Resources Available:

Kershaw County First Steps is a local nonprofit that partners with the community and numerous organizations to prepare children to reach the first grade ready to succeed. We provide opportunities, create solutions, and fund quality programs to increase school readiness outcomes for all children ages 0 to 5.

We also serve as a connector and convener of early childhood stakeholders in Kershaw County as we encourage communities to deliver, enhance and expand high-quality early childhood services.

Programs Offered:

Parents as Teachers:

• Home visitation and group support for families, before birth and through age five.

Countdown to Kindergartenen:

• Supports transitions into kindergarten by connecting incoming students, their families, and their teachers in a series of one-on-one sessions during the summer.

Countdown to 4k:

• Supports transitions into 4K by connecting incoming students, their families, and their teachers in a series of one-on-one sessions during the summer.

Dolly Parton Imagination Library:

• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails free, high-quality books to children from birth until age five, no matter their family’s income.

Early Identification and Referral:

• Providing developmental screenings and referrals to other services, independent of another partnership program.

First Steps 4K:

• First Steps 4K offers free, full-day four-year-old kindergarten to qualifying children in South Carolina. We partner with more than 270 licensed child care centers and private schools across the state, making it easy for families to find a high-quality program that meets their needs.