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Walking in Their Shoes: Poverty Simulation Experience

This week, several of our staff participated in a Poverty Simulation — an interactive experience designed to shed light on the day-to-day challenges faced by families living in poverty. The simulation placed participants in real-life scenarios where they had to...

Project 100: Quality Childcare for Spartanburg’s Growing Future

Spartanburg Childcare Providers Receive Boost Through Project 100 Spartanburg County is celebrating a major win for families and small business owners with the latest round of Project 100 funding. Five locally owned childcare centers have been awarded a total of...

The Franklin School 4K Celebration

On May 28, 2025, The Franklin School’s 4K students rolled into their next big adventure—literally! The Cleveland Academy auditorium came alive with excitement...

Celebrating Our 2025 Children’s Champion: Stephanie Seay

We are proud to announce that Stephanie Seay, Assistant Principal at Jesse Boyd Elementary, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Children’s Champion Award presented by Spartanburg County First Steps. Each year, the Children’s Champion Award honors someone who has...

Educarer of the Year 2025

Celebrating the 2025 Educarer of the Year! We are thrilled to announce the winner of the third annual Educarer of the Year Award — Shanelle Footman, a classroom teacher at The Franklin School! The Educarer of the Year Award seeks to recognize and celebrate outstanding...

United Way of the Piedmont’s “Prepared to Thrive” Book Drive

We’re feeling extra grateful — and extra excited — thanks to the generosity of the United Way of the Piedmont! Through their annual Prepared to Thrive Book Drive, First Steps Quality Counts program received more than 140 brand-new books to distribute across 25 local...