Our Programs

Intensive support to child care centers, Head Start and preschool classrooms to improve quality. Certified and registered training hours for the early childhood workforce

Dorchester County First Steps offers scholarships to help families access high-quality childcare and early education programs. These scholarships provide children with the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe, nurturing environment, ensuring they are ready for school and life. Invest in your child’s future with support from our scholarship program, because every child deserves the best start!

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a home visiting program that supports parents in their role as a child's first and most important teacher.

Countdown to 4K is a free program designed to prepare children for a successful start in kindergarten. Offered by Dorchester County First Steps, this program provides fun, engaging learning activities that support early literacy, math, and social skills, setting your child up for a confident transition to 4K. Together, we help build the foundation for lifelong learning!

First Steps’ parent home visitation strategies are designed to equip adult clients with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote the school readiness, healthy development and long-term success of their preschool-aged children.

-Personal Visits at least twice monthly
-Monthly Group Connections with other PCH families
-Screenings and Assessments to identify developmental concerns
-Connections to Outside Resources that families may need to succeed

High-quality childcare hinges on high-quality professional development that meets the needs of the local childcare workforce. First Steps-sponsored training is certified through the SC Center for Childcare Career Development and includes topics in the areas of nutrition, health and safety, curriculum, child guidance, professional development and program administration. Best practices in training include not only the training itself, but follow-up in the classroom.

Dorchester County First Steps has created over 170 Literacy Kits which are housed in the both Dorchester County Libraries. In 2020 we are expanding the Literacy Kits to select QE classes. Teachers will receive a Theme-based Literacy Kit filled with a book related to the theme and toys, activities and lessons for the children. Each month children will receive a book related to the theme for their personal library. Parents will be coached on how to help their child read the book as well.

Countdown to Kindergarten (CTK) is a summer home visitation model connecting rising kindergartners and their families with their future teachers. The program is designed:

to forge strong and lasting home-school relationships,
to acquaint children and families with the state and classroom expectations to increase the likelihood of school success,
to increase parent involvement in the early grades (particularly in hard-to-reach communities), when children’s learning is foundational for life success; and
to increase public awareness of the importance of school readiness and provide ways for parents and communities to impact children’s early school success.
Countdown to Kindergarten integrates all of the following:

Home Visitation. Teachers make six visits over the summer to the homes of participating students and families. Children and families are introduced to actual materials used in kindergarten and are given a Kindergarten Transition Toolkit to keep.

Learning Celebration. The last visit is a “field trip” to the school where the child will attend class in the fall.

Public Awareness. Throughout the summer, First Steps releases tips to media to help parents and caregivers get children ready for kindergarten.

WHO IT SERVES

Program participants include parents and expectant parents, English language learners, aspiring citizens, basic skill students, those with developmental disabilities, families at risk for domestic violence, incarcerated men and women, and childcare teachers.

HOW IT WORKS

Motheread/Fatheread uses a 29-lesson curriculum to teach literacy skills to adults. The program addresses a variety of teaching approaches and learning styles, combining individual assignments with small group work, lectures, and discussion.

At Reach Out and Read, we believe all families should have the tools and information they need to make reading aloud a daily routine. We help integrate reading into pediatric practices, advise families about the importance of reading with their children, and share books that serve as a catalyst for healthy childhood development.