Sue Williams, CEO, Children’s Trust of South Carolina
Columbia, SC (WLTX) – Child advocates gathered at the State House on Thursday to announce the 2017 Early Childhood Common Agenda. They urged lawmakers to support working families by improving access to high-quality preschool and childcare. The Early Childhood Agenda was created by Children’s Trust of South Carolina, the Institute for Child Success, and the United Way Association of South Carolina. According to advocates, the most pressing needs for the state are more pre-K classes and high-quality child care centers.
According to the annual KIDS COUNT report data, 56 percent of South Carolina’s 3 and 4 year olds do not attend preschool. “If a child has the quality base foundation, and is ready for first grade, they will certainly do much better in K-12. Children are also going to do as well in K-12 and in higher education, as they do in early childhood.
That little brain gets so much in those early years and develops so much,” said Representative Rita Allison, who supports the agenda. Allison said there is a piece of legislation that is looking at the First Steps program, to help strengthen the programs across the state. The Early Childhood Common Agenda has been developed annually since 2014.
