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The only thing more exciting than finding out I had been accepted into the final round of the Harvard Strategic Data Partnership (SDP) fellowship matching process for their 16th cohort was learning that I was also being considered for the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) placement, housed at ÖíÖíÊÓƵ.

In South Carolina, the state provides full-day 4K for children who live in poverty or have other "at-risk" factors, such as developmental delays. The full-day program started as a pilot in 2006 and gradually expanded statewide. The state funds it in both public schools and private providers.

June 28, 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of ÖíÖíÊÓƵ. Since inception, First Steps has impacted over one million children during the most important stage in their development through a network of 46 local, county-level nonprofit affiliates and over 300 First Steps 4K providers statewide. Operating the state’s Early Childhood Advisory Council, the agency also coordinates the efforts of all the government agencies whose programs impact young children.

After six and a half years leading ÖíÖíÊÓƵ, I am stepping down from my role as agency director on June 28th to become the CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation. My last day is also First Steps’ 25th anniversary, a time of celebration and reflection, where we, as an organization, are thinking about the journey of impact we have all been on together.

When you give to First Steps, you provide dads like Jordan with the tools and resources they need to maximize their strengths and ensuring that children like James and Emily have the best possible start in life.

The statewide platform has earned national recognition for helping families find and enroll in programs and services for children ages 0-5.

ÖíÖíÊÓƵ today announced the kickoff of Countdown to Kindergarten, an annual initiative focused on preparing young children for success in school.

ÖíÖíÊÓƵ, the state's early childhood agency, today announced the resignation of Georgia Mjartan as executive director, effective June 30, 2024. The Board of Trustees has appointed Mark Barnes, the agency's current director of administration, as interim executive director while a national search is conducted to identify a permanent successor.

This April 4, the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) invites South Carolinians to learn about the state's publicly funded preschool programs by visiting palmettoprek.org. Each year in April, Palmetto Pre-K Enrollment Day focuses attention on the importance of early education in preparing children for school and life success.