Collaborating with other entities, Williamsburg County First Steps helps families and caregivers in our county prepare children for school success by maximizing public and private community resources to deliver, enhance and expand high-quality early childhood services.
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Increase The Reach Of First Steps Services
2.
Increase The Number Of Children Enrolled In High Intensity Programs Funded By First Steps
3.
Increase The Availability Of High-Quality Early Care And Education Opportunities Offered By First Steps
4.
More Children Arrive At Kindergarten Ready For Success
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Parents and guardians are supported as their child's first and most important teacher.
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Families with young children will be made aware of readily accessible programs, services, and available resources offered through Williamsburg County First Steps.
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Ensure children in Williamsburg County arrive at Kindergarten ready for success.
Focus on and prioritize young children, their families, and caregivers Cultivate positive, supportive, and respectful relationships Ensure all persons have the opportunity and resources to be successful Ensure programs and services are culturally responsive, inclusive, developmentally appropriate, delivered with fidelity, and excellence Produce meaningful, measurable impact and outcomes for all programs
500 North Academy Street, Kingstree, SC 29556 | 843-355-1031 | www.williamsburgcountyfirststeps.org
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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Felicia C. Patrick Executive Director Williamsburg County First Steps
Within our rural communities, many young children and families face challenges that can become barriers to our children’s academic and career success. Unfortunately, those who start behind often stay behind, leading to an achievement gap that persists into adulthood. Our best chance to closing the gap is to put children on the path to success in the early years – before birth and through age five – when high-quality early interventions have the greatest long-term impact. It has been our mission to implement programs that will build relationships, partnerships, and resources in order to assist families, break through barriers, and provide long-term impacts to our community. In order to accomplish this goal, we continue to strive to increase the reach of services Williamsburg County First Steps (WCFS) provides to children, families, childcare providers, and the citizens we serve. Today, we are facing a severe nationwide threat to our health and economic stability, which we fully expect will disproportionately impact our small rural community. As a result of the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID19), we have faced unforeseen challenges including job loss and unemployment, childcare centers and public school closures and quarantines, as well as an alarming rise in the number of positive cases and loss of lives. The past few years have been filled with challenges and uncertainties with a greater need for resources within our own communities. WCFS’s positive impact on the children and families of this area can be measured through the success of our programs. WCFS will continue to provide opportunities to serve our children and ensure their readiness for school success. Our programs include Parents as Teachers (PAT), Countdown to Kindergarten (CTK), Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL), Child Care Training & Professional Development (CCT), and Supporting Care Providers through Visits (SCPV). It is during times like these that I am proud to be a part of the Williamsburg County First Steps Partnership. We would like to take this opportunity to show our appreciation to our WCFS Partnership Board, Williamsburg County School District, partnering agencies, community members, parents and childcare providers for your continued support. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to our staff: Geneva Dorsey, Shakira Fulton, Rochelle Gamble, and Buetine Pressley, along with AmeriCorps service members Ashley Gaines and Michael Taylor, for always putting our families and communities first. I am honored to serve as Executive Director of the Williamsburg County First Steps Partnership.
Felicia C. Patrick
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MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR
Dr. Janice M. Gamble Chair Williamsburg County First Steps Board of Trustees
As the Chair of the Williamsburg County First Steps Partnership (WCFSP) Board, I want to take this opportunity to thank each member of the WCFSP Board, the staff of the local partnership office, the highly effective educational Parents As Teachers (PAT) professionals for devoting their time, talent, energy, and resources to the development of our most important assets, the children of Williamsburg County; especially
during this time of uncertainty due to the pandemic. This pandemic has affected our lives in ways that have yet to be defined. According to Ifeanyi Onuoha, “Teamwork is the secret that makes common people achieve uncommon results”. Our team works with the loving, caring parents of this community, the highly qualified members of the childcare community, the members of the S.C. First Steps State Office, along with the Williamsburg County School System to “achieve uncommon results” for the families we serve. Since the inception of the program, our mission has been to ensure every child in Williamsburg County is ready for success throughout his/her educational endeavors beginning in kindergarten. Therefore, we are reaching out to the community to increase the number of families we can assist and partnering with other entities to provide programs our families need. Our vision is all our children will graduate from high school and/or college and be career ready. As we move forward during the 2021-2022 term with so much uncertainty, we will work unselfishly, tirelessly, and diligently to achieve our goal of success for all our families. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Williamsburg County First Steps Partnership Board. .
Janice M. Gamble, Ed.D
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Every child in Williamsburg County will have the resources needed to be prepared for success in school.
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PAT GOES VIRTUAL Due to COVID-19, Parents as Teachers (PAT) National provided guidance for affiliates to deliver virtual services via
interactive video conferencing and phone calls. South Carolina PAT
PAT IN WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY 2020-2021
36 842
families served
total home visits
affiliates rose to the occasion by
“WCFS is an awesome program. First Steps invited PAT
engaging families in creative and
families to a Child Care Training event with Mister B. My
meaningful ways while continuing to
son loves learning and counting with Mister B. He is able to
meet the Essential Requirements of
recognize and identify colors, shapes, numbers and letters”
implementing a quality PAT program
Natasha, Parent of PAT student
during the pandemic.
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Williamsburg County AmeriCorps Members
1 1
Community Education and Outreach AmeriCorps member(s) Family Support AmeriCorps member(s)
Hours served in the community
“AmeriCorps provides me the opportunity to give back to my community through service in order to help families better prepare their children for success in school.” Kimberly, AmeriCorps Member “AmeriCorps allows me to give our community a “step ahead” in areas where so many were left behind. Learning starts at home, but in our case, it starts with resources. Here at WCFS we give them just that.” Ashley, AmeriCorps Member
247 563
hours served by Community Education and Outreach AmeriCorps member(s)
hours served by Family Support AmeriCorps member(s)
Segal Education Award
$3,947.10
total in Segal Education Awards received by all members serving at the Local Partnership
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460 4,391 Books are 100% free to children in Williamsburg County because Williamsburg County County First Steps secures the funds to cover the cost of books and shipping fees.
Sponsor a child for just $30 a year.
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104 CTK provides rising Kindergarteners and their families with summer intervention, support, and an easy school transition to Kindergarten. CTK helps establish strong studentteacher relationships that will facilitate the home-school transition and enhance classroom learning.
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*Coping Through COVID with the Curriculum and Your Calling in Mind *Documenting Child and Center Success *Leading High -Quality Teachers in High Quality Learning Environments *Creating a Culture of Safety *Determining the Meaning and Guiding Challenging Behaviors to Desirable Outcomes III *Blood Borne Pathogens *Getting Lit for Literacy
*Supporting Children with Special Needs *Integrating Music with Intentionality *Helping Children Adapt to Pandemics and to the Changes in Their Lives *Child Guidance Begins with Me *Professional Communication with Families *Watch Them Move, Watch Them Grow: Supporting Child Growth Through Interactive Learning *Child Abuse Prevention
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31.5
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Little Wizard's Learning Center (LWLC) began to offer operational excellence and caregiving to the Williamsburg County community in 2018. Since the doors opened, we have had the opportunity to showcase within our community our passion to create a unique educational environment, while instilling in children a love of learning that will never go away! The local partnership with Williamsburg County First Steps has been a tremendous blessing for Little Wizard's Learning Center as it has enhanced educational and family services with a higher-quality standard that educates children and their families on developing the "whole child". Meanwhile, teachers and staff have gained from the numerous professional development opportunities rendered by this remarkable agency. The LWLC Family is very grateful for the Williamsburg County First Steps Team!!!
Jennifer, Director
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FIRST STEPS 4K IN WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY 2020-2021
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PREPARING FOR STATEWIDE EXPANSION With First Steps 4K, families are in the driver’s seat. They choose the program that best meets their needs. Families can enroll their child in any of the 244 private, nonprofit, or faith-based childcare centers or schools participating in the program. The majority of First Steps 4K providers offer 8-hour day and year-round instruction, including summers, which is at no cost to parents.
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Addressing the needs of young children is a shared endeavor. In addition to p roviding services to families and sup p ort for childcare p roviders, Williamsb urg County First Step s mob ilizes p artners and community memb ers to ensure all children in Williamsb urg County b eg in school ready to succeed. We serve as a:
215 families served
272
material distributed
The drive-through Diaper Drive in partnership with Nurse-Family Partnership was a huge success. Parents and community members were appreciative of the event as well as the resources and supplies provided by partnering agencies.
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T hroug h p artnership s and collab or a ti ons , as well as financial sup p ort from g rants and contrib uti ons , W illiamsb urg County First Step s leverag es state dollars to enhance and exp and services to children and families.
FUNDING SUPPORT W illiamsb urg County School District Emp loyees:$196.80 W illiamsb urg County T reasurer: $125 W illiamsb urg County First Step s Board Memb ers:$740 DSM Nutritional Products: $350 G reenville T echnical Colleg e (Cert. T raining Incentive G rant): $2,000 Union Missionar y Bap tist Church $200.00 Ang ela Fulton/Mt Zion United Methodist Women $30.00 Home & Foreig n Mission Develop ment Center Inc. $80.00
IN-KIND SUPPORT W illiamsb urg County School District: $53,533 South Carolina First Step s/AmeriCor p s: $7,412.06
JOIN US For more informati on on p artnership op p ortunities, visit our web site at www.willia msb u r g co u n ty firs tste ps.o r g
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Expenditures of State Funds by Program Type 11%
Since inception, Williamsburg County First Steps has leveraged $2,417,829 from sources outside of state government. That’s $0.41 for every state dollar.
89%
State Funding
Federal Funding
Private Funding
In-Kind Contribution s
Total
Administrative Support
$17,498
$0
$617
$683
$18,798
Core Functions
$18,619
$0
$5,231
$9,554
$33,404
Parents as Teachers
$111,016
$6193
$1,861
$49,396
$168,466
Imagination Library
$8,199
$0
$2,197
$0
$10,396
Countdown to Kindergarten
$21,796
$0
$0
$0
$21,796
Child Care Training
$41,482
$0
$2,025
$1,312
$44,819
$218,610
$6,193
$11,931
$60,945
$297,679
Total Expenses
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dr. Janice M. G amb le, Chair
Corey Frasier
Joe Castle, Jr., Vice Chair
Ella Fulton
Kimb erly Matthews, Secretary
Jannice P. G amb le
Suanetta T isdale, Assistant Secretary
Jackie George
Keisha L. McDonald , T reasurer
Carolyn M. G rayson
Pastor Josa E. McI ntosh , Chap lain
Jennifer McKnig ht
L a-Dine’ W. G amb le, Parliamenta ri an
Jeff Sing leton
T amika Alford
Aub rey Snow
T ara Bradshaw
Pernerva T homas
Amy Coop er
Ap ril Williams
Verney Cumb ee
Shainna Williams
Rub y Faison
Ernestine Young
STAFF Felicia C. Patrick , Executive Director Shakira Fulton, Prog ram Assistant
Rochelle Gamble, Lead Parent Educator G eneva Dorsey, Parent Educator Buetine Pressley, Parent Educator
CONTACT US 5 0 0 N orth Aca demy St. Kingstree , SC 29556 | 843 -3 5 5 -1031| www.willia msb u r g co u n ty firs tste ps.o r g
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