Within the United States, education is commonly regarded as an equalizer to opportunity and upward mobility. In reality, there are countless impediments in the system that exclude low-income children from reaping the full benefits of education long before they enter the classroom.
State leaders met with Governor Henry McMaster at the statehouse Thursday to unveil a plan to strengthen the state’s early childhood system and launch a new website for families.
Throughout 2022, the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) is celebrating ABC Quality’s 30 years of supporting families and early childhood programs.
As an organization, ICS focuses on the systems that support young children and their families to help them thrive, spanning health care, child welfare, and early care and education. In order to deliver on the promise of these investments, we need well-trained, well-compensated professionals who can bring their expertise, passion, and commitment to their fields. But across sectors, our society currently underinvests in the needs of this workforce–leading to burnout for professionals and missed opportunities for families.
Demand for child care for parents who work early in the mornings, evenings, nights, and weekends is a concern for policymakers trying to increase access to child care. Families working these nontraditional-hour (NTH) schedules can face extra challenges finding child care, and public funds less often support the care arrangements they use. The child care crisis brought on by the pandemic has amplified the challenges of accessing NTH care and the impact of race on families’ risks and opportunities.