Priorities for the Year Ahead Looking ahead to the remainder of 2023, the Early Childhood Advisory Council has identified a set of priorities that will substantially impact the lives of young children and their families. These priorities are both ambitious and essential, requiring the active participation and collaboration of the ECAC and its partners to be fully implemented. By improving and enhancing the infrastructure of the early childhood system, these priorities have the potential to create lasting and positive change for South Carolina’s children. Increase participation in publicly funded preschool programs.
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According to the Education Oversight Committee (EOC), over 50% of four-year-olds living in poverty did not receive services from state-funded, full-day 4K or Head Start during the 2021-22 school year, and this trend is expected to continue in the current year. This underscores the gap that persists between eligibility and enrollment in high-quality early education programs statewide and presents an opportunity to increase school readiness for children living in poverty.
Increase availability of quality child care, particularly in high need areas.
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A range of initiatives are underway to create opportunities for families to find the early care and education their children need. These projects include addressing workforce shortages through substitute teacher pools and bolstering capacity by offering grants to new and existing providers.
Recruit and retain early education professionals.
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The provision of quality child care depends on the availability of skilled teachers and related professionals. Recruitment and retention efforts will include bonuses, scholarships, credentialing opportunities, and other compensation incentives. To facilitate access to higher education, efforts will be undertaken to expand and update articulation agreements between higher education institutions. Early educators will also be supported in their work through training, coaching, and consultation.
Provide families with the ability to apply for publicly funded programs at times and in ways that meet their needs.
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Streamlining processes for eligibility determination and enrollment of children and families into services helps families navigate mixed-delivery systems. A key initiative in this area is the development of a new application portal on first5sc.org, which allows families to apply at once for programs across multiple agencies, state and local entities, as well as funding sources.
Collect, integrate, and share data to better understand who is served, where service gaps exist, and where to target resources and services.
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Integrated early childhood program data helps stakeholders make informed decisions and target resources to meet the needs of South Carolina’s youngest children and their families. Data sharing initiatives will make aggregate-level data publicly available, while maintaining privacy and security of individual-level data.
2023 Progress Report: For Our Future • South Carolina’s Birth through Five Plan