News & Resources

Since he was a boy, Deon Cooper knew something was missing. Adopted at birth and raised without any knowledge of his biological parents, he struggled with questions about his identity and where he truly belonged. That all began to change when he took a job as a janitor at his family’s childcare center. He saw the impact his family’s work had on young lives and knew he was meant to do more.

Orangeburg County First Steps hosted its ninth annual First Steps Day on October 23 at Hillcrest Recreational Park, bringing together nearly 100 children and families for a celebration of literacy, movement, and community.

Calhoun County First Steps hosted its third annual Roll and Read on Tuesday, October 21 as a celebration of literacy, movement, and community engagement for families with young children.  Nearly 250 children and families from across the county, including families participating in Parents As Teachers with Calhoun County First Steps, Early Head Start, a First Steps 4K classroom, and two elementary schools, participated in a one-mile walk and stroller/wagon roll.

Stephanie Webster was deeply concerned when some of her students didn’t know their own names. Her time in both the public school system revealed profound gaps in academics, self-awareness, and identity development. That realization led her to leave public education and pursue her passion: supporting young learners at a foundational level.

Last week, nearly 1,000 early childcare educators across South Carolina laced up their boots and set out on an adventure for the annual First Steps 4K Academy, a multi-day professional development conference hosted by South Carolina First Steps.

When Olivia Piene found out she was pregnant again after losing twins in 2021, she felt both joy and fear. That's when she decided to join Nurse-Family Partnership through Greenville County First Steps, which helped ease her anxiety and supported her as a first-time mom. See how Nurse-Family Partnership is helping moms like Olivia find strength and hope.

The halls of ABC Academy in Saluda County, home to a First Steps 4K classroom, 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.

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. 

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?