First Steps 4K

Our First Steps 4K program provides free four–year old kindergarten to students who qualify. This is a curriculum led program that offers social, emotional and early academic learning skills to our students. To qualify for this program, students must be: 

  • 4 years old on September 1, 2022
  • Eligible for Medicaid, free/reduced-price lunch, or SNAP/TANF recipient; experiencing homelessness or transiency; or in foster care
  • A resident of South Carolina
  • Siblings of four-year-olds enrolled in the First Steps 4K program now qualify for child care scholarships thanks to a partnership between SC First Steps and the SC Department of Social Services. Learn more
  • Siblings, ages 0-12, of enrolled First Steps 4K students can qualify for free child and after-school scholarships
  • Sibling scholarships can be applied toward enrollment at any licensed child care center or afterschool program that participates in ABC Quality, the state’s voluntary quality rating and improvement system.

Families can apply online for both First Steps 4K and First Steps 4K + Siblings at Free4KSC.org.

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