♪ Hello and welcome to Carolina classrooms.

I'm Georgia Mjartan, Executive Director of South Carolina First Steps and South Carolina's Early Childhood Advisory Council.

In South Carolina, most children start kindergarten when they're five years old.

For many, it will be their first introduction to school, but learning begins much earlier.

The first five years of life are so important to a child's education.

And it's up to us, their parents, caregivers and communities, to nurture their health and development so they'll be ready to reach their highest potential in school and in life.

Parents and caregivers are a child's first and most important teacher.

It's a big job, and we need support.

Here in South Carolina, we have great choices for families.

All across the state, programs and services are available to help ensure that babies are born healthy and thriving, that parents have great affordable childcare options, and that preschoolers are given the learning opportunities they need to be ready for a successful start to school.

First Five S.C. is the place where families with young children can find the support they need.

At first5sc.org it only takes a few minutes to check your eligibility for more than 40 different programs and services for young children in South Carolina.

Many families need high quality childcare for their young child.

From the early infant and toddler years all the way into pre K, families are looking for programs and resources that allow them to go to work while their children are in a safe nurturing and educational environment.

Programs in South Carolina include S.C. Vouchers, which is a full scholarship program that many families can access all across the state, Headstart and Early Headstart, pre K programs that are available in your local public school and across hundreds of childcare providers, and even private and charter schools.

First Steps 4K offers high quality pre K4 programming for that four year old year ahead of kindergarten.

<Janice Ironside> School Readiness means so many things.

It's the social skills, the fine motor skills, the gross motor skills, not just again, cognitive abilities, that's what we think it is, but it's, you know, being able to get ready for all these things and sometimes, and for us, it's the first time away from the families.

And so they need to know that their needs will be met.

<David Etheridge> The ages of our children are, William, he's four, and his younger sister, his younger sister is Mary.

She's three.

And Elijah, he's 15 months.

We're still doing months, but he's one.

They really liked it here.

<Audrey Rivers> I expand their minds.

< bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, pop!> I like to see children grow and like to see them learn new things, so that when they do go to public school to kindergarten, they are ready.

Nothing will be a surprise to them because I try to open their minds up to everything, a lot of different things.

A typical day looks like love.

Everyday the smiles, they, by mom.

They don't want you to come with them.

They want to run to the door by themselves.

They come in.

We have a routine, where they come in, they put their stuff up, they wash their hands and then we have things laid out for them to just go and explore during the day.

Then we have small group activities, large group activities, and then they have something that they might want to learn about other than what we're talking about.

So I explore that, too.

I'd say, Mary, our daughter, when she's only two, she's able to write her name, she knows all her letters, he's really excelling.

So academically, that's a big thing for us, but really just like the joy and they want to go to school, that's super, super helpful for me dropping my kids off in the morning.

And so that's a big benefit.

And also, obviously the 4K program has a sibling plus.

And so that helps us a lot, being able for me to work outside the home.

I know I can text them during the day.

I know the first week dropping off my one and a half year old was really hard for me because he was staying home with me still.

And so they'd send me pictures of him smiling and I'm like okay.

So he was just kidding when he was throwing a tantrum this morning.

And so they really understand where we're coming from.

<Audrey Rivers> I love my job because children are involved and I love seeing the smiles on their faces and the hugs that I get from them every day and telling them I love them.

<Georgia Mjartan> The Etheridge family chose to enroll their son William, in First Steps 4K.

So he has access to a curriculum driven, high quality early education in that year before he starts kindergarten.

The family had the opportunity to choose from hundreds of childcare, private school and charter school options for their child and they picked one that worked not only for William, but for his little sister and his little brother as well.

Through First Steps 4K plus siblings, William and his siblings are together in one childcare center, and the younger siblings are receiving a full scholarship.

Mom and Dad are able to pursue their dreams while their children learn and grow.

In order to learn and thrive, children have to be healthy and safe.

And that means that their families, their parents and caregivers, need to know what to do not only to keep them safe, but also to ensure their optimal development.

That's why there are programs like Healthy Steps, which is expanding across South Carolina.

It's providing opportunities for families, right where they are, in the clinic with their pediatrician.

So many families come into that visit and have lots on their minds.

With Healthy Steps, there's a navigator, there's a coach, there's someone there in the clinic with that mom or dad, who's helping them figure out all the things that they need and all the answers to their questions, for themselves and for their young child.

I'm an assistant professor at M.U.S.C.

College of Nursing and also a pediatric nurse practitioner in pediatrics.

This clinic is a medical home that serves pediatric patients ages zero to 18 and we are unique in that we serve a majority first generation Latin American population of children.

Healthy Steps is an evidence based program that occurs concurrently during well child care for patients in pediatric clinics for the ages of zero to three.

This model partners, patients and families with Healthy Steps specialist who is trained in early childhood development, behavioral challenges or behavioral needs during that age group, and then also with resource connection to family resources that they may need during those early years of their life.

Healthy Steps is a tiered model.

Some patients receive more high intensity services and that looks like them having a Healthy Steps specialist in every well child visit for that first three years of life so they're working concurrently on a team based visit with the Healthy Steps specialist and their primary care provider at each well visit.

By virtue of being a Healthy Step site, each child in this clinic from the ages of zero to three receives routine and structured developmental screenings, mothers receive routine and structured postpartum depression screenings after giving birth and through the first six months of life.

And finally, families receive family needs assessments where we're looking at things like housing insecurity, food insecurity, and other social determinants of health that can affect a child's health care.

Healthy Steps is a program here in the clinic that's an extension to the well child visit.

We're here to support families and any concerns they may have in meeting them where the families are.

< speaking Spanish > <Amy Williams> The goals of Healthy Steps services are really to provide additional support around those sensitive first three years of life where we know that the child's brain is developing in the most rapid way at will for the rest of their life.

Healthy Steps specialists partner with primary care providers and the families to make sure that all of needs and resources are being met, so that we can really be influential during that time frame.

I like my work because I get the privilege of hearing every family's unique story, including what virtues and what things they really feel are important to pass along to their children.

It's really a bonus when I get to work alongside a family to help them understand what programs might be available, like Healthy Steps that can help them put their child on a path to successful development and work hand in hand with that individual family.

<Georgia Mjartan> We know that children learn to walk and talk at different times.

Every child is different.

Some children experienced early delays and it's critically important that families receive the support they need as early as possible to give their child that boost that will propel them forward in life.

That's why First 5 S.C. provides both screenings and opportunities to help families understand what a child who's on track looks like and also support for families who know that they're bringing a child into the world or have a child with a disability.

That support is there in South Carolina.

It's here for families who need it.

And that's why First 5 is available to help families connect with the resources that are here that support themselves and their young children.

Drew and I have a little girl Jayne that is three and a half years old.

Jayne has a Trisomy 21, a diagnosis of Down syndrome.

She is our third child.

She is the baby of our family.

Just a delightful, happy, joyful child that loves to learn and is just the perfect puzzle piece for our family.

We learned our baby would have Down Syndrome while I was pregnant.

Really pretty early on with a really simple genetic test.

We got some early indications that she would have Down Syndrome and then we opted to do some further testing to confirm that.

I don't know that you can ever be fully prepared for news that affects the health of your children.

And so, that was an intense time for sure.

Just kind of didn't know exactly how to deal with it.

But gosh, it got so much easier.

We learned a lot and and just kind of came to grips with it.

And you know, next thing you know, you get really excited about having a baby and what a joy that is what once you do have that child.

When you're, anytime you're having, thinking about as a family having another child, you're like, Wow, can we add another one to this equation?

And you know, when we're going through that thought process.

Are we ready to jump from a second to third child?

And I think both know that your third child would be our last child and we decided to go for it.

And then I was like, Whoa, can we actually handle this?

And certainly know now that we can, but I remember there being some anxiety that goes along with that.

<Katie Alice Walker> we can with like a pretty significant village.

I mean, it takes a lot of, a lot of therapy, a lot of medical professionals, kind of a world that we didn't really know anything about, but that we are so thankful for now.

If a family has a concern, I would encourage them to talk to their pediatrician first.

And then they could also go ahead and make a referral themselves to BabyNet or the Department of disabilities and Special needs to have their child screened to see if they would qualify.

We provide two services.

We provide family training, which is where we come alongside the parents and the caregivers to work towards the goals that they've identified for their child.

And then we also provide service coordination to every family.

And that includes anything from referring for therapy to helping with a transition to school.

And we also help with any other needs that they have that they can benefit from in the community.

The goals of early intervention services are to empower families to help their child meet their milestones.

And to make them aware of the resources that they have available to them to assist their child.

The results that we strive for are for the children to meet the goals and to meet the milestones that the parents would like them to meet.

But also for those families to feel like they're able to support their child in whatever that developmental track looks like for them.

I think it's really important for families, just to know that having a child screen for developmental delays, is opening the door just to see if there are extra resources that they could access and more support that they could receive.

<Katie Alice Walker> You know, they come to our house, which is taking away any barrier that you as a family have to getting any medical services that you need, or especially any therapeutic services that you need is, I just firmly believe is so critical.

Say you know, it sounds a little bit trite and you hear people say this a lot but you know, she's more alike than different.

You know, she's, she, I think one thing that I hadn't experienced before is that every child with a disability, every adult with a disability has a family that loves them deeply.

And, and you know, we want happiness and, you know success for our children like every parent does.

And, and that, that is there.

And that, you know, in that regard, she may have some learning differences, different social needs and that kind of thing.

It may be a little bit more work for us to find vocationally what she wants to do as an adult, but she is a, you know, she said she's a child that is deeply loved, and I have not met in this wonderful experience that we've had that we've gotten to know other people with disabilities and other families that have a family member with a disability.

They're just deeply loved.

And so that's, you know, really what I just asked people to remember is that this child is loved as much as you would love your child, you know.

<Georgia Mjartan> Every child is different.

They learn to walk and talk at different times.

It's important for families to understand what those developmental milestones are, and to be able to catch delays early.

When families have access to screening, early identification and referral services, their children are able to receive the support that they need.

In some cases, that's a light touch support, its resources, its information.

In other situations, families need very intensive support from in home coaches, or other resources for children who have disabilities in their families.

The Walker family found the resources they needed for their young child and for themselves to be the supportive parents that they envision themselves being, even as they navigated a difficult and unpredicted journey.

To learn and grow appropriately, children need to be well nourished from before birth, all the way into their first day of kindergarten.

And that's why there are great programs in South Carolina, like WIC and SNAP, that provide enough resources for families to be able to get groceries that are healthy for their young children.

There are also great programs like Weekend and Summer Backpack programs where preschool kids can take backpacks home with them filled with healthy nutritious foods that are helpful for themselves and for their families.

WIC, which stands for Women, Infants and Children nutritional program, is a great resource for moms and their young babies all the way up until they're four years old.

Families like the Sawyers have found that WIC is incredibly helpful and beneficial.

<Samirah Sawyer> It's an amazing program to like help you with food for not only just, you know your infant, baby, if you have other children, and especially formula, < laughs > it's not cheap.

So it's been very helpful in that department.

Yes.

WIC is a supplemental nutrition assessment program and what our goal is, is to safeguard the health of women, infants and children up to age five.

So there is an income of responses, or requirement.

That requirement is that you must be at 185 percent of the poverty line.

And then you must also be a resident of South Carolina.

We do have requirements that if you automatically qualify for Medicaid, we can use that as your eligibility for WIC as well.

It is a great program that you definitely would want to be involved in.

You know, like I said they involve supplemental nutrition assistance.

So that means we give out food package to each participant who's eligible.

Within that food package, there's a lot of healthy items such as there's iron fortified cereals.

There's whole grain and whole wheat pastas, there is milk, eggs, you have the option of cheese, yogurt, and actually we just introduced tofu as well.

So a lot of different items there.

We also offer a lot of other benefits.

We offering nutrition education and breastfeeding support as well.

Some nutrition education is done with either a nutritionist or a registered dietician, depending on your high risk level, so your nutrition risk, or if you have any medical conditions.

With that you get nutrition counseling on things like healthy meal plans, if you have any specific diet restrictions, and just in general family mealtimes, things like that.

And then our breastfeeding support groups are wonderful.

So if a mother is breastfeeding, we have a peer counselor group, which is just another mother who's also breastfed.

That mother will reach out, text, call, email, whatever is most convenient for you just to provide support.

And if you end up having any concerns or complications, we also have CLCs and IBCLCs.

Those are just the top notch breastfeeding experts who can help you navigate any complications you may have.

<Vincent Sawyer> It's like a regular standard transaction.

<Yeah, it really is> Just like if you have a debit card or a credit card, you just slide it.

<Samirah Sawyer> Just being able to go to one place and navigate.

to see if you not only qualify for one entity, but for multiple, it's just a lot, it's helpful, because you know, instead of having to pack up and go from place to place and building the building, you know, everything is right there at the the tip of your finger.

So, that's more helpful and I'm thankful for that.

<It's convenient> Yeah, very convenient.

<Georgia Mjartan> WIC, which stands for Women, Infants and Children Nutritional Program is a great resource for moms and their young babies all the way up until they're four years old.

Families like the Sawyers have found that WIC is incredibly helpful and beneficial.

Raising children isn't easy.

And families need support.

Sometimes that comes in the form of a short term literacy boost for a mom and dad who want to make sure that their young child is having those high quality reading interactions.

In other cases, a family can be paired with a parenting coach who comes into their home on a regular basis every week or every other week, sometimes, for as long as several years.

Many different programs exist in South Carolina, and one of them is called Parents as Teachers.

Parents as teachers, is an evidence based early childhood home visitation program, providing services to pregnant women, as well as families of children birth through age five.

You're a very hard worker and I've seen just from the time that, you know, we've been working together this year, how you're parenting Grayson, and you're going to school and working and you're really doing an awesome job and I hope that you recognize that and you see that, you know, you're really doing awesome and Grayson's, even though he's just two, you know, he's, he sees what a great job Mommy's doing and that, you know.

You're doing all these.

He's gonna see that.

A parent might want to participate in parent education programs like Parents As Teachers, to learn more about how their child's growing and developing on what they can do at home with them to work with them on their developing skills to make sure that they're reaching their milestones.

It also helps families to strengthen their parenting behaviors, parenting practices.

We work to connect families to different resources in the community.

We also talk about different topics pertaining to child development, safety, health, nutrition, discipline, I just didn't want Grayson to fall behind, because he got placed on a waiting lists for school.

So it was like a good resource to like keep them up to date with like, his colors and shapes and stuff like that.

<Melody DeLisa> Parents As Teachers works by identifying families in the local community that might be interested in participating in the program.

We attend a lot of different events that the community has.

We do an intake visit with the family where we complete some initial paperwork.

We talk about what the Parents As Teachers program looks like.

Then we start coming into the home meeting with the families on a bi weekly basis.

Our visits are about an hour in length.

During our home visits with the families, we engage in parent child interaction activities, we also talk about different topics pertaining to parenting such as health, safety, nutrition and discipline.

And we also work with the families on any goals that they have.

That Family Well Being is a big component of our Parents As Teachers Program, also connecting them to different resources in the community to meet their immediate needs that they have.

When you start school in the fall, and Grayson will be transitioning into the center, how are you feeling about him starting at the early headstart center?

<Taneisha Watkins> I'm excited and nervous at the same time.

It'll be like a big transition for him, <It will> surprise to see how he'll, he'll act around other kids.

I mean, like he, he plays well with other kids, but as far as like sitting down in the classroom... My relationship with Melody, I'll say that I love her.

She's loving.

She's kind.

She's great with me and Grayson.

She's dependable.

She works, works with my schedule, or our schedule, I would say.

What's been most helpful with Parents As Teachers?

I would say her giving me like the resources I have never had before or knew about before, you know, before becoming a parent, or as a parent.

She helps me like set like, do like goals and stuff like weekly goals as a parent.

And as just me as human being.

<Georgia Mjartan> When the Watkins family decided to be a part of Parents As Teachers, they knew they were going to receive great support from a parenting coach, as well as group connections, opportunities to learn from peers, other moms and dads and even grandparents raising young children.

But what Taneisha didn't know is that she would find a friend in Melody.

She would find someone who she could lean on in her times with need, and Melody would be able to help boost Taneisha's confidence, all for the benefit of her young son, who's thriving and is on a journey to a great and successful early childhood and life.

From food assistance to child care, special needs, services and parenting support, First5sc.org helps you and your family, choose the option that's right for you.

For more information on these resources, visit First5sc.org Thanks for joining us.

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