Countdown to Kindergarten, a statewide initiative developed by South Carolina First Steps, helps rising kindergarteners and their families prepare through a series of six weekly, one-on-one visits with the child’s future teacher. Marquita Kennedy, a Kindergarten teacher at Brooklyn Springs Elementary School and a dedicated Countdown to Kindergarten educator, has worked with more than 30 children and their families. Her passion for the program is clear. 

Rebekah Andrews drives nearly an hour every morning to get her youngest daughter, ZaMarii, to school. The commute is long, but she said it’s worth it for the quality education ZaMarii receives. With the support of First Steps 4K, ZaMarii attends free, full-day preschool at Small Impressions, an A-rated early learning center in Greenville County. 

Where 4-year-old Kyson Tanner once got flustered trying to identify letters, he now excitedly shouts, “Look Mom, it’s a K!” whenever he spots the letter on license plates, billboards, or signs at stores and plazas. At first, letter practice at home was frustrating. To make learning more playful, she turned practice into simple games, an idea she got from Small Impressions, a First Steps 4K center in Greenville County.