Quality preschool, plus child care for the whole family

Choose a quality pre-K experience for your four-year-old, plus child care for the whole family. 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 also qualifies your family for child care scholarships through the DSS Child Care Scholarship program. 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. You'll 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).