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EOC presenter: State-funded 4Ks served almost 18,000 children; recommends pilots to cut waitlists
Summary
Dr. Jenny May told the Education Oversight Committee that state-funded 4K programs served roughly 18,000 children in 2024–25 and urged pilots to improve waitlist communication, expand recruitment and strengthen screening and teacher supports to boost kindergarten readiness for students in poverty.
Dr. Jenny May, the EAC director of qualitative research and stakeholder engagement, told the Education Oversight Committee that state-funded 4K programs (CERDEP and First Steps) served close to 18,000 children in the 2024–25 school year — about 14,000 in CERDEP classrooms and nearly 4,000 in First Steps classrooms.
“We had over 14,000 children served by CERDEP 4Ks and almost 4,000 students served by First Steps 4Ks,” Dr. May said, noting that roughly 84% of CERDEP participants and 68% of First Steps participants were in poverty.
The presentation cataloged access and quality measures, financial commitments and gaps in state data. Dr. May said the EOC’s evaluation identified roughly 8,855 poverty‑eligible children whose program participation is unknown because current systems do not capture where they spend their time. She also reported open seats and wait lists in First Steps programs: “There were 1,700 open seats for First Steps 4Ks” and the report captured wait‑list dynamics that the committee should address.
To address those gaps, the report recommended piloting targeted interventions to reduce wait times and to recruit eligible families. Dr. May described a wait‑list communication pilot in two districts that used weekly, secure messages to connect families with open First Steps spots; the pilot resulted in 23 enrollments where the prior process yielded none.
Dr. May also recommended improvements in data infrastructure and recruitment strategies, stronger screening and referral procedures across sectors, and enhanced supports for teacher recruitment and retention. She highlighted the report’s quality findings: First Steps participates in the state QRIS and about 44% of centers scored a B under that system; some A‑level ratings declined slightly but overall quality remained stable.
On outcomes, Dr. May said statewide kindergarten readiness remained near 37% but added that students in poverty who attended CERDEP 4Ks performed better on the kindergarten readiness assessment than similarly situated peers who did not participate: “We did have 35% of students demonstrating readiness as compared to 25% of similarly situated students who did not participate,” she said.
Committee members pressed on ownership and teacher qualifications. Representative Alexander voiced concerns that disparate requirements and low pay contribute to high turnover among 4K teachers and assistants and urged a coordinated, cross‑program approach. Dr. May acknowledged that the EOC’s statutory authority for the report is limited to the state‑funded sector but said staff can assist informally to examine broader workforce alignment.
The EOC did not vote on policy changes at the meeting; Dr. May said staff will post interactive data on a public dashboard (dashboard.sc.gov/prek) and will continue pilots and collaborative convenings to refine implementation and recruitment work.
What’s next: Dr. May said the team will continue the wait‑list pilot in additional districts, develop an interactive dashboard to display the analysis, and report back to the committee on pilots and any recommended statutory or budgetary changes.
