South Carolina First Steps

What South Carolina First Steps does

South Carolina First Steps is a state agency and nonprofit organization established by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1999 (S.C. Code Ann. § 59-152) to ensure that children birth through age five start school ready to learn. Headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, the agency operates through a network of 46 Local Partnerships, one in every county of the state, delivering a portfolio of early childhood programs including First Steps 4K (free full-day preschool for eligible four-year-olds, delivered through more than 300 licensed child care centers, private schools, and charter schools), Parents as Teachers (an evidence-based home visiting model), Countdown to Kindergarten (a transition program using six weekly one-on-one visits between rising kindergartners and their future teachers), and parenting, health, and school-transition programming.

The organization's technology platform is First Five SC, a statewide digital common application launched in 2022 and expanded with a single-form application in 2023. First Five SC enables families to check eligibility for and apply to more than 40 early childhood programs across multiple state agencies and school districts through a single interface accessible via smartphone or computer; the platform attracted over 137,000 visitors and 2,500+ applications in its first year and onboarded Allendale, Beaufort, Williamsburg, and York school districts. SC First Steps also operates the Early Childhood Integrated Data System supporting outcome tracking from birth through kindergarten and enabling independent evaluations such as the five-year Child Trends study of Parents as Teachers.

The organization's business and funding model is multi-source: it is funded primarily by South Carolina state appropriations, supplemented by federal grants (including the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five from the U.S. DHHS Administration for Children and Families and 2025 Family First Prevention Services Act approval) and private philanthropy from foundations such as The Leon Levine Foundation ($2.25M in 2025), The Duke Endowment, and the Doris Duke Foundation. Programs are provided at no cost to eligible families (First Steps 4K is free; Parents as Teachers home visiting is free for qualifying families), and go-to-market is community-led: families reach the agency through county partnerships, provider referrals, school district channels, the First Five SC digital application, and DSS-driven case referrals for at-risk families in family preservation cases.

Name

South Carolina First Steps

Legal name

South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness

Website

https://scfirststeps.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

South Carolina First Steps is a state agency and nonprofit, established in 1999, that administers early childhood programs statewide through 46 county partnerships, including free First Steps 4K preschool, Parents as Teachers home visiting, Countdown to Kindergarten, and the First Five SC common application platform serving South Carolina families with children birth to age five.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Public preschool programs
• Home visiting services
• School readiness programs
• Parent education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. State Government Appropriations: SC First Steps is a state agency receiving state government funding to administer programs including CERDEP/First Steps 4K and the Parents as Teachers program.
2. Federal Grants: Federal funding including Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
3. Private Philanthropy: Private grants from foundations such as The Leon Levine Foundation ($2.25M grant), The Duke Endowment, and the Doris Duke Foundation support pilot programs and system building.
4. Family First Prevention Services Act Funding: Federal approval secured in 2025 under the Family First Prevention Services Act to fund statewide community pathway for Parents as Teachers, administered through DSS partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

South Carolina First Steps delivers free early childhood programs—including full-day preschool for eligible four-year-olds (First Steps 4K), evidence-based home visiting (Parents as Teachers), and kindergarten transition support (Countdown to Kindergarten)—through a statewide network of 46 local county partnerships and more than 300 partner child care providers. The organization also operates First Five SC, a digital common application platform that enables families to apply for more than 40 early childhood programs across multiple state agencies and school districts through a single online form.

Product overview

South Carolina First Steps operates a portfolio of interconnected early childhood programs designed to ensure children start school ready to reach their highest potential. The core offerings include First Steps 4K (free full-day preschool for eligible four-year-olds), Parents as Teachers (evidence-based home visiting), Countdown to Kindergarten (summer transition program for rising kindergartners), and Countdown to 4-year-old Kindergarten (similar transition support for 4K enrollees). The organization also operates First Five SC, a common application platform that unifies enrollment across multiple early childhood programs statewide. Additional programs span parenting support, health services, early care and education, and school transition initiatives, all delivered through partnerships with local organizations in all 46 South Carolina counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First Steps 4K A free, full-day four-year-old kindergarten program for eligible children, providing preschool education in partnership with more than 300 licensed child care centers, private schools, and charter schools across South Carolina.
• Parents as Teachers An evidence-based home visiting program in which trained parent educators meet families in their homes or preferred settings to guide parenting, monitor child development, and connect families to resources, promoting optimal early childhood outcomes.
• Countdown to Kindergarten A statewide initiative that helps rising kindergarteners and their families prepare through a series of six weekly, one-on-one visits with the child's future teacher during the summer before kindergarten.
• Countdown to 4-year-old Kindergarten Supports transitions into 4K by connecting incoming students, their families, and their teachers in a series of one-on-one sessions during the summer before 4-year-old kindergarten enrollment.
• First Five SC A statewide digital common application platform that allows South Carolinians to apply for various early childhood programs offered by school districts and multiple state agencies through a single, user-friendly interface accessible via smartphone or computer.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children enrolled in Parents as Teachers were 3x less likely to have a founded maltreatment report (2.5%) compared to non-participants (7.1%)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Child TrendscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild Trends, a nonpartisan nonprofit research organization, conducted a five-year independent evaluation (FY 2020-2024) of SC First Steps' Parents as Teachers program. The evaluation found meaningful improvements in parenting skills, reduced child maltreatment, and improved school readiness outcomes.
• Parents as Teachers National CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParents as Teachers National Center provides the evidence-based home visiting model delivered through SC First Steps' 46-county local partnership network. Allison Kemner, Senior Vice President and Chief Research Officer, endorsed the independent evaluation results.
• First Five SC Partner School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllendale County Schools, Beaufort County School District, Williamsburg County School District, and York School District 1 were the first districts to add their early childhood programs to the First Five SC common application platform, enabling families to apply to school district programs alongside state agency programs through a single form.
• SC Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSC Department of Education co-convenes the Palmetto Pre-K Jamboree with SC First Steps and is a key partner in administering CERDEP/First Steps 4K and the Early Childhood Advisory Council.
• Head Start (SC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHead Start collaborates with SC First Steps on the Palmetto Pre-K Jamboree and is represented in the Early Childhood Advisory Council coordinated by SC First Steps.
• SC Department of Social ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSC DSS partners with SC First Steps on CERDEP/First Steps 4K administration and on the Parents as Teachers program serving families involved in family preservation, with federal approval under the Family First Prevention Services Act.
• SC Department of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented in the Early Childhood Advisory Council convened by SC First Steps, contributing to statewide early childhood system coordination.
• SC Department of Health and Human ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented in the Early Childhood Advisory Council convened by SC First Steps, contributing to coordinated early childhood services.
• SC Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental DisabilitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented in the Early Childhood Advisory Council convened by SC First Steps.
• Children's Trust of SCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented in the Early Childhood Advisory Council convened by SC First Steps.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scfirststeps
• Facebookfacebook.com/scfirststeps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southcarolinafirststeps
• Instagraminstagram.com/SCFIRSTSTEPS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Carolina First Steps