Quality preschool, plus child care for the whole family

First Steps 4K provides a quality pre-K experience for your four-year-old. With First Steps 4K, your child can attend a free full-day four-year-old kindergarten program at one of over 250 locations in South Carolina. Options include licensed child care centers, charter schools, and private schools.

First Steps 4K may also qualify your family for child care scholarships through the SC Working Families Child Care Scholarship. These scholarships cover extended care for your 4K student, as well as child care and afterschool programs for siblings up to age 12, at any child care or after-school program in the ABC Quality program.

To apply, first complete the First Steps 4K application. If you're eligible, then you will receive the scholarship application after your First Steps 4K application is approved. First Steps 4K is part of South Carolina's state-funded Child Early Reading Development and Education Program (CERDEP).