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South Carolina First Steps requests recurring and one‑time funds to expand 4Ks, local partnerships and innovation; asks for proviso changes
Summary
Anne Vander Fleet, agency director of South Carolina First Steps, and Mark Barnes, director of administration, told the Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee that First Steps seeks recurring and nonrecurring funding to expand local partnerships, full‑day 4Ks and targeted innovation investments.
Anne Vander Fleet, agency director of South Carolina First Steps, and Mark Barnes, director of administration, presented program results, financials and multiple funding requests to the Public Education and Special Schools Subcommittee.
Vander Fleet said First Steps serves children from birth through age 5 via 46 local partnerships, full‑day 4Ks and an early childhood advisory council. She told the subcommittee the agency served more than 64,000 infants, toddlers and preschoolers in direct services and reached 80,000 children in childcare settings and classrooms during 2023–24. Vander Fleet said South Carolina has approximately 334,000 children under age 6 and that about 42 percent of that group is economically vulnerable; she noted 59 percent of kindergarten students did not demonstrate readiness on the state's kindergarten readiness assessment.
Mark Barnes walked the…
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