At its November 8 meeting, Lexington County First Steps elected officers and new members for the 2005-07 term. The Board's three officers were all re-elected along with a slate of new members brought forward by the Nominating Committee chaired by Ada Jane Setzler.
The Board also honored three members whose terms have expired: Andy Smith, Chris Sawyer and Dr. Patricia Moats.
The Lexington County First Steps Board for 2005-07:
Chair: Gina Henderson, Lexington District Two
Vice Chair: Ada Jane Setzler, Legislative Delegation Appointee
Secretary: Michael Sponhour, Legislative Delegation Appointee
Judy Tinder, Pre-K Through Primary Educator
Angela Willis, Pre-K Through Primary Educator
Mario Arroyo, Ph.D., Family Education Training & Support Services
Pam Saylor, Family Education Training & Support Services
Cathy Walker, Childcare/Early Childhood Development Education Provider
Rhonda Wiley, Childcare/Early Childhood Development Education Provider
Julia Johnson, Health Care Provider
Cindy Sweigart, Health Care Provider
Jeanette Samuels, Transportation Provider
Dianne Hinson, Non-Profit Organization/Services to Families and Children
Martha Thompson, Non-Profit Organization/Services to Families and Children
Claudette King, Faith Community
Rev. David Torrey, Faith Community
Penny Danielson, Business Community
Kristi McLeod, Business Community
Mary Ann Stanley, Parent of Child Served in First Steps
Linda Tabor, Parent of Child Served in First Steps
Crystal Campbell, Early Childhood Education
Sandra Hackley, Early Childhood Education
Clare Hodge, Early Childhood Education
Herman Knopf, Ph.D., Early Childhood Education
William Walker, Department of Social Services
Roy Tucker, Department of Health & Environmental Control
Ellen Stringer, Lexington County Public Library System
Tara Grigsby, Legislative Delegation Appointee
Debbie Shealy, Legislative Delegation Appointee
Dr. Wayne Brazell, Lexington School District One
Tom Sparks, Lexington School District Three
Sylvia Lucas, Lexington School District Four
Dr. Mary Kennerly, Lexington School District Five
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Friday, July 22, 2005
LCFS Countdown to Kindergarten Program Featured in The State
The State Newspaper ran the following story about Lexington County First Steps' Countdown to Kindergarten initiative July 21, 2005.
When Donna Brown’s silver Honda turns off a gravel Gaston road and into 5-year-old Joseph Spires’ driveway, the soon-to-be kindergartner runs through the house exclaiming, “My teacher’s here! My teacher’s here!”
For an hour each week this summer, Brown tutors Joseph in skills that will help him succeed in kindergarten, like reciting the alphabet and singing nursery rhymes. Brown also chats with Joseph’s mother, Victoria Spires, in the family’s dining room and gets to know Joseph’s personality. (He really likes kittens.)
The visits are part of a kindergarten readiness program that has bloomed across the state this summer, including in Richland and Lexington counties.
Countdown to Kindergarten brings teachers into students’ homes to tutor and to foster relationships with students and their parents.
“You really get to know the child and where they’re coming from,” said Brown, who will be Joseph’s kindergarten teacher at Swansea Primary School in Lexington 4 school district this fall.
The program prefers to match participating students with their future kindergarten teachers when possible.
Countdown to Kindergarten is serving 60 students in Lexington County and 300 students in Richland County this summer. Each county has its own arm of First Steps, which in turn partners with area school districts to arrange the programs.
This is Countdown to Kindergarten’s first year in Richland County; Lexington County is serving an additional 50 students this year over last year. That’s due to groups taking advantage of state lottery revenues available to Countdown to Kindergarten programs that can raise matching funds.
It costs $3,100 to serve 10 students, said Jim Riddle, Lexington County First Steps executive director.
Joseph’s mother hopes Countdown to Kindergarten will ease her son’s transition to kindergarten.
“He’s a shy little boy, at first,” Victoria Spires said. “He’d probably keep to himself. He’s like his momma.”
Lexington 4 educators said the most powerful benefit of Countdown to Kindergarten, though, is the opportunity for teachers to build relationships with parents.
“We struggle with that every day in schools,” said Leslie Hightower, Swansea Primary School principal.
Wednesday, Brown told Spires that local groups would provide backpacks and perhaps new school clothes for Spires’ children. Spires sighed with relief at the news.
Brown is hopeful the early relationships with parents will make them more likely to approach her about needs and concerns for their children during the school year.
Both Richland and Lexington counties’ First Steps Countdown to Kindergarten programs want to expand next year if matching funds — and enough teachers — can be found.
In Lexington County, teachers work with 10 students and receive a $2,000 stipend for the 8-week program.
In Richland County, though, First Steps hoped to recruit 40 teachers to serve 400 students, but only secured 30 teachers for 300 students, said Rick Noble, Richland County First Steps executive director.
“We could have done more if we could have found more teachers, but we also understand that they have their summer alternatives,” Noble said.
While First Steps programs often focus on students from at-risk backgrounds, a state mandate requires programs to target all students. With funding and teacher supplies tight, priority is given to students who, for example, qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch (an indicator of poverty in schools), or students whose parents don’t have high school diplomas.
When Donna Brown’s silver Honda turns off a gravel Gaston road and into 5-year-old Joseph Spires’ driveway, the soon-to-be kindergartner runs through the house exclaiming, “My teacher’s here! My teacher’s here!”
For an hour each week this summer, Brown tutors Joseph in skills that will help him succeed in kindergarten, like reciting the alphabet and singing nursery rhymes. Brown also chats with Joseph’s mother, Victoria Spires, in the family’s dining room and gets to know Joseph’s personality. (He really likes kittens.)
The visits are part of a kindergarten readiness program that has bloomed across the state this summer, including in Richland and Lexington counties.
Countdown to Kindergarten brings teachers into students’ homes to tutor and to foster relationships with students and their parents.
“You really get to know the child and where they’re coming from,” said Brown, who will be Joseph’s kindergarten teacher at Swansea Primary School in Lexington 4 school district this fall.
The program prefers to match participating students with their future kindergarten teachers when possible.
Countdown to Kindergarten is serving 60 students in Lexington County and 300 students in Richland County this summer. Each county has its own arm of First Steps, which in turn partners with area school districts to arrange the programs.
This is Countdown to Kindergarten’s first year in Richland County; Lexington County is serving an additional 50 students this year over last year. That’s due to groups taking advantage of state lottery revenues available to Countdown to Kindergarten programs that can raise matching funds.
It costs $3,100 to serve 10 students, said Jim Riddle, Lexington County First Steps executive director.
Joseph’s mother hopes Countdown to Kindergarten will ease her son’s transition to kindergarten.
“He’s a shy little boy, at first,” Victoria Spires said. “He’d probably keep to himself. He’s like his momma.”
Lexington 4 educators said the most powerful benefit of Countdown to Kindergarten, though, is the opportunity for teachers to build relationships with parents.
“We struggle with that every day in schools,” said Leslie Hightower, Swansea Primary School principal.
Wednesday, Brown told Spires that local groups would provide backpacks and perhaps new school clothes for Spires’ children. Spires sighed with relief at the news.
Brown is hopeful the early relationships with parents will make them more likely to approach her about needs and concerns for their children during the school year.
Both Richland and Lexington counties’ First Steps Countdown to Kindergarten programs want to expand next year if matching funds — and enough teachers — can be found.
In Lexington County, teachers work with 10 students and receive a $2,000 stipend for the 8-week program.
In Richland County, though, First Steps hoped to recruit 40 teachers to serve 400 students, but only secured 30 teachers for 300 students, said Rick Noble, Richland County First Steps executive director.
“We could have done more if we could have found more teachers, but we also understand that they have their summer alternatives,” Noble said.
While First Steps programs often focus on students from at-risk backgrounds, a state mandate requires programs to target all students. With funding and teacher supplies tight, priority is given to students who, for example, qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch (an indicator of poverty in schools), or students whose parents don’t have high school diplomas.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Community Support Helps Lexington County First Steps Expand Countdown to Kindergarten
Thanks to the generous support of local business leaders, Lexington County First Steps is sponsoring an innovative summer program in all five county school districts for children preparing to enter kindergarten.
Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, Southern Anesthesia & Surgical of West Columbia and philanthropist Samuel Tenenbaum made generous donations to Lexington County First Steps’ 2005 Countdown to Kindergarten initiative. The program gives participating families two home visits each week during the month of July from a fully certified kindergarten teacher. Often, it is the same teacher the child will have when school starts in August. A total of six ten-student classes will be funded across the county this summer.
The contributions provided matching funds Lexington County First Steps needed to win Countdown to Kindergarten funding from the state Office of First Steps.
“Thanks to these wonderful supporters, more children in our community will enter kindergarten this fall confident and ready to learn,” said LCFS Chair Gina Henderson. “We truly appreciate their commitment to helping us get all children in Lexington County ready for school.”
Home visit topics include showing parents how to help their children to develop reading, math, social, emotional and motor skills. The last visit is a special field trip to a classroom where both the child and parents experience kindergarten first-hand. The sessions will conclude with a big party at the wonderful new EdVenture Children’s Museum for every child in South Carolina who participated.
Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative, Southern Anesthesia & Surgical of West Columbia and philanthropist Samuel Tenenbaum made generous donations to Lexington County First Steps’ 2005 Countdown to Kindergarten initiative. The program gives participating families two home visits each week during the month of July from a fully certified kindergarten teacher. Often, it is the same teacher the child will have when school starts in August. A total of six ten-student classes will be funded across the county this summer.
The contributions provided matching funds Lexington County First Steps needed to win Countdown to Kindergarten funding from the state Office of First Steps.
“Thanks to these wonderful supporters, more children in our community will enter kindergarten this fall confident and ready to learn,” said LCFS Chair Gina Henderson. “We truly appreciate their commitment to helping us get all children in Lexington County ready for school.”
Home visit topics include showing parents how to help their children to develop reading, math, social, emotional and motor skills. The last visit is a special field trip to a classroom where both the child and parents experience kindergarten first-hand. The sessions will conclude with a big party at the wonderful new EdVenture Children’s Museum for every child in South Carolina who participated.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
A Great Day for a Little Fun
It was a beautiful spring day for a little fun.
Young children and their parents from across Lexington County were greeted by mild temperatures for the annual Lexington County First Steps Fun Fair Tuesday May 17.
The fair is a chance for kids 6 and younger and their families to celebrate a successful school year and to get in the mood for an exciting summer. Camel and pony rides, a petting zoo and lots of games and refreshments were featured during the four-hour event outside the Lexington County Public Library on Augusta Highway in Lexington.
Young children and their parents from across Lexington County were greeted by mild temperatures for the annual Lexington County First Steps Fun Fair Tuesday May 17.
The fair is a chance for kids 6 and younger and their families to celebrate a successful school year and to get in the mood for an exciting summer. Camel and pony rides, a petting zoo and lots of games and refreshments were featured during the four-hour event outside the Lexington County Public Library on Augusta Highway in Lexington.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Hundreds Attend LCFS Conference
More than 400 educators from across South Carolina spent a beautiful spring Saturday learning how to further the learning and development of our community’s youngest children.
The teachers were participants in Lexington & Saluda County First Steps’ third annual Early Care & Education Conference Saturday April 16 at Batesburg-Leesville High School. More than 40 workshops covered the gamut of early childhood education from making classrooms more stimulating to helping children with special needs.
The day got off to a rousing start with Amy and Claire, a singing duo from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They led the audience through more than a dozen songs and activities that can be used in the classroom.
“We are tremendously grateful for the support of Lexington School District Three, which graciously let us use their beautiful campus for this important conference,” said Lexington County First Steps Chairwoman Gina Henderson. “Thousands of children around the state will benefit from having teachers who know the latest trends. We are grateful these dedicated educators were willing to devote their free time to improving their professional skills.”
The teachers were participants in Lexington & Saluda County First Steps’ third annual Early Care & Education Conference Saturday April 16 at Batesburg-Leesville High School. More than 40 workshops covered the gamut of early childhood education from making classrooms more stimulating to helping children with special needs.
The day got off to a rousing start with Amy and Claire, a singing duo from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They led the audience through more than a dozen songs and activities that can be used in the classroom.
“We are tremendously grateful for the support of Lexington School District Three, which graciously let us use their beautiful campus for this important conference,” said Lexington County First Steps Chairwoman Gina Henderson. “Thousands of children around the state will benefit from having teachers who know the latest trends. We are grateful these dedicated educators were willing to devote their free time to improving their professional skills.”
Friday, March 25, 2005
LCFS Launches Countdown to Kindergarten Fundraising Drive
The first day of kindergarten is one of the biggest moments in the life of a young child. For many it is their first experience in “big school” - a strange, new environment with unfamiliar adults and children and a new set of expectations.
There is a new program in South Carolina designed to help at-risk children prepare to make this big leap called Countdown to Kindergarten. Lexington County First Steps is working to offer this wonderful opportunity in every school district in Lexington County.
Countdown to Kindergarten gives participating families two home visits each week during the month of July from a fully certified kindergarten teacher. Often, it is the same teacher the child will have when school starts in August.
Last year, state funding allowed Lexington County First Steps to sponsor Countdown to Kindergarten at a single school, Batesburg-Leesville Primary. The early results show that Countdown to Kindergarten makes a difference.
Our goal this summer is to hire at least two teachers in each of Lexington County’s five school districts. The cost for each group of 10 children is $3,100. That includes intensive training for the teachers, eight home visits per students, and a “Transition Toolkit” that contains materials the child will use in kindergarten.
State funds will again pay for one class of 10. For us to form at least nine additional classes across the county, we need your financial support. It takes just $310 to ensure that an at-risk child from our community will step into a kindergarten classroom this fall happy, confident, and ready to embark upon a lifetime of learning.
Contributions received before April 14, 2005, will have double the impact. Every $3,100 raised by that date will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the state Office of First Steps. Rarely is there such an opportunity to make a powerful, direct impact on young lives. Please consider contributing to Countdown to Kindergarten today. Contributions of any amount are fully tax deductible and can be sent to the address listed on this website.
There is a new program in South Carolina designed to help at-risk children prepare to make this big leap called Countdown to Kindergarten. Lexington County First Steps is working to offer this wonderful opportunity in every school district in Lexington County.
Countdown to Kindergarten gives participating families two home visits each week during the month of July from a fully certified kindergarten teacher. Often, it is the same teacher the child will have when school starts in August.
Last year, state funding allowed Lexington County First Steps to sponsor Countdown to Kindergarten at a single school, Batesburg-Leesville Primary. The early results show that Countdown to Kindergarten makes a difference.
Our goal this summer is to hire at least two teachers in each of Lexington County’s five school districts. The cost for each group of 10 children is $3,100. That includes intensive training for the teachers, eight home visits per students, and a “Transition Toolkit” that contains materials the child will use in kindergarten.
State funds will again pay for one class of 10. For us to form at least nine additional classes across the county, we need your financial support. It takes just $310 to ensure that an at-risk child from our community will step into a kindergarten classroom this fall happy, confident, and ready to embark upon a lifetime of learning.
Contributions received before April 14, 2005, will have double the impact. Every $3,100 raised by that date will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the state Office of First Steps. Rarely is there such an opportunity to make a powerful, direct impact on young lives. Please consider contributing to Countdown to Kindergarten today. Contributions of any amount are fully tax deductible and can be sent to the address listed on this website.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Third Annual Early Care & Education Conference April 16
Lexington & Saluda County First Steps will host the third annual Early Care & Education Conference Saturday April 16 at Batesburg-Leesville High School. This very popular day-long training session will feature more than 40 workshops covering the gamut of early childhood education and allows instructors to earn continuing education credits.
The opening and closing sessions will feature Amy and Claire, singers and storytellers from Winston-Salem. The duo play the Wonderful Halloween Witches at Tanglewood Park. They have recorded a two CDs that have won Parent's Choixe Recommended Awards. In real life, Amy and Claire are preschool music teachers.
Other workshops will include:
The opening and closing sessions will feature Amy and Claire, singers and storytellers from Winston-Salem. The duo play the Wonderful Halloween Witches at Tanglewood Park. They have recorded a two CDs that have won Parent's Choixe Recommended Awards. In real life, Amy and Claire are preschool music teachers.
Other workshops will include:
- sessions on technology for early education classrooms.
- using play therapy for disruptive children.
- creating a great classroom on a tight budget.
- injury prevention.
- spurring parental involvement.
- encouraging fathers to be involved in their child's education.
- identifying developmental delays.
The cost to attend is just $35 and includes contiental breafast and a buffet lunch from Shealy's Bar-B-Q. Registration is due by April 1. For forms or more information, call Julie Starr Horne, Lexington County First Steps Program Coordinator at (803) 532-6861.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Who We Are
First Steps is a statewide initiative that brings public and private support together to help prepare young children to start school ready to learn. Signed into law in June 1999, First Steps works through county volunteer boards representing all facets of the community. This process ensures that decisions are made locally in response to specific community conditions.
The goal is Lexington County First Steps is to ensure that every family in Lexington County has access to the culturally appropriate, coordinated and comprehensive parenting and family services that are necessary to assure child readiness to learn by first grade.
The goal is Lexington County First Steps is to ensure that every family in Lexington County has access to the culturally appropriate, coordinated and comprehensive parenting and family services that are necessary to assure child readiness to learn by first grade.
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