Author: Erin Mathews

The Saluda County First Steps Annual Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 10th, 2024 at 4 pm. This meeting will be held in person at 103 South Rudolph Street Saluda, SC 29138 (Saluda First Steps Office). Meeting agendas will be sent by email one week before our meeting. If you have any questions, contact Kim Chariker, ED at (864)321-1441 or kim@saludafirststeps.org.

Saluda Mayor, Miliken Matthews in collaboration with Saluda County First Steps (Kim Chariker, ED) has made a Proclamation that April 2024 is the Month of the Young Child in Saluda, SC. Please look for give-a-ways on the Saluda County First Steps FB page during the Week of the Young Child (April 8^th-12^th, 2024) and throughout the month of April 2024.

The Saluda County First Steps Annual Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 9th, 2024 at 4 pm. This meeting will be held in person at 103 South Rudolph Street Saluda, SC 29138 (Saluda First Steps Office). Meeting agendas will be sent by email one week before our meeting. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Chariker, ED at the number listed above or at kim@saludafirststeps.org.

Published by Office of the Governor

August 10, 2023

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster today was joined by South Carolina First Steps Executive Director Georgia Mjartan and members of the General Assembly for a ceremonial bill signing of H. 4023, which permanently authorizes First Steps. The original legislation contained a sunset provision that required the General Assembly to repeatedly reauthorize First Steps. Since its inception, First Steps has been reauthorized five times – in 2006, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018. 

“South Carolina First Steps has been a tremendous asset for our state and has helped South Carolina become a leader in early childhood education,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “With this legislation, we reaffirm our commitment to building a strong early childhood education system and further ensure our children enter school ready to learn  – setting them and our state up for a bright future.”

First Steps was created by the S.C. General Assembly in 1999 under the First Steps to School Readiness Act. This legislation made South Carolina the third U.S. state to establish a comprehensive, statewide public-private partnership for early childhood services.

“For more than two decades, First Steps has been a lifeline to families with young children, ensuring that from birth through age five, they are supported in providing their children with the best possible start in life,” said Georgia Mjartan, executive director of South Carolina First Steps. “Today, with this landmark legislation, South Carolina families can be assured that our support is unwavering. First Steps is here to stay.”

First Steps delivers direct services that support the healthy development and learning of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Since 2006, South Carolina First Steps has administered First Steps 4K, the state’s free four-year-old kindergarten program in private settings. The Department of Education administers the full-day 4K program in public schools. 

In 2021, Governor McMaster led the successful effort to expand full-day 4K to every lower-income four-year-old child in the state. Parents may now choose the public, private, or for-profit childcare provider that best suits their child’s educational needs. Today, the program serves 16,103 children, an all-time high. 

“I am humbled by the support and help of the community and everyone who stepped in to help with this legislation,” said State Representative Stewart Jones. “This is about opportunity and ensuring every child in South Carolina has an opportunity to have a great education and a future.”

The bill also addresses the membership and governance of local First Steps Partnerships, the South Carolina Office of First Steps to School Readiness, and the South Carolina Early Childhood Advisory Council.

The bill was passed unanimously in the House and the Senate. It took effect on June 19, 2023.

The Saluda County First Steps Board Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 12^th, 2023 at 4pm. This meeting will be conducted in person at the school district conference room. Board members who wish to attend by phone conference, will receive the number with their agendas.  Anyone wishing to be a guest participant contact Kim Chariker, ED at (864)321-1441. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Chariker, ED at the number listed above or at kim@saludafirststeps.org.

Saluda County First Steps is also accepting nominations for board membership at this time.  If you know of someone or if you are personally interested in serving on our Non-Profit Board, please contact Kim Chariker, ED, at the number listed above or send your request to Saluda County First Steps 103 South Rudolph Street, Saluda, South Carolina 29138 (kim@saludafirststeps.org).  Please submit your request by August 31st, 2023.

Bids are being solicited by the Saluda County First Steps Partnership Board for an Enhanced Early Education Specialist (Bi-Lingual) position.   The Enhanced Early Education Program Specialist position is designed to provide Enhanced Early Education tutoring services for children 3-5 years of age that have been identified as needing assistance with mastering educational skills required for their grade level through standardized testing within the schools. The primary goals of the Enhanced Early Education Program are to:

1. Provide one-on-one and/or small group tutoring sessions 1-3 times per week for students identified by certified 3K/4K/5K teachers as requiring assistance to master grade-level skills at Hollywood Elementary School.
2. Enhanced Early Education Program Specialist must be able to attend school events, participate in IEP meetings ( if requested by school), meet with parents if needed, collect and submit data by the 5^th of each month to the Saluda County First Steps Executive Director for input to the South Carolina First Steps Data Collection System.

The deadline for submittals is Thursday, June 8th, 2023 by 1 pm.  To request a copy of the bid request please contact Kim Chariker, Executive Director of Saluda County First Steps at 103 South Rudolph Street Saluda, SC 29138 or at kim@saludafirststeps.org or call at (864)321-1441.  Bids will be opened publicly at 10 am on Friday, June 9^th, 2023 at Saluda County First Steps Office at 103 South Rudolph Street Saluda, SC 29138.

Saluda County First Steps and the City of Saluda held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week to celebrate the opening of a StoryWalk® and Born Learning Trail project in the Saluda Town Park. The project was a collective community effort led by Saluda County First Steps executive director Kim Chariker.

“My vision for the StoryWalk® and Born Learning Trails (English and Spanish) was to provide the young children of Saluda County and their families a place to come together and share language, literacy, family fun activities, and to encourage learning as a family,” said Chariker. 

Each of SC First Steps local partnerships operates as independent 501-C (3) non-profits, giving them the unique ability to leverage private dollars. Saluda County First Steps took advantage of its unique status and connected private funding from the Save the Children Foundation with city resources.

“When I was contacted by Save the Children to apply for the grant for the StoryWalk® and Born Learning Trail, I immediately made a presentation to our Town Council requesting permission to use the Saluda Town Park for the projects,” said Chariker. “Once they gave their approval, they also offered the use of the town maintenance department to help with the installation of the projects. This has truly been an act of full community support and partnership for the families of young children in Saluda.”

StoryWalk® is an educational activity designed to inspire parents, teachers, and other adults to take young children outdoors to enjoy reading stories together. It helps build children’s interest in reading while encouraging healthy outdoor activity for both children and their caregivers.

“The StoryWalk® and Born Learning Trail have already impacted the young children in our community,” said Chariker. “Providing these projects for our community to encourage families to get outside and share learning with their children will be valuable for early learning and support families as they share educational activities with each other in our Saluda Town Park.”