What Spartanburg County First Steps does

Spartanburg County First Steps is a South Carolina nonprofit organization and county-level affiliate of the statewide South Carolina First Steps public-private partnership. Operating primarily through its flagship Quality Counts program, founded in 2012, the organization runs a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for licensed early childhood education providers in Spartanburg County. The program assesses childcare centers using three nationally recognized instruments - the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale 3rd Edition (ECERS-3), and the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS-3) - and assigns a 1-to-5 star rating based on five quality standards: children's learning environment, staff qualifications, teacher-to-child ratios, program administration, and family engagement. As of reporting, Quality Counts serves approximately 50 childcare providers, 2,987 children, and 264 birth-to-five classrooms county-wide, with 43% of current programs having participated since the 2012 pilot.

The organization's core products and services include the Quality Counts star rating system, free technical assistance (1-4 hours per month), professional development and coaching, quality improvement grants of up to $5,000 per provider, an early literacy program (nearly 14,000 books distributed), and an Early Head Start Partnership that funds EHS classrooms at licensed partner centers. The business model is a managed-services nonprofit model: services are provided free of charge to participating childcare providers, and operating revenue is generated through grants from foundations (Mary Black Foundation historically, OneSpartanburg $200,000 in 2025), United Way partnerships, state appropriations via SC First Steps, and federal early childhood program funding. The organization employs approximately 23 staff, including technical assistance providers, raters, coaches, and program support, with go-to-market executed through direct outreach to licensed childcare providers, referrals from school districts and community partners, and a public star-rated program listing for parents.

Name

Spartanburg County First Steps

Legal name

Spartanburg County First Steps

Website

https://spartanburgqualitycounts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spartanburg County First Steps is a South Carolina nonprofit operating the Quality Counts program, a quality rating and improvement system serving approximately 50 licensed childcare providers and nearly 3,000 children across 264 birth-to-five classrooms in Spartanburg County through assessments, coaching, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Quality Improvement Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Child-to-Staff Ratio & Staffing Compliance Monitoring (EDACAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5) (EDACAFAA), Early Head Start & Publicly Funded Infant/Toddler Programs (EDACAGAH)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Quality rating improvement system
• Child care quality improvement
• Early learning programs
• Child care provider coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Spartanburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Spartanburg County First Steps operates as a nonprofit organization funded through grants from foundations and government sources. Funding sources include the Mary Black Foundation (historical 2004-2011 grants totaling $X for quality enhancement projects), OneSpartanburg, Inc. ($200,000 investment for Project 100), and federal/state early childhood programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Spartanburg County First Steps operates the Quality Counts program, a quality rating and improvement system for early care and education programs serving children from birth to age five. The organization provides free professional development, on-site coaching and technical assistance, nationally recognized classroom assessments (CLASS, ECERS-3, ITERS-3), and quality improvement grants of up to $5,000 to participating licensed childcare providers in Spartanburg County. It also runs an Early Head Start Partnership that funds classrooms at partner centers and an Early Literacy Program that distributes books to children.

Product overview

Spartanburg County First Steps operates primarily through its Quality Counts program, a comprehensive quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for early care and education programs serving children from birth to age five. The core Quality Counts program provides star ratings (1-5 stars) based on five nationally recognized standards: children's learning environment, staff qualifications, teacher-to-child ratios, program administration, and family engagement. The program integrates assessment tools including CLASS, ECERS-3, and ITERS-3 to evaluate program quality. Supporting services include professional development training, technical assistance and coaching (1-4 hours monthly), quality improvement grants (up to $5,000), and an early literacy program that distributes books to children. The organization also operates an Early Head Start Partnership that funds EHS classrooms at partner centers. The First 5 South Carolina referral portal connects families to additional services. All programs use continuous quality improvement loops and receive individualized quality improvement plans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quality Counts Program A quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for licensed early care and education programs in Spartanburg County serving children birth to age five. Includes the 5-Star Rating System, professional development, on-site coaching, and nationally recognized assessments (CLASS, ECERS-3, ITERS-3). Provided free of charge to eligible providers.
• 5-Star Rating System A public quality rating scale (similar to restaurant ratings) that communicates the level of quality in child care programs based on five nationally recognized standards. Used by parents to research and select quality childcare options in Spartanburg County.
• Early Head Start Partnership Program Program through which Spartanburg County First Steps Early Head Start funds EHS classrooms at partner licensed childcare centers, providing materials, furnishings, technical assistance, and professional development opportunities. Targets partner centers in Spartanburg County.
• Professional Development Training Free certified training for child care providers on best practices including authentic learning, emergent literacy, and behavior management, supplemented by quarterly Director Network meetings. Provided to participating child care providers.
• Technical Assistance and Coaching Free on-site technical assistance and coaching (1-4 hours per month) provided to child care programs to help increase the level of quality care and early education, including individualized quality improvement plans and mentorship for teachers.
• Early Literacy Program Book distribution program providing weekly take-home books to children served by Quality Counts programs to build personal home libraries and foster lifelong reading habits. Distributed nearly 14,000 books to children in Spartanburg County.
• Quality Improvement Grants Grants of up to $5,000 awarded to child care programs after each rating to support quality improvements, classroom enhancements, and professional development. Acknowledges that quality requires financial investment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of brain architecture built by age 4
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Way of the PiedmontcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2025United Way of the Piedmont's annual 'Prepared to Thrive Book Drive' donated more than 140 brand-new books to First Steps Quality Counts program for distribution across 25 local child development centers, supporting early literacy initiatives.
• Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAM serves on the Advisory Council and considers Quality Counts the 'launch pad' for their cradle-to-career transformation mission. Dr. John Stockwell, former SAM CEO, was involved in founding the initiative.
• Spartanburg County School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll seven Spartanburg County school districts (Districts 1-7) are partners, with local superintendents recognizing the value of Quality Counts and expanding the model to include public school 4K classrooms.
• Spartanburg County First Steps Early Head Start (SCFS EHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCFS EHS recruits partner licensed childcare centers to host Early Head Start classrooms, funding classrooms at partner centers, providing materials/furnishing, technical assistance, and professional development opportunities.
• First 5 South CarolinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide initiative connecting South Carolina's public services for young children in an easy-to-use website, serving as a one-stop portal for families to learn about programs supporting child growth and development.
• Middle Tyger Community CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner hosting child development centers that participate in Quality Counts program, including This Is My Child Center for Child Development and Education.
• Dorchester First StepsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization representing neighboring Dorchester County, demonstrating the model's expansion beyond Spartanburg County.
• Greenville First StepsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization from neighboring Greenville County, with Leslie Latimer serving on the Quality Counts Advisory Council.
• Institute for Child SuccessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolicy organization focused on early childhood issues, with Jamie Moon representing the organization on the Advisory Council.
• Spartanburg Regional Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner supporting early childhood initiatives through community investment and partnerships.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• First 5 California: Statewide California agency funded by tobacco tax that invests in programs for children prenatal through age 5. A larger-scale peer in the same state-affiliate, early-childhood public-private partnership category.
• Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning: Georgia's state-level early childhood agency overseeing child care licensing and quality initiatives including Georgia's Pre-K. Comparable as a publicly funded statewide mechanism for early childhood quality oversight.

Direct peers

• Smart Start: North Carolina's statewide public-private early childhood initiative, operating county-level partnerships that fund local early childhood infrastructure — directly analogous to Spartanburg County First Steps' county-affiliate structure.
• First Things First: Arizona's statewide public-private early childhood agency, funded by a dedicated tobacco tax. Operates Quality First, a QRIS that closely parallels Quality Counts' star-rated improvement framework for child care providers.
• South Carolina First Steps: Statewide public-private partnership and parent organization of Spartanburg County First Steps. Operates the same First Steps county-affiliate model and shared service programs (Early Head Start, NFP) across all SC counties.
• Keystone STARS: Pennsylvania's QRIS for early learning programs, rated on a star scale (1-4) with technical assistance and financial incentives — structurally identical to Spartanburg Quality Counts' design.
• ExceleRate Illinois: Illinois's statewide QRIS for licensed child care programs. Closely mirrors Quality Counts' tiered rating, coaching, and continuous-improvement loop model.
• QUALITYstarsNY: New York's statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System for early childhood programs. Directly comparable in function (multi-standard rating, coaching, improvement grants) to Spartanburg's Quality Counts.

Others

• Council for Professional Recognition: Administers the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, a foundational early childhood workforce certification. Adjacent to Quality Counts' workforce-quality mission and a frequently co-referenced partner in QRIS systems.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): National professional membership organization that sets widely recognized early childhood program standards and accreditation. Resource partner referenced by Quality Counts and a broader incumbent in the same standards/quality ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/spgfirststeps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spartanburg-county-first-steps

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Spartanburg County First Steps