Darlington County First Steps Annual Report 2020-2021

To provide programs, services, and information to strengthen families and communities in Darlington County.

INCREASE THE REACH OF OUR SERVICES

By FY23, the percentage of children and families in need who are directly served by Darlington County First Steps will increase from 15% to 20%.

Community engagement.

Compassion and empathy.

Transparency and accountability.

Education and advocacy.

Children are healthy and safe

Increase the number of single-parent households served in Darlington County

Link available resources to support the wellbeing of teenage custodial parents Support for families and children to reduce health disparities

Increase our collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders by 20%

437 West Carolina Avenue, Bldg.1, Hartsville, SC 29550 | 843-861-8866 | www. darlingtoncountyfirststeps.org

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MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

The journey to excellence is never easy but always rewarding. As I end my tenure as a member of the Board of Directors for Darlington County, I fully understand the meaning of “departure is such sweet sorrow”. While I am sorrowful to leave, I leave with a sense of accomplishment and pride. I have experienced firsthand in my 15 years on the Board, our collective efforts to engage diverse groups, agencies, and organizations on this journey to equip families to be the best parents possible. Over the years of my tenure, we have never avoided tackling the tough issues and have a proven history of confronting and tackling the tough issues in our communities.

This is clearly evidenced in our responsive and intentional strategies to address such issues as one of the state’s highest teen pregnancy rate, increased need for information and resources for reproductive and sexual health, limited access to concrete resources, health inequities and disparities especially in men of color, lack of programming for fathers, lack of the access to kindergarten readiness strategies, and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. Darlington County First Steps has established relationships with traditional and nontraditional partners such as the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, S. C. Cancer Alliance, The Duke Endowment, Macedonia Family Life Center, Town of Lamar, Reach Out and Read, as well as neighboring Lee County First Steps to ensure the needs of our families are met. We have worked diligently to forge relationships with state level and national partners to address our vision: Equipping Families and Engaging Communities. We are eternally grateful for the investment and engagement of our parents, partners, and supporters. It does take a village!

I am confident Darlington County First Steps will continue to pursue and achieve excellence as a communitybased change agent! Thank you to all who have worked with us and thank you for the privilege and opportunity to serve as Board Chair.

All the best,

Winfred Herrington 5

Equipping Families. Engaging Communities.

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FIRST STEPS 4K IN DARLINGTON 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 child care 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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PAT GOES VIRTUAL

PAT IN DARLINGTON COUNTY 2020-2021

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 affiliates rose to the occasion by engaging families in creative and meaningful ways while continuing to meet the Essential Requirements of implementing a quality PAT program during the pandemic. Our organization was able to provide families with tablets to stay connected, receive activities, and conduct virtual home visits.

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families served

15

Group connections

287

total home visits

“According to the Listen4Good Survey, over 90% of parents feel extremely connected to their Parent Educator.” –Britney Brisbon, PAT Parent Educator 8

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150

Pictured is one of the students in the CTK program this summer. This CTK visit took place in a school classroom.

“We love to see children excited about their learning activities!”

-Brandy Weaver, CTK Coordinator

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REACH OUT AND READ PROGRAM T he Reach Out and Read (ROR) Model p rep ares young children to succeed in school b y p artnering with doctors to p rescrib e b ooks and encourag e families to read tog ether. ROR b eg ins at the 6-month checkup and continues throug h ag e 5 , with a sp ecial focus on children g rowing up in low-income communities. Darling ton County First Step s is p artnered with Eastern Carolina Pediatrics in Darling ton and CareSouth Carolina’ s Pediatric Dep artment in Hartsville.

REACH OUT AND READ BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021

1001 1218 families served

Books prescribed

“The children get excited when they see the book and that they are able to keep it. They start looking through the book when they get into the exam room. They are more excited over the book than what's going on around them.”

- EASTERN CAROLINA PEDIATRICS

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STRENGTHENING FAMILIES PROGRAM

T he Streng thening Families Prog ram (SFP) is a two- g enerationa l ap p roach where children, ag es 6 -1 1 , and their p arents work on p arallel activities , desig ned to imp rove family relationship s and b reak g enerational cycles of dysfunction. T he SFP is an evidenced-b ased p rog ram which is nationall y recog nized for its success in help ing families.

T his collab or a ti ve effort is desig ned to serve families in two 1 4-week cycles. T he SFP is op en to all families in Darling ton County with children, ag es 6-1 1 , reg ardless of socioec on o mi c status. Due to the p andemic, SFP transitioned to imp lementing the p rog ram virtually this year.

SFP BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021

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families served

42

sessions held

The Strengthening Families Program recognized parents during a Drive-Thru graduation ceremony at the Darlington County First Steps Office.

Parents were gifted with their certificate for completing the program, gift cards and other giveaways during the ceremony.

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THE DUKE ENDOWMENT INITIATIVE Darlington County First Steps received funding from the Duke Endowment to implement a COVID-19 Resource and Support Project designed to meet the critical needs of families who have been and/or are currently being impacted by COVID-19. Our target population is underserved families of color and economically disadvantaged families. According to the latest research from Child Trends, African American and Hispanic/Latino families are twice as likely to face three or more hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic. The intended outcome of this project is to support families hardest hit and to minimize adverse and long-term effects of COVID-19.

The project utilizes a variety of strategies including the following: an online Virtual Family Assistance Center to keep families informed and up-to-date on current news and information regarding COVID-19 and resources available; provision of basic necessities such as hand sanitizer, masks and disinfectants to help prevent the spread of COVID-19; referrals for Mental Health Wellness support and services; distributing concrete supports such as food boxes, diapers and wipes, gas and food cards and other needed household items. Collaboration with our Community Partners has allowed us to reach hundreds of families in the first three months of this project including providing 200 food boxes, 300 bags with masks, hand sanitizer and other COVID-19 related items and information as well as more than 300 lunch bags to school age students during the summer months.

This project focuses on expanding services to our Hispanic/Latino communities. Securing a Bi-lingual Community Outreach Worker as part of our team has allowed Darlington County First Steps (DCFS) to identify, recruit and engage and provide services to many Hispanic/Latino families. In addition, we have added several new community partners including the two Hispanic churches in our county.

THE DUKE ENDOWMENT INITIATIVE BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021

1952

families served

1840 materials distributed

“This experience has allowed me to share COVID-19 resources with hundreds of people. I have had the pleasure of connecting services to the Hispanic community.”

-Felisa Rangel, Bilingual Community

Outreach Worker

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MEN’S HEALTH EQUITY INITIATIVE DCFS has always taken a holistic approach to our work with families, and this includes “including the fathers/males”. Over the past seven, 7, years we have had a number of programs and/or program components targeting the fathers/males in our community. Our current work with Men’s Health began past four years, when we expanded our free condom distribution program to include blood pressure checks in local barber shops. Both our work with fathers/male and research clearly indicates far too many have health issues and needs that are ignored and/or unaddressed. Our current Men’s Health Equity Grant, funded by the SC Cancer Alliance, strongly supported the core strategy of strengthening and equipping families by providing services directly targeting the fathers/males in our families. Often, fathers/males are a forgotten piece of the puzzle when working with mothers and their children; however, as we have advocated for many years, fathers/males belong in the village too!

The SC Cancer Alliance’s 2018 Report, 20-Year Trends for Incidence, Mortality and Survival Reports, clearly indicated that African American men have the highest cancer incidence and mortality rate in SC. This report led to the 2019 Cancer in African American Men Report and the 2020 Cancer in African American Men Action Plan. These reports identified cancer disparities among African American men as the result of social, behavioral, and psychological factors. In addition, these reports highlighted the facts that education and access are key to health equity and eliminating health disparities. Armed with the information, the SC Cancer Alliance put out a call for community organizations to apply for a Men’s Health Equity Grants to begin the process of eliminating health disparities in their communities, particularly with men of color. DCFS was awarded a Men’s Health Equity Grant in 2020. The overall goal of this Initiative is to change the skeptical mindset that many men of color have about going to the doctor.

This year, we capitalized on community outreach events that allowed us an opportunity to reach community members safely and in person. With the help of the South Carolina Cancer Alliance, we partnered with CareSouth Carolina, Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (FQHC), to conduct prostate screenings (blood test) for men during a community event. In addition, we also collaborated with Genesis Health Care, FQHC, to host a second Men’s Health Symposium in the Town of Lamar. Health screenings and early detection save lives.

MEN’S HEALTH INITIATIVE BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021

150

families served

225 materials distributed

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THE CHOOSE WELL INITIATIVE

Choose W ell is a statewide contra cep ti ve access initiative, funded b y New Morning Foundation , working to reduce unintended p reg nancies across South Carolina. T hroug h its larg e network of Partners and m ore than 1 5 0 clinical sites, Choose W ell is imp roving consumer knowledg e and access to contra cep t iv e care services, increasing p rovider knowledg e and training , and removing the cost b arriers to contra cep t iv e care and b irth control for women.

Darling ton County First Step s served several men and women of rep roductiv e ag e this year. Our certified Family Planning Health W orkers (FPHW ) are trained to conduct Rep roductive L ife Plans to identify b irth control methods that b est suit the client’ s lifestyle and help s them understand their sexual and rep roducti ve health. I n addition to p lanning , FPHW s serve as a g uide for clients, ensuring they are educated and aware of local resources as well as help ing them to schedule ap p ointments with healthcare p roviders.

T o sustain and carryou t this work b eyond our org aniza ti on , we facilitat ed the FPHW certificat i on of two colleag ues from our local colleg e, Coker University. T he p resence of FPHW s on their camp us ensures the student b ody has rep roductive and sexual health p rofessionals at their service.

CHOOSE WELL INITIATIVE BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021

377 adults served

205 sessions held

"Darlington County First Steps represents an organization that is committed to thinking innovatively to meet its community's needs.

They step outside the box when necessary and are eager to participate in training opportunities. Darlington County First Steps has made it clear that they are invested in the women and families of Darlington County.“ -Tiffany Byrd, Senior Program Manager for New Morning Foundation

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PUBLIC AWARENESS Community awareness of our program services and initiatives ensures widespread, ongoing, and meaningful participation from our key stakeholders, families, and other community members. DCFS utilizes traditional awareness-building mechanisms such as sharing flyers, word of mouth, distributing resources, and participating in community events. In the virtual world, we continue to expand our digital footprint and our reach through Facebook, YouTube Channel, DCFS website and our E-Blast/Newsletter.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused us to think even more creatively when planning and participating in public awareness activities. Many activities and program services that took place in physical locations were made available in virtual spaces with the use of video conference tools. Community Work Groups Meetings, Partner Spotlights, and Parents as Teachers Group Connections were conducted through the Zoom platform which helped us continue our work efficiently, network, and reach larger audiences.

Once COVID-19 cases began to decrease, we safely continued our in-person community outreach efforts by participating in various community events with partner organizations, Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers, and Coker University. During these events, team members served families and community members by providing concrete supports, educational materials, enrolling them into programs, and referring as needed to community partners for additional services.

This year, we were able to continue our distribution of Welcome Baby Bags/Literacy Kits, delivering 330 Kits to moms who delivered babies at our local hospital, Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center. Literacy Kits included books, wipes, diapers, parent literature, Kindergarten Readiness Assessment handouts prepared by SC First Steps, and sexual health resources.

PUBLIC AWARENESS BY THE NUMBERS 2020-2021

4230

materials distributed

33 events

2463

total event attendance

Gospel in the Park, a community event held annually from April-October where local organizations come together to provide information, health screenings, and other resources.

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Addressing the needs of young children is a shared endeavor. I n addition to p roviding services to families and sup p ort for child care p roviders, Darling ton County First Step s mob ilizes p artners and community m emb ers to ensure all children in Darling ton County b eg in school ready to succeed. W e serve as a:

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local community partners

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statewide partners

“We have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with Darlington County First Steps. We are forever grateful for this relationship we have because we have been able make a difference in the lives of so many within the community we serve.”

MAREK CALHOUN, CARESOUTH CAROLINA DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES 16

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 , Darling ton County First Step s leverag es state dollars to enhance and exp and services to children and families.

FUNDING SUPPORT Children’ s T rust of South Carolina: $ 7 5 ,0 0 0 Eastern Carolina Community Foundation: $ 2 ,0 0 0 Fact Forward: $ 1 ,0 0 0 Foundation for a Better Hartsville: $ 5 ,0 0 0 Kiwanis of Hartsville: $ 1 ,5 0 0 New Morning Foundation: $ 2 8 ,2 3 0 South Carolina Cancer Alliance: $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 T he Duke Endowment: $ 5 7 , 5 0 0

IN-KIND SUPPORT Byerly Foundation CareSouth Carolina

Darling ton County Community Action Ag ency- Head Start

Carolina Kid’ s

Darling ton County School District

Carolina Pines Reg ional Medical Center

Florence-Da rling t on T echnical Colleg e

Child and Family Resource Center

G enesis Health Care, I nc.

Coker University Clem son Extension Ag encyHealth and Nutrition Education Prog ram

G osp el in the Park Committee G reater Hartsville Chamb er of Commerce Hab itat for Humanity

JOIN US

Hartsville Mindfulness Studio Kap p a Alp ha Psi FraternityHartsville Chap ter L ee County First Step s Macedoni a Family L ife Skills Center New L ife Ministries Pee Dee Healthy Start Rachel I ng ram Save the Children United W ay of Hartsville

For more informati on on p artnership op p ortunities, visit our web site at da rlingto n co u n ty f irs ts teps .o r g

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Expenditures of State Funds by Program Type 21%

Since inception, Darlington County First Steps has leveraged $3,762,339 from sources outside of state government.

That’s $0.68 for every state dollar.

79%

State Funding

Federal Funding

Private Funding

In-Kind Contributions

Total

Administrative Functions

$19,590

$0

$946

$0

$20,536

Core Functions

$17, 220

$250

$3,517

$0

$20,987

Parents as Teachers

$86,037

$1,977

$305

$0

$88,319

Motheread/Fatheread

$18,499

$0

$3,285

$0

$21,784

Reach Out & Read

$33, 776

$0

$0

$0

$33,776

Parent Training

$0

$3,750

$0

$0

$3,750

Strengthening Families Program

$0

$0

$53,625

$0

$53,625

Countdown to Kindergarten

$17,856

$0

$4,111

$0

$21,967

Public Health-Based Services

$13,071

$0

$2,596

$0

$15,667

Health and Human Service Coordination

$11,476

$0

$62,963

$0

$74,439

$217,525

$5,977

$131,348

$0

$345,850 18

Total Expenses

BOARD OF DIRECTORS W infred Herring ton, Board Chair

Dr. L ilkenya Jenkins

Jim mie Ep ling , Vice Chair

Rennie McManus - M cC o y

L ucretia Bellamy

Diane McI ver

Beth Camp b ell

Howard Nettles

T hom asena Davis

T homas “T .C.” Sawyer

L inda G eorg e

Rob ert Stucks, Esq.

TEAM Darnell Byrd McPherson , Executive Director Brenda Ayers, Project Director Britney Brisb on, Parent Educator L inda Brig ht-Edwards , Data Clerk W hitney Davis, Community Health Manag er Jerline L owry, Motheread /F a there a d Facilitat o r Karen Nettles, Finance Manag er Felisa Rang el, Biling ual Community Outreach W orker Patricia Sullivan, Communica ti ons Manag er

CONTACT US 4 3 7 W es t Ca rolina Avenue, Bldg.1 H a rts ville, SC 2 9 5 5 0 | 8 4 3 .8 6 1 .8 8 6 6 webs ite: www.da rlin g to n co u nty fi rs ts teps .o r g

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