About the South Carolina Early Reading Collaborative
Designed to enhance school readiness and literacy achievement amongst the young children of Lee and Darlington Counties, the South Carolina Early Reading Collaborative (SCERC) is a $4.15 million, three-year project funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s Early Reading First grant initiative.
Now serving nearly 500 low-income three- and four-year-old children in 27 public, private and Head Start classrooms, the SCERC project is designed to improve four key predictors of literacy achievement:
Oral language – the ability to convey and comprehend meaning through hearing and speaking;
Phonological awareness – the ability to discern the component sounds of spoken language;
Print awareness – knowing that print conveys meaning; and
Alphabetic knowledge – knowledge of letter names and shapes.
First Steps’ project has combined a research-based early literacy curriculum (Leapfrog Schoolhouse) with on-site coaching, intensive professional development, year-round learning opportunities, parent supports, and ongoing student assessment to enhance student learning in six public, private and Head Start sites across the two counties:
Darlington County
M.G. Burno Head Start Center
St. Joseph Head Start Center
Lee County
West Lee Elementary School
Bishopville Head Start
Bishopville-Lee Child Development Center
Lynchburg-Elliott Child Development Center
To date, the project has:
Provided expert coaching and early intervention services within each of the 27 SCERC classrooms.
Enabled the provision of more than $150,000 in research-based literacy curriculum, materials and literacy technology within high-need, rural communities.
Provided high-quality professional development for 60 lead and assistant teachers in research-based early literacy principles and the Leapfrog Schoolhouse curriculum.
Provided parent education home visits to help families’ reinforce learning with their children.
Established transition teams within each county designed to ensure graduates of the program transition successfully into kindergarten.
Conducted assessments of 480 low-income children in phonemic awareness, oral language, print awareness and alphabet knowledge. Preliminary results suggest that participating children are making gains in early literacy skills, critical to future school success.