“The best evidence suggests that learning begets learning, that early investments in learning are effective. As a society, we cannot afford to postpone investing in children until they become adults, nor can we wait until they reach school age—a time when it may be too late to intervene.”
James J. Heckman, Ph.D. and Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences | Professor of Economics and Director, Center for the Economics of Human Development, University of Chicago
What We Do
Our Programs
Quality Counts
For more information click here.
Early Head Start
For more information click here.
Nurse-Family Partnership
For more information click here.
The Franklin School
For more information click here.
Vida Y Salud
Spartanburg First Steps is partnering with Upstate Family Resource Center through an SC First Steps READY grant to expand the existing Vida Y Salud program. Vida Y Salud helps build a stronger South Carolina by supporting Latino communities with education, advocacy, and leadership development. For more information click here.
Countdown to Kindergarten
Countdown to Kindergarten is designed to increase family awareness of kindergarten expectations, create positive home-school relationships, and ensure a smooth transition to school. Spartanburg First Steps has partnered with this program since 2019. For more information click here.
What Drives Us
Our Mission
Spartanburg County First Steps mission is to help all young children in our county arrive at school ready to learn and prepared for success. To accomplish that we:
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Support evidenced-based programs that are designed to strengthen families and support children’s growth and development during the first 5 years of life.
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Build trusting relationships with early learning centers using a model of continuous improvement that helps to build and sustain high-quality learning environments.
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Collaborate with community partners to maximize our efforts and to increase our impact positively on school readiness.
Get Involved
Spartanburg County First Steps works with local businesses, nonprofits, churches, and schools to help all children enter school ready to thrive. This means we support events throughout the year in support of school readiness and the importance of a quality early childhood. If you would like to join us at one or more of these events, let us know by clicking here.
Upcoming Events
Board of Directors' Meeting
May 20, 2026
4:00 – 5:00
Our Impact
48
Child Care
Providers Served
6450
Number of children and adults served by Spartanburg County First Steps in 2023 – 2024
For more information about our impact on Spartanburg County check out our
Annual Report.
2604
Number of children 0-5
enrolled in provider classrooms
Donate Today
The prosperity of Spartanburg County depends on our ability to support quality early education for future generations. Help a child enter school ready to learn and grow!
A donation today is a step toward a healthier, smarter, and stronger community tomorrow.
The
Latest
2017 Week of the Young Child
2017 Week of the Young Child
April 11, 2017
Week of the Young Child™
The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers and families.
We’re so excited for a week long celebration of our youngest learners! Start planning your celebration today with event ideas and activities below!
Music Monday! April 24, 2017
Sing, dance, celebrate, and learn
Through music, children develop math, language, and literacy skills – All while having fun and being active! This year, make up and record your own unique version of a song or write your own, and share it on NAEYC’s Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc17.
TRY THIS: Find the beat to connect music, movement, and math. Practice clapping, drumming, or stomping to the beat of the music while counting.
Tasty Tuesday April 25, 2017
Healthy eating and fitness at home and school
This fun, food-themed day is about more than just cheese and crackers. Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science, and more. With the rise in childhood obesity, you can encourage healthy nutrition and fitness habits at home and in the classroom. Create your own healthy snacks and share the recipes and photos of your creations on NAEYC’s Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc17.
TRY THIS: Measure your ingredients while making your snacks! Ask children if they’d like the same or different amounts of each ingredient.
For more fun ideas on how to incorporate cooking into your classroom activities, check out how one NAEYC-accredited center prepared for the day! www.naeyc.org
Work Together Wednesday April 26, 2017
Work together, build together, learn together
When children build together they explore math and science concepts and develop their social and early literacy skills. Children can use any building material—from a fort of branches on the playground to a block city in the classroom, or a hideaway made from couch pillows at home. Build and share pictures of children’s creations on NAEYC’s Facebook page or Twitter using the #woyc17 hashtag.
TRY THIS: Practice organizing blocks by size! Try building a block tower with large blocks on the bottom and little blocks on top!
Artsy Thursday April 27,2017
Think, problem solve, create
Children develop creativity, social skills and fine motor skills with open-ended art projects where they can make choices, use their imaginations, and create with their hands. On Artsy Thursday celebrate the joy and learning children experience when engaged in creative art making. Use any materials—from crayons to paint, clay to crafts! Create and share a photos of your children’s creations on NAEYC’s Facebook page or Twitter using the #woyc17 hashtag.
TRY THIS: Bring art outdoors! Offer dark and light paper, chalk and pastels, and suggest children create their own versions of the day and night sky!
Family Friday April 28, 2017
Sharing family stories
Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. NAEYC applauds family members’ role as young children’s first and most important teachers. Share pictures and stories about your family on NAEYC’s Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc17 as we celebrate the unique role families play in their children’s learning and development.
TRY THIS: Invite parents for a Family Friday breakfast, where children can prepare and share breakfast treats with their families!
Week of the Young Child article credit and information: www.naeyc.org
How to Boost a Head Start Program at Home
Getting children prepared to enter early head start programs should begin before the start of a new school year. The following are some factors to consider to be fully prepared to influence the life of a child.
Plan Influential Outside Activities
When planning for a new year of early education, consider planning some activities that will acquaint the child with aspects of the real world. These activities are not only fun, but they also introduce children to new places, skills, and practices used when visiting. Activities like this can introduce children to different jobs and hobbies in which they could ultimately build interests. Places to visit can include the zoo, library, or farms.
Make Play a Priority
Playing with children is one of the best ways to prepare a child for school. Regular play can help a child’s cognitive, physical, and emotional development. It can also aid in developing problem-solving skills when faced with challenges. Try using building blocks with a child to develop motor skills through thoughtful movement or simple board games that build critical thinking and strategizing skills.
Encourage Manipulation of the Environment
Take the opportunity to develop some techniques that allow children to explore and manipulate their environments. Consider implementing creative activities such as puppetry, role-playing, sand play, and other fun pastimes. This can be helpful in teaching children how to comprehend patterns and functions, understand relationships, and solve problems.
Preparing a child for entrance into early head start programs is a crucial task, and trying out some of these activities can help provide a solid foundation for future learning.
5 Ways to Raise a Reader… Starting from Birth
5 Ways to Raise a Reader… Starting from Birth
March 6, 2017
5 Ways to Raise a Reader… Starting from Birth
ZERO TO THREE’s National Parent Survey shows that nearly half of parents (45 percent) think that reading to children starts to benefit long-term language development at 2 years or older—about a year and a half later than it actually does. Research shows that the benefits of shared reading actually begin at about 6 months. Here are five ways to share books with babies starting from birth.
1. Just like coffee, start early and make it routine.
Make books part of your family’s everyday routines, starting in your baby’s earliest weeks. Naptime, bedtime, meal-time, bath-time and riding on the bus to child care are great opportunities to share stories. Making books a part of daily life builds a love of books and can make daily routines a time for bonding and learning.
2. Don’t start War and Peace. A few minutes at a time is fine.
Sharing books is supposed to be fun, not forced. Read your baby’s cues. Young babies may only pay attention to the book for a few minutes, while toddlers might sit for several short books. Encourage your child to explore books in ways that he finds fun. Babies may want to mouth the book, slap the pages with their hands, or open and close them. These are important ways babies learn about how books work. For active toddlers who find it hard to sit still, encourage them to act out the story. They might jump like the frogs or bounce a ball like the characters in the book. When you let your child explore books in the ways that interest her, you nurture a love of reading and language that can last a lifetime.
3. Get creative and use your own words.
Rather than reading the words, describe the pictures instead. Point out what you see happening and tell the story in your own words. Make connections to your own family, pets, or home as you are telling the story. Use different voices for each character to add some drama. This will even more actively engage your baby’s interest and make it fun for the whole family.
4. Choose books like luggage—go for sturdy and dependable.
Babies need sturdy board books that will stand up to banging and mouthing. Also look for vinyl “bath” books or fabric books that are baby-friendly (indestructible) as well. Choose stories with simple, rhythmic language and bright, high-contrast illustrations. Older toddlers enjoy books with easy-to-follow storylines that focus on familiar experiences, like bedtime, playing with peers or a doctor’s visit. Funny stories are a big plus at this age, since toddlers are developing a sense of humor.
5. Introduce your baby to the original social media—books with pictures of themselves!
Make your own homemade books using photos of your baby and other family members. Cut out magazine pictures to make a book of common words like “dog,” “spoon” and “teddy bear.” Snap photos of your child going through a daily routine like getting ready for a bath and turn it into a simple story. Babies and toddlers enjoy hearing the story of their lives and love looking at familiar faces (like yours!) most of all.
Article Credit: zerotothree.org