Preschool Development Birth through Five Renewal Grant - South Carolina PDG B-5 Renewal Grant Project Abstract The tapestry of South Carolina’s Early Care and Education (ECE) system has been positively influenced by the funds provided through each PDG opportunity. Each year, our complex and multi-layered system is pulled tighter together to create a firmer foundation for children, families, and the ECE workforce. In addition, PDG funding has helped develop a clearer picture of the services offered and a seamless, more equitable roadmap to access those services. The SC DSS, DECE, in partnership with SC First Steps to School Readiness (First Steps), respectfully requests renewal grant funding to help us tie up loose ends in our work, expand on successful initiatives, and prepare initiatives for sustainability. SC will update the statewide comprehensive needs assessment with a particular focus on quality and availability of ECE for underserved children, family decision-making related to ECE, current ECE workforce compensation and benefits and mental health needs, mental and behavioral supports for children, and increased identification and service delivery to all young children. SC will update our comprehensive strategic plan based on the knowledge gathered from the B-5 needs assessment. Our proposed project scope focuses on strengthening existing ECE programs across the mixed delivery system and ensuring system-level programs and supports for children, families, and the ECE workforce. Needs and Population to be Addressed: Two primary needs will be addressed across the proposed services/activities: 1) services for children, families, and the workforce by ECE supports and 2) the need to strengthen or expand services across a mixed delivery system. Priority populations to be addressed include infants and toddlers, underserved children as defined by the 2024 PDG Renewal Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), and the ECE workforce specifically focusing on supports for Family Child Care (FCC) providers. Proposed Services: Proposed services will build on existing work focused on maximizing family participation and engagement, the B-5 workforce, and quality improvements. Services include updates to the Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan, ongoing enhancements to common eligibility and enrollment portal (First Five SC), two-generation initiatives, expansion of Family Voice Council, increasing access to evidence-based parenting supports, enhanced family services to support enrollment processes, supports for effective transitions, activities to support seamless transitions for all children, expansion of SC BOO$T, development of ECE micro-credentials, support for Pre-k Jamboree, PD on early relational health in partnership with Harvard University and Junlei Li, family child care quality initiatives, business practice training and supports, expansion of FCC Network, Pre-k Transitions Academy expansion, Pre-k Learning Engagement Coaches, technical assistance coordination, and Head Start expansion.
