts is overseen by the South Carolina Department of Education.

Q: Who decides where each eligible student will enroll?
A: Parents may choose to enroll their children in either an approved school district or private setting.

Q: What makes a child eligible to participate?
A: Children must meet three separate eligibility criteria. Each child must be:

Q: Do eligible providers have to be located within a plaintiff school district?
A: Not necessarily. The First Steps 4K Expansion Program is designed to expand service to eligible children. Students meeting all three forms of eligibility (age, income and geography) may attend any approved program — even if the provider of choice is not located within the school district or county of residence.

Q: Which providers are eligible to participate?
A: The First Steps 4K Expansion is open to DSS-regulated (licensed, approved or registered) private for-profit, private non-profit, faith-based and Head Start providers willing to serve eligible children. Providers seek initial eligibility from South Carolina First Steps — a process that includes both an application and site visit. Approved providers then receive First Steps funding based on the number of eligible students they serve.

Q: May providers charge tuition and fees above and beyond the fees they receive from the state?
A: No, not for the school day itself. Tuition and fees may be charged for extended instructional hours and wrap-around care.

Q: What is the length of the required instructional program?
A: Approved 4K classrooms offer a 6.5 hour school day, 180 days per year.

Q: Is a specific curriculum required?
A: Yes. Providers are required to utilize an approved, research-based curriculum aligned with the South Carolina Content Standards. Information on the approved curricula is located in the First Steps 4K Expansion Guidelines.

Q: How are the 4K expansion classrooms staffed?
A: Both a lead teacher and a full-time instructional assistant staff each classroom of 11 or more students. Classrooms serving 10 students (the minimum class size) may be staffed by a lead teacher only.

Q: Who is qualified to serve as a lead teacher?
A: Lead teachers are required to possess at least a two-year degree in early childhood education or a related field (or be granted a waiver of this requirement by South Carolina First Steps) and be enrolled and demonstrating progress toward completion of a teacher education program within four years. For specific details on lead teacher qualifications, see the First Steps 4K Expansion Guidelines.

Q: Who is qualified to serve as an instructional assistant?
A: Instructional assistants must possess a high school diploma or its equivalent and have at least two years of experience working with children under five-years-old. Instructional assistants must have completed the Early Childhood Development Credential (ECD) 101, or enroll in and complete this course within 12 months of hire.

Q: What types of professional development are required of staff?
A: All classroom staff (both teachers and instructional assistants) are required to complete at least 15 hours of professional development annually, to include hours in emergent literacy and teaching children in poverty.

Q: Do programs have to provide transportation?
A: No. However, the provision of transportation is considered desirable. Programs providing transportation for eligible children may receive up to $550 in additional funding for each student transported. Providers will be allowed to set their own, reasonable transportation boundaries.

Q: What type of monitoring is involved?
A: Providers are subject to both announced and unannounced monitoring and technical assistance visits from First Steps staff throughout the school year.

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