“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
More than Kisses for Babies on the Campaign Trail
More than Kisses for Babies on the Campaign Trail
August 16, 2016
More than Kisses for Babies on the Campaign TrailBabies may finally be getting their reward for years of being passed off for hugs and kisses to strangers campaigning for office. Both major candidates for President are now talking about child care policy. Yesterday, in the midst of a major speech on the economy, Donald Trump announced a plan that would allow families to “fully deduct the average cost of child care spending from their taxes.” Meanwhile, Secretary Hillary Clinton is talking about capping the percentage of income families have to pay for child care at 10% through tax credits and child care subsidies, as well as raising pay for child care workers. While we await details on both plans, as advocates, we know how rare it is that presidential candidates are actually jockeying for position on policies for young children. It’s a sure sign that families’ needs are finally bubbling to the surface! Meanwhile, all is quiet on Capitol Hill, but in a few weeks Congress will be back in town for a pre-election push on an agenda that has several open questions important for children. One item is the mental health reform bill stalled just short of the Senate floor. The House has already passed and sent over its version. Both the House and Senate bills contain a provision to invest in promoting infant-early childhood mental health. The Family First Preventive Services Act, which would channel much-needed funds to efforts to prevent foster care placements, also awaits Senate action. Infants and toddlers are the largest group entering care, so resources to help them stay with their families would be welcome. Finally, appropriations bills must be completed or, as is most likely, a continuing resolution must be passed, before the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30. Although early care and learning programs received small increases in Committee action, child care especially faces a significant shortfall because of the implementation costs of the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Final decisions will probably have to wait for a post-election session–but that means there is still time for advocacy for more funding for children! article credit: The Baby Monitor https://www.zerotothree.org/ |
Helping Children Make Sense of the Recent Rain and Flooding
Helping Children Make Sense of the Recent Rain and Flooding
October 17, 2015
As the rain slows down and we finally see the sun again, many of us are struggling with how to process the historic flooding our State recently endured. As we rally to put our own homes back together or support friends and family who were more directly affected by the rain, we need to remember that our actions are being observed intently by are youngest family members.
Our children are watching everything: they watched the waters rise. They watched homes be swept away by strong currents. They’re watching a community come together to help each other as the waters begin to recede.
While natural disasters can be difficult to comprehend at any age, your child may need extra love and support as s/he tries to make sense of what they’re seeing and experiencing. But what if you don’t know what to say to ease their fears and anxieties?
WIS 10 out of Columbia, SC, recently interviewed Betsy C. Grier, Ph.D and nationally certified school psychologist about strategies adults can use to help the children in their lives make sense of the flood. We’ve gathered the highlights for you below, but if you have 8 minutes to spare, you can watch the entire interview to get even more insight and information.
Interview Highlights:
Should kids watch the news footage?
Grier cautions parents to be careful with what children see. If you do decide to allow your children to watch the images, she encourages you to be with them, so you can talk about what they’re seeing and help them move forward by discussing how much assistance is being provided and how you and your family are safe.
Don’t deny your child’s feelings
Grier points out that we often try to protect our kids by telling them how to feel. She encourages us to reject this response and instead acknowledge how they’re feeling:
“Let them have their feelings. We need to let them have that emotion.”
Be proactive: process the event through play and art
Grier reminds us that just because kids see the flood images and don’t say anything, doesn’t mean they aren’t feeling something. She encourages caregivers to allow their children to draw pictures, write stories, and talk through things. If possible, she stresses the importance of helping your child’s story end positively: look at all the help we’ve received! We’re all safe and together!
Protecting your kids from adult short tempers and exhaustion
Grier acknowledges that we’re going to be tired as the clean-up effort continues. We’re going to loose our patience. We might even yell. But she says to tell kids how tired we are and why. And then, she says, apologize: “I’m really sorry that I did that. Can you take a deep breath with me and let’s sit here and do something calm for a minute so that we can remember that we’re safe and that we’re okay.”
Give yourself permission to let re-building be a process
Grier states that process may look differently for every family: “Do we sit for a moment and say we need to have quiet? Do we sit with our children and say a prayer? Read a book? Sing a song? What do we do? Whatever your family looks to for hope and for strength, do that. But be in the moment.”
Helping kids see that a week off of school for this reason isn’t “fun”
Grier says that instead of celebrating a week of no homework, help your child focus on how s/he can help in the relief effort. What in your house can you donate? Let kids draw “thinking of you” pictures to send to those who have been displaced. Do something to help the community: “…Even if kids aren’t touched by this directly, that doesn’t mean they can’t learn from it and help from it and learn a really, really important lesson about our community and taking care of each other.”
For more information about how you can help in the flood relief effort, check out this story from Greenvile Online which highlights many of the groups collecting various items and donations for flood victims.
The thoughts and prayers of all of us at Spartanburg County First Steps remain with those in our State suffering from the devastating effects of the flood.
Helping Children Make Sense of the Recent Rain and Flooding
Helping Children Make Sense of the Recent Rain and Flooding
October 7, 2015
As the rain slows down and we finally see the sun again, many of us are struggling with how to process the historic flooding our State recently endured. As we rally to put our own homes back together or support friends and family who were more directly affected by the rain, we need to remember that our actions are being observed intently by are youngest family members.
Our children are watching everything: they watched the waters rise. They watched homes be swept away by strong currents. They’re watching a community come together to help each other as the waters begin to recede.
While natural disasters can be difficult to comprehend at any age, your child may need extra love and support as s/he tries to make sense of what they’re seeing and experiencing. But what if you don’t know what to say to ease their fears and anxieties?
WIS 10 out of Columbia, SC, recently interviewed Betsy C. Grier, Ph.D and nationally certified school psychologist about strategies adults can use to help the children in their lives make sense of the flood. We’ve gathered the highlights for you below, but if you have 8 minutes to spare, you can watch the entire interview to get even more insight and information.
Interview Highlights:
Should kids watch the news footage?
Grier cautions parents to be careful with what children see. If you do decide to allow your children to watch the images, she encourages you to be with them, so you can talk about what they’re seeing and help them move forward by discussing how much assistance is being provided and how you and your family are safe.
Don’t deny your child’s feelings
Grier points out that we often try to protect our kids by telling them how to feel. She encourages us to reject this response and instead acknowledge how they’re feeling:
“Let them have their feelings. We need to let them have that emotion.”
Be proactive: process the event through play and art
Grier reminds us that just because kids see the flood images and don’t say anything, doesn’t mean they aren’t feeling something. She encourages caregivers to allow their children to draw pictures, write stories, and talk through things. If possible, she stresses the importance of helping your child’s story end positively: look at all the help we’ve received! We’re all safe and together!
Protecting your kids from adult short tempers and exhaustion
Grier acknowledges that we’re going to be tired as the clean-up effort continues. We’re going to loose our patience. We might even yell. But she says to tell kids how tired we are and why. And then, she says, apologize: “I’m really sorry that I did that. Can you take a deep breath with me and let’s sit here and do something calm for a minute so that we can remember that we’re safe and that we’re okay.”
Give yourself permission to let re-building be a process
Grier states that process may look differently for every family: “Do we sit for a moment and say we need to have quiet? Do we sit with our children and say a prayer? Read a book? Sing a song? What do we do? Whatever your family looks to for hope and for strength, do that. But be in the moment.”
Helping kids see that a week off of school for this reason isn’t “fun”
Grier says that instead of celebrating a week of no homework, help your child focus on how s/he can help in the relief effort. What in your house can you donate? Let kids draw “thinking of you” pictures to send to those who have been displaced. Do something to help the community: “…Even if kids aren’t touched by this directly, that doesn’t mean they can’t learn from it and help from it and learn a really, really important lesson about our community and taking care of each other.”
For more information about how you can help in the flood relief effort, check out this story from Greenvile Online which highlights many of the groups collecting various items and donations for flood victims.
The thoughts and prayers of all of us at Spartanburg County First Steps remain with those in our State suffering from the devastating effects of the flood.