Greenville First Steps

Our team had an incredible time last week at the Building Brighter Tomorrows Conference! This two-day event is a collaborative initiative uniting the Institute for Child Success’s Nurturing Developing Minds Conference and the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health at Furman University's annual Community Health Forum. We're grateful for the opportunity to learn and collaborate!?? #GVLFS #GreenvilleFirstSteps #Greenville #GreenvilleSC #YeahThatGreenville #FamilyResources #Nonprofit

YMCA Judson Community Center hosted the 22nd Annual Souper Bowl this Wednesday and raised $17,834 for financial assistance for families who use the center’s child care services. President and CEO Sam Franklin says, “Every dollar is a child. Every dollar is a face. Every dollar is a story." We also celebrated Stephanie Knobel and Brandi Poole for their combined five decades of service for the YMCA and heard a special performance from the Judson preschoolers. Thank you to our sponsors Greenville First Steps, Bon Secours, and Greenville Downtown Airport for helping make this event happen! And big thank you to our food and beverage donors: Augusta Grill, Automatic Taco, Feed and Seed, Juniper, Larkins, Project Host Soup Kitchen, Reeves Catering, 07, and Pepsi.

Our Executive Director, Derek Lewis, recently joined Megan Carolan with the Institute for Child Success?to speak at Greenville Women Giving's Luncheon-- focusing on Greenville’s Growing Childcare Crisis.? Rising costs and limited access to quality childcare force parents into impossible choices, affecting us all. GFS is grateful for the opportunity to shed light on this crisis and explore solutions together. The time to act is now! ??: Clifford Pate ??: https://lnkd.in/eaJE8PHY

Starting the year strong with board orientation! We are thrilled to welcome three new board members to our Greater Good Greenville team: Catriona Carlisle, CEO of Meals on Wheels of Greenville, Aaron Davis, Executive Director of TreesUpstate, and Katy Sides, Director of Learning with Hollingsworth Funds. Each has long been a partner of GGG, and we are lucky to now have them on the team! Special thanks to our board chair, Derek Lewis, CFRE, Executive Director of Greenville First Steps, for getting these folks ready for service. #GreaterGoodGreenville #GreenvilleFirstSteps #TreesUpstate #MealsonWheelsGreenville #MealsonWheels #HollingsworthFunds #2025Board #GreenvilleSC

Positive Parenting, Positive Impact! Since July, Greenville First Steps' Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) has empowered?380 parents and caregivers—benefiting?275 children ages 0–5, plus their siblings! But don't just take our word for it—check out what?parents?say their biggest takeaways were from our workshops! ???? #GVLFS #GreenvilleFirstSteps #Greenville #GreenvilleSC #YeahThatGreenville #FamilyResources #Children #Parents #Nonprofit

GFS Strategic Operations Director?Beth Jamieson had an inspiring day at the 2024 SC Summit on Early Childhood, hosted by South Carolina First Steps! This Summit brings together dedicated leaders, like Shelley Summer, with the Palmetto Shared Services Alliance to explore innovative programs and policies that support the healthy development of South Carolina's youngest citizens, from pregnancy through preschool. Here's to creating lasting change in our communities, one step at a time! #GVLFS #GreenvilleFirstSteps #Greenville #GreenvilleSC #YeahThatGreenville #FamilyResources #Children #Parents #Nonprofit #SCFirstSteps

?? Our Annual Report is here! ?? We're thrilled to share the impact we've made together this year: ?? 3,371 hospital connections and 1,451 home visits completed through?Family Connects ?? 5,000 children reached through the?Reach Out and Read?program ?? 1,664 children in Greenville County received books from?Dolly Parton's Imagination Library ?? $1.5 million secured in private & in-kind funds, powering our mission to help children thrive! ?? A whopping 43,000+ books distributed across our literacy programs Thank you for being part of our journey ??

Crucial Conversations Part 1 is in the books! This workshop dove into the world of temperaments and explored how each one uniquely impacts our interactions and teamwork! We were thrilled to be joined by partners from Pickens County First Steps, Spartanburg County First Steps, South Carolina First Steps, Children's Trust of South Carolina, The Phoenix Center, Family Connects, and more ?? We look forward to continuing these powerful conversations! ??? #GVLFS #GreenvilleFirstSteps #Greenville #GreenvilleSC #YeahThatGreenville #FamilyResources #Children #Parents #Nonprofit

The GFS staff had a wonderful time at the Riley Institute at Furman University's 2024 WhatWorksSC Award Celebration! Congratulations to this year's winner: "Spark! Inspiring Tomorrow's Readers Through Drama" – an outreach program of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities that uses drama strategies to support reading and literacy efforts in elementary schools statewide. ?? #GVLFS #GreenvilleFirstSteps #Greenville #GreenvilleSC #YeahThatGreenville #FamilyResources #Children #Parents #Nonprofit #RileyInstitute

Greenville First Steps had the honor of attending the Institute for Child Success' Founders Luncheon last week, where the first cohort of the Honorable Merl Code Early Educators Fellowship was honored. This Fellowship highlights the importance of building and maintaining a robust pipeline of early career educators and improving child and family outcomes. We're so proud to support initiatives that uplift the future of early childhood education!