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South Carolina First Steps seeks $5 million to scale proven early‑childhood programs, sets 75% readiness goal by 2030
Summary
Agency director Anne Vander Fleet told the House education subcommittee First Steps aims to have 75% of children kindergarten‑ready by 2030 and asked for $5 million in nonrecurring innovation funds, while noting the governor included $9 million for 4‑K expansion in his budget.
Anne Vander Fleet, director of South Carolina First Steps, told the House Ways and Means education subcommittee the agency has set a five‑year target to ensure at least 75% of South Carolina children enter kindergarten ready by 2030 and asked lawmakers to double innovation investments.
"By 2030, we hope to ensure that at least 75 percent of South Carolina's children will enter kindergarten ready for success in school," Vander Fleet said during the committee's hearing. She framed the request with national research, citing economist James Heckman's work showing strong returns on early‑childhood investment.
Vander Fleet said First Steps served about 66,000 children directly last year—roughly 62,000 through local partnerships and about 4,200 through the agency's 4‑K program—and outlined gaps the agency is trying to address. She told lawmakers roughly 280,000 South Carolina children are birth to age 5, of whom about 41% live in poverty; in fall 2024, 30% of children in poverty demonstrated kindergarten readiness compared with 55% of their higher‑income peers.
"Our request this year is to double our allocation for innovation investments," Vander Fleet said, asking for $5,000,000 in EIA/general nonrecurring funds to scale evidence‑based, high‑intensity parent education and home‑visiting programs and to support local partnership collaboration.
Vander Fleet also noted the governor's proposed budget includes $9,000,000 to expand 4‑K eligibility to 300% of the federal poverty level and funding to help reduce teacher turnover and support quality improvement pilots with the Department of Education.
On program outcomes, Vander Fleet said the agency has added 31 new classrooms, increased 4‑K enrollment about 8% year over year, and that 92 lead teachers have completed LETRS training. She highlighted a roughly 60% improvement in attendance at First Steps 4‑K compared with the prior year and said innovation investments have produced an estimated 11% increase in high‑intensity, evidence‑based services, helping about 600 additional children.
Committee members pressed the agency on fiscal details and feasibility. Lawmakers asked about the practicality of the 75% target—Vander Fleet said the current overall demonstrated‑readiness rate is about 39% and estimated about 9,000 more children per year would need to attain readiness to meet the goal—and about how First Steps would administer or partner on programs such as the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Vander Fleet said First Steps is open to administering the Imagination Library statewide, potentially in partnership with the Department of Education and the Palmetto Project, but cautioned that operational logistics (address updates, returned books, transient families) require planning.
On fiscal reserves, the agency's CFO, David O'Kelly, said First Steps has maintained year‑end cash balances in recent years in the range of about $25,000,000 and is reviewing multi‑year restrictions to develop a cash‑reserve policy and clarify allowable uses.
The agency did not receive an immediate vote on the request during the hearing; Vander Fleet said she would follow up with details and proposals as committee members asked for additional guidance.
The subcommittee heard the First Steps presentation in the committee's February session; lawmakers asked staff to review the agency's proposal and the governor's 4‑K proviso as the budget process continues.
