The goals for South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness are to:

1. (1) provide parents with access to the support they might seek and want to strengthen their families and to promote the optimal development of their preschool children;
2. (2) increase comprehensive services so children have reduced risk for major physical, developmental, and learning problems;
3. (3) promote high-quality preschool programs that provide a healthy environment that will promote normal growth and development;
4. (4) provide services so all children receive the protection, nutrition, and health care needed to thrive in the early years of life so they arrive at school ready to succeed; and
5. (5) mobilize communities to focus efforts on providing enhanced services to support families and their young children so as to enable every child to reach school healthy and ready to succeed.

HISTORY: 1999 Act No. 99, Section 2; 2014 Act No. 287 (H.3428), Section 8, eff June 18, 2014.

Editor's Note

2013 Act No. 101, Section 117.114, provides as follows:

"117.114. (GP: First Steps Reauthorization) Act 99 of 1999, the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Act, is reauthorized for the duration of Fiscal Year 2013-2014."

2014 Act No. 286, Section 117.108, provides as follows:

"117.108. (GP: First Steps Reauthorization) Act 99 of 1999, the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Act, is reauthorized for the duration of Fiscal Year 2014-2015."

2014 Act No. 287, Section 20.B, provides as follows:

"B. Act 99 of 1999, South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Act, is reauthorized until July 1, 2016."

2016 Act No. 284, Section 117.128, provides as follows:

"117.128. (GP: First Steps Reauthorization) Act 99 of 1999, the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Act, as amended by Act 287 of 2014 is reauthorized for the duration of Fiscal Year 2016-17."

Effect of Amendment

2014 Act No. 287, Section 8, in paragraph (3), substituted "high-quality" for "high quality", and in paragraphs (4) and (5), substituted "ready to succeed" for "ready to learn".