Child Early Reading and Development Education Program (CERDEP)

Section 59-156-110

The South Carolina Child Development Education “Pilot” Program (CDEPP) began under Proviso 1.75 of the 2006–07 Appropriations Act for the trial and plaintiff districts in the Abbeville v. State of South Carolina lawsuit. Since that time, the South Carolina General Assembly has expanded the authorization and funding for many of the state’s at-risk 4-year-olds to have an opportunity to attend a full-day educational program.

The annual CERDEP proviso language was codified with the approval of the Read to Succeed legislation, Act 284, as the South Carolina Child Early Reading Development and Education Program (CERDEP),¹ which was signed into law by the Governor on June 11, 2014. The CERDEP districts and the years in which they became eligible are listed in Appendix A.

Section 59-156-110 mandates that in CERDEP classrooms districts will provide (1) a comprehensive, systemic approach to reading that follows the State Reading Proficiency Plan and the district’s comprehensive annual reading proficiency plan, (2) successful administration of the readiness assessment; (3) the developmental and learning support that children must have to be ready for school; (4) parenting education, including educating the parents as to methods that may assist the child; and (5) identification of community and civic organizations that can support early literacy efforts.

The goal of the Child Early Reading and Development Education Program (CERDEP) is to provide children and their families with quality preschool experiences necessary for school success. Each program will incorporate the following:

• Provide a healthy, safe and nurturing environment;
• Provide an environment that encourages early literacy, emotional, social, physical and intellectual development;
• Encourage the development of a positive self-image;
• Make learning fun so that children will develop a desire to be lifelong learners;
• Encourage language development, creativity, and an appreciation of fine arts and music;
• Encourage children to interact successfully with other children and adults and to live and work together in a cooperative environment which promotes decision making, peaceful resolution of conflicts and respect for others;
• Form a cooperative partnership with parents so we can work together to meet the needs of each child and ensure his or her success.

KCSD Contact Information:

KCSD Vision Statement

The Kershaw County School District will empower and challenge all students to become productive members of a globally dynamic society.

KCSD Mission Statement

Our mission is to educate all students for success.

KCSD Belief Statements

We believe:

• All children can learn, and our schools must assist them in reaching their full potential.
• A rigorous and comprehensive quality education is essential for all students.
• Our community is strengthened by respecting, celebrating, and utilizing its diversity.
• Successful schools have a positive impact on our community.
• All stakeholders — families, schools, and community — play a vital role in the education process.
• Our quality schools are led by highly motivated and nurturing staff.
• Our schools are committed to continuous growth in academic achievement and development of character, personal responsibility, and productive citizenship.
• Our children’s achievement is best measured by a variety of assessments, skills, and experiences.
• Utilizing technology is essential for college and career readiness.
• A safe, healthy, and nurturing environment is essential for positive growth and development.
• Our schools are committed to developing academic skills and employability characteristics for college and career readiness.
• Life and career characteristics such as Integrity, self-direction, global perspective, perseverance, work ethic, and interpersonal skills must be emphasized, modeled and expected.
• Our schools strive to develop self-sufficient and intrinsically motivated, creative thinkers and problem solvers.

Residency

Pursuant to statute, priority for participation in CERDEP had been given to eligible children residing in the school districts participating in the Abbeville lawsuit and participating since 2006–07. The statute directs that each year’s appropriations bill set forth the priority schedule for other districts in the state. The eligible districts for 2023-2024 can be located in Appendix A.

Parent(s)/guardian(s) of age- and income-eligible children must provide documentation of the children's legal residency within a CERDEP school district.

Age Eligibility

To be eligible a child must be four years of age on or before September 1 of the current school year based on acceptable documentation, such as a birth certificate or official document from other countries. Proof-of-age eligibility must be on file no later than the day the child begins CERDEP.

Family Income Eligibility

Family income eligibility must be shown for enrollment: an annual family income of 185 percent or less of the federal poverty guidelines as promulgated annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or Medicaid eligibility. Acceptable forms of verification of eligibility include the following: a notification letter to parent/guardian confirming household eligibility for free or reduced meal benefits (not applicable for Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools) or a copy of current Medicaid card. Verification of family income may include pay stubs, tax returns, or W-2 forms.

Immunization

Documentation of the child's immunization must be provided at enrollment.

Application Process

The parent enrolling a child must complete and submit an online 4K CERDEP application. The application must be accompanied by a copy of the child's proof of age eligibility, documentation of the family income eligibility, and immunization documentation.

Screening

All children will be screened prior to the time of enrollment using the Developmental Indicators of Assessment of Learning (DIAL-4).

Anti-Discrimination Statement

Approved CERDEP schools must comply with constitutional provisions and all federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, or disability in admission to, treatment in its programs and activities or need for special education services. For further information on federal non-discrimination regulations, including Title IX, contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at ocr@ed.gov or call 1-800-421-3481. 

Class Size and Adult-to-Child Ratio

Providers maintain classrooms with at least ten four-year-old children, but no more than twenty four-year-old children, with an adult to child ratio of 1:10. With classrooms having a minimum of ten children, the 1:10 ratio must be a lead teacher to child ratio. Waivers of the minimum class size requirement may be granted by the SCDE. Waivers of the minimum – but not the maximum – class size may be sought from the SCDE.

Attendance

Regular attendance is crucial to your child's success. Each parent/family must agree to send their child to the Child Development Education Program (CERDEP) for 6.5 hours of instructional time, five days per week, 180 days a year. Exclusions from the 180 days of attendance would include school district closures due to dangerous weather conditions. A  child who is chronically tardy or absent may be released from the program.

CERDEP Hours

The CERDEP School/Program Hours are from 7:30 am – 2:30 pm. However, school doors open at 7:00 am for morning drop-off. All students should be picked up no later than 2:30 pm every afternoon.

District/School Calendar

The CERDEP School/Program follows the traditional 180 day school year. The school calendar is located on our website at www.kcsdschools.net/calendar.

Tuition

No parent is required to pay tuition or fees solely for the purpose of enrolling in or attending CERDEP. Tuition or fees may be charged for Extended-Care or Wrap-Around Care provided when it is not part of a state-funded expansion program.

CERDEP Summer Program/Extended Care/Wrap Around Care

Extended-Care or Wrap-Around Care may be provided on site or offsite at a cost for families. Child care vouchers through the SC Voucher Program may be available for those children who qualify. School staff will provide information on how families can apply. Some KCSD elementary schools offer after school care for our 4K students. A CERDEP summer camp may be offered during June and July.

Transportation

Public school transportation services will be provided by the district. Districts shall not be responsible for the transportation of any student living outside their resident attendance zone. Please notify the school immediately of any changes in transportation arrangements. Only authorized people with proper identification will be allowed to pick up your child. Parents are provided with a car rider identification name tag and are encouraged to keep this name tag visible at all times in the car rider area for student safety.

CERDEP Daily Schedule

Opportunity for a brief rest time will be incorporated into each instructional day. Rest time may not exceed one hour per day, except as necessary to address the specific individual needs of children. Children unable to sleep during the rest period shall be allowed to read or participate in another quiet activity. A sample copy of the daily classroom schedule is included in Appendix C of this handbook.

Confidentiality of information about the child and family will be maintained at all times. Enrollment forms and all other information concerning the child and family will be accessible to the parent/guardian, principal, teaching staff, and licensing agency. Information concerning the child will not be made available to anyone else by any means, without the expressed written consent of the parent/guardian.

Providers will make use of developmentally appropriate guidance techniques and may not allow the use of corporal punishment or severe discipline. In accordance with nonregulatory federal guidance, exclusionary practices should not be used to reduce unwanted behavior. In Kershaw County, we use the discipline guidelines set forth in Conscious Discipline. Each staff member is trained in appropriate Conscious Discipline techniques. Those procedures and guidelines can be found here: https://consciousdiscipline.com/category/preschool/. Resources on appropriate strategies to reduce unwanted behaviors and to teach desired behaviors can be found here: http://www.pyramidmodel.org/

Early childhood experts believe that good discipline is a learning process that involves compassion, caring, sensitivity, and guidance. The goal of good discipline is to help the child develop self-control, responsibility, and problem solving skills, characteristics that are foundational to a student's meeting the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. There are many ways that the teachers will encourage good discipline practices:

• A well planned physical environment and curriculum;
• Acting as role models for the children;
• Setting reasonable and positive expectations;
• Respecting feelings;
• Trusting each child to succeed;
• Offering good, reasonable choices;
• Calmly talking about problems; and
• Always reinforcing good behavior.

Punishment or harsh treatment does not encourage the goals of good discipline. This includes, but is not limited to, spanking; belittling; shaming; shaking; depriving food, water, naps, outside time, or bathroom facilities; unsupervised isolation, or improperly restricting the movement of the child.

With groups of children interacting, there will be conflicts. The teachers will implement proven healthy strategies that are appropriate to the situation. Some guidance techniques that staff may use include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Conflict Resolution – Teachers help children learn skills and language to work out disagreement with their peers;
• Redirecting the Child - Quite often, children need to be given concrete alternative suggestions for behavior to focus their energy in a positive way;
• Positive Encouragement – Teachers praise the appropriate behavior, being careful not to give much attention to the negative behavior;
• Natural Consequences – For example, by helping a child realize that arriving late for group time activities will result in missing their turn; or
• Removing the Child from the Group - This is handled in a calm manner without unnecessary stress to allow the child to regain self-control.

Each child has different needs and requirements to develop self-control, judgment, and problem-solving skills. Teachers and administrators will work individually with each child and his/her parents to establish positive interactions.

Curriculum

All aspects of the learning environment, including equipment and materials, classroom environment, outdoor environment, staff child interactions, teaching strategies, learning center provisions, etc. must be founded on current early childhood research and focus on the developmental and academic needs of four year old children. The curriculum that will be implemented is PreK On My Way. Teachers will follow the South Carolina Early Childhood Standards when thinking about the needs and development of students. PreK On My Way, a new comprehensive program, uses eight thematic units to cover different topics including school, family, community, animals, nature, health, moving and creating, and growing up. Within these thematic units, available in English and Spanish, math, science, social studies, phonics, and reading and writing skills are integrated into the curriculum.

Our teachers also use Eureka Math and Letterland Phonics to supplement our mathematics and literacy curriculum. Students will also use technology resources. See Appendix D: Student Acceptable Use Care Policy.

Assessing Student Learning

Your child's teacher will administer a readiness assessment, as required by state law. In Kershaw County, we use the myIGDIs (Individual Growth and Development Indicators) assessment as the main assessment tool. The assessment will provide information for the teacher on your child's literacy and numeracy skills and will be used only to meet your child's individual learning needs. The teacher will additionally conduct ongoing student assessments to gather information about each child's growth and skill development, as well as to inform instruction. Your child's progress will be assessed using a developmental child assessment instrument approved by the South Carolina Department of Education. The assessment will replace traditional report cards and standardized tests with a system that helps teachers observe your child, assess your child's work, and document your child's achievement with the following:

• Portfolios: Collections of your child's work that show progress and demonstrates special interests and talents as well as areas in need of development; and
• Developmental Guidelines and Checklists: Lists of age or grade level expectations that are used for guiding teachers observations about your child's achievements in school.

The benefits of developmental child assessments are the following:

• Your child's strengths and needs are clearly identified for you, your child, and the teacher.
• Teachers focus on your child as an individual and set specific goals for him or her. Your child is observed and evaluated using a developmental checklist that is based on the most current knowledge about how children develop and learn.
• The process of evaluating your child is connected to what happens in the classroom.

Documentation from the assessment will be sent home three times per year, after approximately the 60th and 120th day of school and at the end of the year.
 

Health Records

A health record for each child shall be maintained in the school. Each health record shall include all of the following information:

• A current copy of the child's immunization record signed by a physician or other health official. This record should indicate that all required immunizations are complete as recommended by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), or that the appropriate official has provided written proof that the child meets either medical or religious exemption requirements; and
• Other health information deemed necessary by the program director and/or by the parent(s)/guardian(s).

Please refer to your District policy concerning illness, medication, minor injuries and emergencies.

Reporting of Abuse or Neglect

All schools are mandated by law to report suspicion of child abuse or neglect; the law requires reporting the following:

• Any physical injury, sexual or emotional abuse inflicted on a child other than by accidental means by those responsible for his/her care, custody and control (with the exception of discipline including spanking administered in a reasonable manner) shall be construed to be abuse.
• Failure to provide by those responsible for the care, custody and control of the child, the proper or necessary support, education as required by law, medical, surgical or any other care necessary for his/her well-being shall be classified as neglect.

Kershaw County School District encourages, supports, and values the participation and involvement of parents and families in the educational experiences of their children. The District recognizes all parents as their children’s first

teachers and acknowledges the powerful influence of parents on their child’s life. The District, therefore, is committed to developing family-friendly schools, offices, and programs to welcome and serve parents and families in positive and supportive environments.

A series of Parent/Family workshops and/or Parenting Programs on various topics will be offered throughout the school year. Families are strongly encouraged to attend these as they may be offered in a face-to-face and/or virtual manner. The school district's CERDEP Family and Literacy Parent contact person is Mrs. Virginia Catoe. You can reach her at 803- 432-8416, ex. 1264 or virginia.catoe@kcsdschools.net. Additional information about our parenting services can be found at www.kcsdschools.net. If you are interested in obtaining your high school diploma or receiving a GED, you may contact Mr. Byron Johnson at 803-425-8980, ex. 1632 or byron.johnson@kcsdschools.net. If you need information about ESOL or need assistance translating, contact Mrs. Regina McDonald at 803-432-8416, ex. 1256 or regina.mcdonald@kcsdschools.net.

Additional resources for parents may be accessed at www.kcsdschools.net/parents and https://cfec.sc.gov/ready-set-kindergarten.

Schools will report at least quarterly to the parent(s)/guardian(s) on his/her child's progress. This reporting will include the following:

• An orientation to CERDEP (ex: Title I Back to School Night, home visits, etc.) will be conducted as the first of these quarterly contacts to complete the Parent Orientation Checklist.
• Two of the quarterly contacts will include parent-teacher conferences during the school year. Conferences will be a time for parents to learn about their child's experiences and developmental progress. These conferences may be held using Google Meet and/or phone calls.
• Documentation of your child's progress, curriculum developmental checklists, and portfolios will be shared during the conference and at regular reporting times during the school year.
• The final review of your child's progress will be provided at the end of the school year as the concluding parent contact.

Other conferences may be scheduled at the request of either the teaching staff or parents taking into consideration the safety and well being of all parties.

KCSD believes in building a partnership with all families of the children enrolled. Open communication is the most important characteristic of this partnership and is considered the most beneficial to the children's learning and development. Parents are encouraged to share information that would be helpful in the staff's caring of their children. The teaching staff will also share information with parents about their children and about the program using various modes of communication:

• regular newsletters;
• school events;
• Class Dojo;
• Google Meet;
• school and district websites;
• face-to-face conversations;
• phone calls;
• e-mails; and
• written notes.

All parents are encouraged to visit their child’s class to observe or participate in class activities. There is always room for parents and grandparents alike to spend some time with the children or to share talents, hobbies, and interests with all children. Proper notification of the school staff is suggested prior to visiting the classrooms.

The schools that are participating in CERDEP truly believe that parents are their child's first and most important teachers. The selected schools see their role as that of a partner. The Parent/Guardian-Teacher agreement outlines how parents and teachers can share the responsibility for the success of each child. Please sign the copy of this agreement which is found in Appendix E of this handbook, and return to your child's teacher.

In the event that the facility does transport children for a field trip, a log is kept at the school and taken on the bus that has the travel plans of the route, children's emergency contact information, and a log to check children on and off the bus.

Field trip forms must be signed before each trip. A child who does not have written permission to go on a field trip will not be able to participate. Tracking is to be maintained at all times during transportation and on field trips.

2006-2007

• Abbeville
• Allendale
• Bamberg
• Barnwell 48
• Berkley
• Chesterfield
• Clarendon
• Dillon 3
• Dillon 4
• Florence 1
• Florence 2
• Florence 3
• Florence 5
• Hampton
• Jasper
• Laurens 55
• Laurens 56
• Lee
• Lexington 4
• Marion
• Marlboro
• McCormick
• Orangeburg
• Saluda
• Williamsburg

2013-2014

• Calhoun
• Cherokee
• Chester
• Colleton
• Darlington
• Dorchester 4
• Fairfield
• Georgetown
• Greenwood 51
• Lexington 3
• Newberry
• Richland 1
• Spartanburg 7
• Sumter

2014-2015

• Aiken
• Anderson 3
• Edgefield
• Greenwood 50
• Horry (Academy of Hope Charter)
• Lexington 2
• Oconee
• Spartanburg 3
• Spartanburg 4
• Spartanburg 6
• York 1

2015-2016

• Anderson 2
• Anderson 5
• Barnwell 45
• Greenwood 52

2019-2020

• Kershaw

2021-2022

• Anderson 1
• Charleston
• Dorchester 2
• Lancaster
• Lexington 1
• Lexington- Richland 5
• Pickens
• Richland 2
• Spartanburg 2
• Spartanburg 5
• York 3

2022-2023

• Anderson 4
• Charter Institute of Erskine
• Spartanburg 1
• Union
• York 4

We have a few forms that our students, parents, and teachers will complete:

• Student Acceptable Use and Care of Technology Policy Form
• Parent/Guardian and Teacher Agreement
• Parent/Guardian Acknowledgement of Handbook/Policy Manual