Attachment A.pdf

I. First 5 South Carolina Year One Committee In 2019, South Carolina was awarded federal Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five funding, which supported a variety of early childhood system building activities. The First 5 SC Committee was established as a working group of “Preschool Development Grant B-5 Activity 3: Building Parent and Family Knowledge, Choice and Engagement in their Child’s Early Learning and Development.” The purpose of the committee was to assess the need for a single portal into publicly-funded early childhood programs and services in South Carolina, to explore options for the development of such a portal, conduct a market analysis, develop a single brand identity, and develop technical specifications for the portal.

The structure of the committee was intentionally designed to include agency representatives, system navigators, nonprofits, state and local leaders, and members of the Early Childhood Advisory Council. Membership on the committee was fluid, with meetings open to the public and available in person or by webinar. The committee provided ideas, recommendations, feedback, and offered insights that were critical in developing the final set of technical specifications for First 5 SC. The First 5 SC Committee operated in an advisory capacity. The South Carolina Early Childhood Advisory Council serves as the collective governance mechanism for the early childhood state system, charged with ensuring statewide collaboration across public agencies offering services to young children and their families. As such, the Early Childhood Advisory Council will be presented with the report and recommendations of the First 5 South Carolina committee and will determine appropriate next steps based on these recommendations.

Committee Members:

Rebecca Antill SC State Library

Maria Arroyo Lexington 1 School District

Laura Baker SC First Steps; Early Childhood Advisory Council

Cassie Barber SC First Steps; Early Childhood Advisory Council

Mark Barnes SC First Steps

Michelle Bowers SC First Steps

Arthur Brewton SC Head Start Association

Wendy Burgess Department of Education

Jennifer Buster DHHS

Shelley Canright Early Childhood Educator

Laury Carpenter SC Thrive

Gina Carter Richland 1 School District

Sheila Cornwell Revenue & Fiscal Affairs

Sara Crawford Revenue & Fiscal Affairs

Porlan Cunningham SC First Steps

Sylvia Davis DHEC

Mary Lynne Diggs SC Head Start Collaboration Office, Director

Sherrie Dueno DSS

Stephanie Felks SC State University

Furman Heidi PASOs

Betty Gardiner SC First Steps

Bridget Hinson DSS

Amy Holbert Family Connection of SC

Tiffany Howard Help Me Grow

Louise Johnson Department of Mental Health

Berry Kelly DHEC- WIC

Cathy Kovacs DSS

Morgan Lee Leading Up, LLC

Maggie Lynn Children's Trust

Linda Marabel-Pace Department of Education

Maria Martin PASOs

Morgan Massenburg DSS

Jenny May Department of Education

Joy Mazur SC First Steps

Melissa McDonald SC Child Care Resource & Referral

Doris Mitchell SC First Steps

Georgia Mjartan SC First Steps

Dorothy Priester Cherokee County First Steps

Roger Pryor Abner Montessori

Trisha Richardson SC Thrive

Kim Spigener Department of Education

Ellen Still

Martha Strickland SC First Steps

Zachery Taylor Department of Education

Tammy Vaughn Anderson School District 3

Bridget Verone DSS

Bunnie Lempesis

Ward Education Oversight Committee

Bett Williams Children's Trust

Jane Witowski Help Me Grow

Committee Meetings:

● June, 19, 2019

● July 17, 2019

● August 14, 2019

● October 9, 2019

● November 13, 2019

● December 11, 2019

II. What is First 5 South Carolina?

First 5 South Carolina is a one-stop-shop online search tool to find publicly-funded early childhood services and resources in South Carolina. By answering a few questions, families and their advocates can locate which services for children birth through five that they may qualify for in their area.

Services are provided by the member agencies of the Early Childhood Advisory Council and associated agencies.

First 5 SC presents an opportunity for parents that is currently not being met-curating birth through 5 year old childhood services & programs and increased access by way of a singular online entry way. We’re collectively helping children in South Carolina reach their highest potential by transforming the way families access publicly funded early childhood services

● 24/7 service

○ Access to help happens outside of 9am-5pm. By democratizing 24/7 self service access & awareness to publicly funded birth through 5 year old childhood programs & services we increase the visibility of state-wide services.

● Self support

○ Online user behavior supports a “do it myself” model to accessing information.

● Accommodating complexity

○ The eligibility criteria for services varies and can be complex. By grouping key services into five categories we are able to simplify a system that can at times feel overwhelming.

In the process of creating categories to accomodate all services, the following were developed:

III. What is the purpose & why is it needed?

Over 90% of the brain’s architecture is built before age 5 . In South Carolina, 1 there are about 300,000 children under age 5, who need health, nutrition, safety, and educational resources to support their success, as well as the success of their family and community. South Carolina has many opportunities in all these sectors for our youngest citizens.

● In 2017, the infant mortality rate was 6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births . 2

● In 2018, 11.3% of babies were born preterm2.

● In 2017, 87.4% of children (ages 0-5) saw a doctor in the past year . 3

● In 2017, 26.4% of children (ages 9-35 months) had a developmental screening3.

● In 2017, 88.0% of children (ages 19-35 months) received at least one dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine . 4

In 2018, 37% of incoming kindergartners scored at the highest level on the kindergarten readiness assessment . 5

The primary goal of First 5 South Carolina is to increase parent knowledge of the wide variety of services that are available to them and their young children and also assist them in accessing those services. Currently, parents and guardians have to navigate several individual websites to gather information about available services and programs for their children. In the development of the project scope, the multi-year vision for First 5 SC is to combine and refine information from several discrete websites with a shared message informing parent knowledge and choice, for all birth-5 programs and services.

1 Brown TT and Jernigan TL. Brain development during the preschool years. Neuropsychol Rev. 2012 Dec;

22(4):313-333.

2 Births/Deaths (2018). Vital Statistics: SC DHEC. Accessed 19 Feb 2020. [Available from:

https://www.livehealthysc.com/maternal-and-infant-health-indicators.html].

3 National Survey on Children’s Health (2016-2017). Accessed 10 Feb 2020. [Available from:

https://www.childhealthdata.org/browse/survey].

4 National Immunization Survey (2017). ChildVaxView: CDC. Accessed 19 Feb 2020. [Available from:

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/coverage/childvaxview/data-reports/mmr/trend/index.html].

5 “Annual Report on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment: Fall 2018 Administration.” South Carolina Education Oversight Committee. [Available from:

https://eoc.sc.gov/sites/default/files/Documents/KRA/KRA_Brief.08192019.pdf].

https://www.livehealthysc.com/maternal-and-infant-health-indicators.html https://www.childhealthdata.org/browse/survey https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/coverage/childvaxview/data-reports/mmr/trend/index.html https://eoc.sc.gov/sites/default/files/Documents/KRA/KRA_Brief.08192019.pdf

Multi-Year (2019-2024) Objectives ➔ Develop a brand name and unique web property URL for the early childhood comprehensive portal ➔ Integrate childhood provider databases across governmental agencies to be searchable in one location for SC families ➔ Design, program and build an interim landing page for SC childhood agencies to promote available childcare services while the is in development (launch 2019)

➔ Design, program and build a comprehensive childhood portal that will serve as the branded public-facing online destination for families to access comprehensive early childhood resource in the state of SC (launch 2020)

➔ Partner with state agencies on marketing the comprehensive childhood portal as the one-stop SC resource for parents of birth-5YO children

For year one, the focus of First 5 SC was to develop a technical plan, branding and messaging materials specifically for engagement and education about the initiative.

Year 1 (2019) Objectives ➔ Develop a brand name, logo and unique web property URL for the comprehensive childhood portal ➔ Research the technical specifications & document the necessary data integration plan for all SC childhood provider databases to be searchable in one location for SC families

➔ Prepare wireframes outlining key user experience scenarios of the early childhood comprehensive portal

➔ Design layout for the early childhood comprehensive portal ➔ Design, program and build an interim landing page to link to currently available childhood provider sites to support pre-seeding marketing communication efforts

Year 1 (2019) Deliverables

1. Research & Brand Development

2. Interim Landing Page Planning, Execution & Launch

3. First 5 SC Website Planning

IV. How were public agencies & system navigators involved?

First 5 SC was developed with input from the state leadership teams, workgroups, providers and other stakeholders with the intent that it will be used by all agencies, system navigators and will also be easy for parents to use.

A gaps analysis was performed to better understand the landscape of services and ensure that the efforts of First 5 SC were supportive of existing services and not duplicative. Participants in the gaps analysis included:

State Agencies First Steps Head Start

DSS

Dept of Education Dept of Ed - Special Education Dept of Ed - Rural and Migratory Children

DDSN

Healthy Connections/DHHS

DHEC

School for the Deaf and Blind

System Navigators

SC CCR&R

Family Engagement Center Family Connection SC Thrive Help Me Grow

SIC

PASOs Children's Trust United Way 211 Aunt Bertha

V. How was the name & design developed?

The first five years of our lives have so much to do with how the next 80 turn out. This served as the inspiration for the naming and branding of First 5 SC.

Utilizing best practice design and branding principles, First 5 SC will serve as an easy to remember website where families and the professionals helping them can navigate the system quickly and find what they need, and in many cases, even determine their eligibility to receive services. Key areas of focus were to utilize:

1. Simple language & alliteration

2. Show statewide representation (i.e. all of SC vs. a regional solution)

3. Visual representation of all parts becoming whole

VI. What messaging communications were developed?

Upon establishing the name and design, a temporary landing page was developed to help promote the initiative- http://first5sc.org/. In addition to this, a one-page flyer was designed to be used at conferences to support awareness of First 5 SC among professionals.

http://first5sc.org/

VII. Next Steps The Early Childhood Advisory Council will receive the specifications and outline of year one activities provided herein, and will determine appropriate next steps for the development of First 5 SC including funding and ongoing maintenance and support.

Wireframes

Let's get started.

Find services for your family.

Navigation text

Child Care Health & Safety Special Needs

Food & Nutrition Parenting Support

Struggling to pay for child care?

See if you are eligible for assistance.

Concerned about your child's growth and development?

Find organizations in your area that can help.

Looking for information on special needs services?

Learn about free services that can support your family.

Can't find what you need?

<phone # listing>

We're here to help.

Connect with community partners who can help you one-on-one.

<system navigators>

Link_1 Link_2 Link_3

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

First 5 Connecting families in South Carolina with public services for children from birth through 5 years old.

Not sure which services you are eligible for?

Answer a few questions and we'll let you know.

First 5 SC www.first5sc.org

Navigation text

Connect to services.

Determine your eligibility for services.

Find a provider.

Find organizations in your area that can help.

I need help.

Let our partners help you navigate the process.

Concerned about special needs for your child?

<link to special needs section>

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Child Care

Why are we asking this?

Contact Info Child's Birthday Home Address Special Circumstances Family Income

First 5 SC www.first5sc.org

Navigation text

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Parent or Guardian Name

Email

Let's get started.

Tell us a little bit about you.

Next

Cell Phone

How did you hear about First 5?

Google Search

Billboard

Friend www.first5sc.org

Navigation text

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Enter your child's birthday.

Next

Month Day Year

Back www.first5sc.org

Navigation text

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Please enter your home address.

We'll check to make sure you live in an eligible school district.

Please select address from the dropdown below to proceed.

Next Back

Start typing your address

Apartment Number www.first5sc.org

Navigation text

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Please select all that apply.

NextBack

Child is enrolled or eligable for Medicare

Child is enrolled or eligable for TANF

Child is in foster care www.first5sc.org

Navigation text

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Please enter your family's size and annual income.

Next Back

Persons in Household Annual Income $0

Find other services www.first5sc.org

Navigation text

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Child Care Providers near <location>

Provider Name Address Rating Type of Day

<< Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next >>

Age Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Option 5Filter options

Navigation text

Special Needs & Early Intervention landing page

Does Your Child Need Help?

Find which services you qualify for

Find a provider.

Find specialist in your area that can help.

I need help determining eligibility.

Let our partners help you navigate the process.

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Special Needs & Early Intervention

Children develop skills and reach milestones at their own pace.

How is your child doing?

<Take the Ages & Stages Questionaire (ASQ Screener)>

Signs of Autism (link to resource)

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

How old Is your child?

Under 3 Years Old (BabyNet)

3 Years or Older (Local School)

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Apply for BabyNet

Apply Online Now

Have someone contact me to help complete the application

Just send us a little info, and we'll call to help walk you through the BabyNet application.

Name

Zip Code

Phone

Send me a text message confirmation

Morning

Mid-day

Afternoon

Best time to call?

Submit >

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Need help determining what services your family qualifies for?

First 5 has partnered with the following services to help you.

System Navigatior 1

System Navigatior 2

1-800-555-5555 M-F 8-6

1-800-555-5555 M-F 8-6

Find other services

Navigation text

First 5 is a collaborative effort of SC public services and an initiative supported by the ECAC <logos>

Provider Name ABCQ Rating | Type of Provider | Address

Program Description & Details

Address Hours of Operation

Phone #

Enrollment Instructions

Send Email

Call (803) 123-1234

Print

Call or email to schedule a tour and receive an application. Visit website for additional information.

Scholarships are available based on need.

- Organic meals provided.

- Three, four, and five-day per week programs available.

- Offers a parent's night out every other month.

- Meals and weekly music or yoga classes are included in tuition.

- Teacher-to-child ratio is 1:2 infants and 1:3 toddlers over age 2.

- Special needs children are welcome.

Licensing & Safety

License Number , 21323 Issued November 2019 Investigations 2 (Show) search

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