Summary

Numbers Served:

372 children; 33 adults/families; 1 child care facility; 2 higher adult education levels achieved; 137 health assessments and screenings; 682 home visits; 30 center staff trained with 324 children total at those facilities; 80 4-K slots and 884 books distributed.

Total Budget:

$559,578

Abbeville School Readiness Profile

Population of Young Children (Ages 0-5)	2,100/8%
Children Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunch (5K)*	63%
Average Per Capita Personal Income	20,289
Children in Poverty (Ages 0-5) ***	18%
Children Who Are Over Age in Third Grade**	24%
Children in Third Grade Performing below Basic on PACT Reading **	8%
Children in Third Grade Performing below Basic on PACT Math**	13%
Low Birth Weight Infants	11%
Births to Mothers with Less than High School Education	19%
Less than Adequate Prenatal Care	12%

Note: Data is for 2003 except where noted (*2005, **2004, ***1999).

Profile Comments: According to the Abbeville County Impact agenda with data from 2000-2001, and four-year-old served in Abbeville in 2003-2004, there was a total of 187 four-year-olds not being served in Abbeville County by any quality preschool program. According to Kids Count data 2003, 24.4% of all babies are born to mothers with less than a 12^th grade education. The Medicaid eligibility rate for children under six is 47.1%., and children in single parent homes make up 65% of all the county’s children living in poverty. According to this compiled data, there is a high need for quality preschool programs in our county, in the public and private sectors. Parents also need parenting skills to promote literacy rates, and school readiness.

SCHOOL READINESS STRATEGIES

Early Education

Statewide Goal – South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness will leverage state, local and private resources to increase the quality of, and number of children participating in, developmentally appropriate pre-kindergarten programs in both the public and private sectors. Particular emphasis will be placed on fidelity to research-based instructional models and targeting of students at-risk of early school failure.

FY 2006 Results:

Partnership Goal – Increase number of children attending high quality early childhood programs by establishing one full day 4K program, and one extended day 4K program at LongCane Elementary School, one extended day 4K program at Cherokee Trail Elementary School, and one full day 4K class with GLEAMNS Head Start.

· 80 children received quality full day 4K programs.

· 100% of programs were taught by certified teachers.

· 100% of classroom teachers had completed Creative Curriculum or High Scope Training.

· 100% participants were targeted for participation based school readiness risk factors, such as low scores on the DIAL-3.

· 100% of Abbeville County First Steps funded programs met South Carolina 4K requirements for curriculum, pupil-teacher ratios, materials, and class size.

· With First Steps funding, 100% of 4K programs offered by the school district were full day programs.

· 58% of parents completed the family satisfaction surveys, 93% of these ranked the program with a 4 to 5 rating, with 5 being excellent.

Family Strengthening

Statewide Goal – South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness will work collaboratively with its agency partners, the faith community and private sector to support parents and families in their own efforts to maximize the school readiness, well-being and long-term academic success of the state’s young children.

FY 2006 Results:

Partnership Goal – Increase the capacity of parents to be their child’s first and most important teacher with home visitation services.

· 69 families (totaling 89 children) received Parents As Teachers visits, with 38 new families enrolling this program year

· 100% of all parent educators were trained with the Born to Learn Curriculum to serve children from 0-5 years.

· 516 home visits were completed throughout the program year.

· 100% of families were linked to at least one community resource

· 28% of families responded on the family satisfaction surveys, 65% scored all services with a 4 to 5 rating, with a 1(poor), and 5 as (excellent).

Child Care

Statewide Goal – South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness recognizes quality child care as a research-based determinant of school readiness. As such, First Steps will collaborate with parents, the child care community and its agency and community partners to maximize child care quality throughout the state. Particular emphasis will be placed on assisting parents in their efforts to identify those settings most likely to maximize developmental outcomes, and assisting providers in their own efforts to maximize the learning environments they provide for young children.

FY 2006 Results:

Partnership Goal – Improve the quality of child care by offering quality enhancement grants and quality trainings to child care providers.

· 50% of child care centers participated in the quality enhancement grants

· 50% of classrooms improved .34 of a point on the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale.

· An average of 50 to 75 participants attend free childcare trainings from Abbeville, Greenwood, and McCormick Counties

· 30 credit hours were offered to childcare providers throughout the program year.

· All classes were registered or certified through The Child Care Center of Career and Development.

School Transition

Statewide Goal – South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness recognizes school entry as a pivotal transition point in each child’s educational career. In an effort to ensure strong collaborative relationships between the state’s families and schools, the initiative will develop strategies to maximize parents’ understandings of state and local expectations and ensure a smooth and beneficial school transition for each child.

Partnership Goal –Ensure an educationally beneficial school transition by serving 30 at-risk children in the Countdown to Kindergarten program.

FY 2006 Results:

28 identified children completed the Countdown program during summer 2005.

93% percent of the children received five or more home visits.

· 46% percent of the children were placed in their Countdown home visitor’s kindergarten class.

· 86.67% percent of the children qualified for free lunch.

· Countdown to Kindergarten resulted in improvements in parent-child interactions, including:

· 29% increase in parents reading to their children

· 24% increase in parents talking with their children about letters, words, or numbers with their children

· 56% increase in parents and children visiting a library

School Readiness Strategies for 2006-2007

In FY 06, Abbeville County First Steps received lottery funds for two 4K classes, family literacy, and for our preschool learning bus. This next fiscal year, we will be spending more on our Parents As Teachers Program, and using the learning bus more frequently. We will also be putting more money towards technical assistance with the childcare providers, and childcare trainings.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

State

Appropriation

State-Private

In-kind

Local-

Private

Lottery

Appropriation

Federal

EIA
Appropriation

TOTAL

$139,653

$5,920

$111,395

$38,364

$1,101

$63,198

$199,947

$559.578

NOTE: The above State Appropriation amount leveraged all state-private, in-kind, local-private, lottery and federal dollars.

READINESS STRATEGIES	BUDGET	ACTUAL EXPENDITURES	DIFFERENCE
Parents As Teachers	$122,247	$113,657	$8,590
Family Literacy Model Programs	$106,610	$65,662	$40,948
Full Day 4K Programs	$222,505	$221,267	$1238
Extended Day 4K Programs	$44,632	$62921	-$18,289
Countdown to Kindergarten	$7340	$7693	-$353
Facility Quality Enhancements	$10,680	$10,854	-$174
Center Staff Training and Development	$11,425	$10,399	$1026
County Programmatic	$14,704	$15,543	-$839
County Administrative	$18,178	$18,543	-$365
Money not budgeted	$1257		$1257
TOTAL	$559,578	$526,539	$33,039

*Negative balances are due to an increase in in-kind dollar amounts that was donated to the county partnership; more in-kind was donated than budgeted. There is also an excess in budget due to lottery dollars used for programs that were started later in the year, and can carry forward into this program year.

NOTABLE DONORS

DONOR’S NAME	AMOUNT
Abbeville County School District	$24,800
PSARAS Foundation	$8,000
United Way	$12,697
TOTAL	$45,497

Local Match Percentage for 2006: 45.12%

BOARD INFORMATION

During FY 06, the Abbeviille County First Steps Partnership Board Members volunteered 150 hours.

Value of Volunteer Time[1]: $18.04 X 150 hours = $2706

abbeville County First Steps Board Membership

Dr. Randall T. Ruble, chair, Faith Community

Deborah Ayers, Family education, training, and support provider

Michael Burke, County Department of Health & Environmental Control

Deborah Chiles, Childcare and early childhood development, education provider

Charles Costner, Pre-Kindergarten through primary education

Lynette Cobb, Parent of a Preschool child

Dr. Bobby Crosby, Business Community

Ann Davis, School District Appointee

Patricia Davis, Member from early childhood education

Santana D. Freeman, Head Start Appointee

Dr. Tiffany Freese, Parent of a Preschool Child

Montee Gary, County Department of Social Services Appointee

Henry Green, Legislative Appointee

Barry Jacks, Board Chair, Pre-Kindergarten through primary education

Tracey Jackson, Non-profit organization that provides services to families and children

Mary Elizabeth Land, County Library Appointee

Frances Lewis, Member from early childhood education

Susan McIntyre, Childcare and early childhood development education provider

Zelda Oates, Legislative Appointee

Heather Osborne, Parent of a Preschool Child

Lynn Patterson, Member from early childhood education

Jennifer Payne, Non-profit organization that provides services to families and children

Sherri Smith, School District Appointee

Marie South, Member from early childhood education

Mary Stackhouse, County Department of Health & Environmental Control

Michelle Stancil, Healthcare provider

MalJean Thomas, Family education training and support provider

Thelma Woody, County Department of Social Services Appointee

SUCCESS STORIES

Mrs. Betty, my parent educator, made me feel confident in what I was doing and brought books when I may not be able to get them myself. She was there so I could ask questions and helped educate me on parenting. She sent him his first and only Christmas Card. She is awesome.

-Mrs. Brown (Parents As Teachers Program)

I was able to attend school again, and I received my diploma. The program was excellent. Jaylyn had an awesome time, and was able to interact with the other children.

Thank you,

Mrs. Howland (Family Literacy Program)

With this program I have learned where my child stands with abilities compared to her age and what she may need to work more and less on. Mrs. Gloria is always encouraging to my child and myself her patience with the children is wonderful.

-Parent (Parents as Teachers Program)

I wanted to let you know how pleased my wife Jennifer and I are of the K-4 program at Long Cane Elementary. Our child, Will, was born prematurely, and as concerned parents, we

were worried about his ability to learn and to "fit in" socially with other children his age.

With the year drawing to a close, I can tell you that the K-4 program has made more of a difference in Will than we could have dreamed of. He has mastered his requirements for the k-4 program and has been able to go to the computer lab for additional learning opportunities. While his behavior

is still that of a typical four year old boy, he has learned about taking turns, respecting others and their property, and has had good manners reinforced by the teachers. Ms. Anderson and Ms. Dansby have worked very hard with this class, and I am sure teachers in k-5 and higher grades will see the benefits of their hard work and care for these children.

-Frank Smith (4K Program)

This program has been most helpful with the willingness of the teacher and assistant to work with my student’s disabilities and health concerns. The academic readiness activities have helped my child develop skills that he did not have upon entering the program. Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Dansby have helped my child develop self-confidence. He is more secure being away from mom now.

-Parent (4K program)

Another Success Story that I would like to add is about our preschool learning bus. This success story started two years ago, when the Abbeville Rotary Club, Abbeville County School District, and the United Way joined together in a joint effort to create a mobile preschool classroom for parent educators to drive into different rural and low-come areas of the county to teach parents and preschool children what a preschool environment will look like, how children can learn through play, and the importance of literacy and brain development. The entire community has come together through this collaboration and the bus is mobile throughout the community. Our bus continues to build collaboration and grow, as we have recently received another grant with the Abbeville County Library to add virtual technology to the bus, with laptops. Parents can now sign up for library cards, and have internet access. This has really been a success story in Abbeville County.

-First Steps Director, Angela Pruitt