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Beaufort County highlights expanded early-childhood services, schedules mobile preschool ribbon cutting
Summary
District leaders described expansion of early childhood services — including a traveling preschool bus, a new observation classroom and expanded CERDEP-funded slots — and said a Port Royal Elementary ribbon cutting is planned (weather permitting).
Superintendent Rodriguez introduced a detailed early-childhood update Feb. 3, telling the Beaufort County Board of Education that the district is expanding services to reach more children before kindergarten.
Dr. Rebecca Stempel, coordinator of early childhood and parent education, framed the work as a districtwide integrated system that “prepares children to be successful for kindergarten and beyond,” citing research that “Research shows that 90% of a child's brain is developed by the age of 5.” Stempel said the system combines screening, community partnerships, standards-based instruction and family engagement.
Ashley Gould, district director of readiness, described the district’s traveling preschool bus as “a preschool classroom on wheels” that has served thousands of families over the past 30 years and removes barriers by bringing services into neighborhoods, apartment complexes and community sites. Gould invited board members and the public to a ribbon-cutting at Port Royal Elementary the following day, weather permitting.
Gould also announced a completed observation classroom and learning lab to support teacher development, and outlined the district’s Conscious Discipline rollout for administrators, kindergarten and prekindergarten teachers and support staff. She said the training will expand to first and second grades and beyond as cohorts of trained students advance.
The presentation included specifics about CERDEP funding and new state requirements. Gould said Beaufort County has been eligible for CERDEP funds for roughly three to four years and that the district recently revised local eligibility to accept children scoring below the 70th percentile on the state’s developmental measure to increase access and classroom mix. She warned that CERDEP brings additional classroom requirements and that non-CERDEP classrooms now must meet Department of Social Services licensing rules; the district is coordinating with facilities, HR and other departments to meet those standards.
Stempel and Gould said parent engagement is a state requirement for CERDEP and described the district’s plan: public advertising of developmental screenings, a parent orientation and three one-on-one parent-teacher conferences per year that are monitored by the State Department of Education.
Board members asked how the district coordinates with community providers. Gould said district staff attend First Steps meetings (Rebecca Stempel holds a seat on the First Steps board) and that Head Start participates in district professional development and emergency drills; the district is working to better incorporate Head Start in Bluffton planning as facilities expand.
What’s next: The district will continue Conscious Discipline training, use the observation classroom for staff coaching, station the traveling preschool bus at the Bluffton office for special education and parent education, and monitor CERDEP implementation and licensing requirements.
Sources: Presentation by Dr. Rebecca Stempel and Ashley Gould to the Beaufort County Board of Education, Feb. 3, 2026.
