Countdown to Kindergarten
Developed by South Carolina First Steps – and identified as a promising state practice by the National Governor’s Association in 2005 – Countdown to Kindergarten is a home visitation program pairing the families of high-risk rising kindergartners with their future teachers during the summer before school entry. Teachers complete six visits with each family, centered upon classroom and content expectations.
Countdown to Kindergarten is designed to:
Establish lasting home-school bonds rooted in trust and mutual respect;
Enable parents and teachers to reach common understandings of both familial and classroom expectations for the coming school year; and
Establish strong student-teacher relationships that will facilitate the home-school transition and enhance classroom learning.
For more information about school Readiness click here to explore The Countdown to Kindergarten website
Partnering with the School District, Newberry County Frist Steps contracts with kindergarten teachers in our county elementary schools. The teachers make 6 visits to each participating child during the summer. This nationally recognized program helps the state’s most at-risk children make a smooth transition into the same teacher’s class in the fall.
Each child receives a CTK toolkit filled with learning materials that will be found in his/her classroom. Using defined curriculum, the teacher works closely with the child and parents to improve skills, increase knowledge, and build relationships.
This project is partially funded by a grant from South Carolina First Steps, with funding from the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5), Grant Number 90TP0080-01-00 from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded to the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Division of Early Care and Education.
This program is partially funded by United Way of the Midlands Community Partner Grant.