News & Resources

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?

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.

Ruth Buckmire didn’t plan on opening a preschool—her journey into early childhood education began with a deeply personal need. Over two decades ago, her teenage daughter became pregnant at just 16 years old. As Ruth recalled, “We looked for childcare, but it just wasn’t adequate for us.” That’s when Ruth decided to open her own childcare facility.