As far as Keandra Jordan is concerned, the faith-based, state-supported kindergarten program her daughter Dasani attends is the best thing in the world.

"She really enjoys it. I think K4 is great," the 24-year-old customer service supervisor said of the program at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in Greenville. It's supplemented by the state's First Steps initiative.

But state Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum's idea of forming partnerships with faith-based programs to expand free kindergarten to all low-income 4-year-olds is receiving a cold reception from many who operate church schools.

"Faith-based centers in general, and particularly those we represent, are not interested in the least in having state-certified teachers come in our school, teach a state standard and try to train kids to the state philosophy," said Reece Yandle, executive director of the South Carolina Association of Christian Schools. The association represents 400 day-care centers.

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Tenenbaum's idea came in response to a judge's ruling last month that some school districts weren't providing a "minimally adequate" education as the state Constitution requires.

Judge Thomas W. Cooper Jr. found that the state fell short because it wasn't offering the kind of early childhood education that could counteract the negative effect poverty tends to have on academic achievement.

Tenenbaum hasn't formally presented a proposal, but her spokesman said she is "absolutely committed" to the idea of forming public-private partnerships with faith-based kindergartens.

"The capacity issue is driving that discussion," spokesman Jim Foster said. "There's just not enough space in public schools."

Tenenbaum wasn't available for comment.

Her plan to offer free kindergarten to an additional 13,000 "at-risk" 4-year-olds could cost up to $100 million, she has said. The state could pay for it with the $400 million in new tax revenue it expects to generate this year without a tax increase, she has said.

The Greenville County school district is in the latter phases of a countywide construction program, but space for 4K wasn't part of the plan, said district spokesman Oby Lyles.

"We are way ahead of most areas of the state in that we have a number of child development centers that are located throughout our county," he said.

The district has 1,360 students in 4K programs at 23 elementary schools and five child development centers, but 700 more are on waiting lists, according to district figures.

Lyles said it's too soon to know how Tenenbaum's proposal may affect the Greenville County school district, but high-level administrators have expressed some reservations.

"Our concern would be who would be accountable for ensuring that programs not operating within a public school setting meet state requirements," he said.

Although the state can't mandate church kindergartens to get on board, the program could drain students from faith-based programs that don't, said Darlene Atkins, administrator at Crosspoint Christian Academy in Greenville.

"If this is put in, parents who want their children to have a faith-based education but who do not have the funds to do that are going to take their children to the public schools," she said.

The state already changed the rules a few years ago and required day-care centers to be licensed to accept children whose tuition would be paid by vouchers through the Department of Social Services, Yandle said. Many faith-based kindergartens resisted licensing even though they meet the requirements for it, he said.

"Most churches don't believe it would be correct to take a license from the state to operate a ministry," he said.

One possibility Tenenbaum has mentioned is sending public schoolteachers to private kindergartens to teach the additional students who would come there.

That doesn't set well with some church-based kindergarten operators who don't want any interference in their religious teaching and believe their curriculum is better than that of the public school system.

"I'm not going to turn over my rights to have an established Christian school ... because they're going to mandate what we teach," said Atkins, at Crosspoint.

However, St. Anthony of Padua hasn't abandoned the religious element in its 4K program in its partnership with First Steps, a state-funded organization, said Sister Catherine Noecker, principal.

"It's just a marvelous dream come true," she said of the partnership. "This is our fourth year now with it, and we have been able to provide 20 children each year with a top-of-the-line 4K program."

Having the state looking over its shoulder is nothing new to this school. It already receives federal Title 1 money and is licensed by DSS to accept students with vouchers.

Lewis Smoak, a lawyer and state vice chairman for First Steps, said he doesn't see any First Amendment problem with state money going into faith-based kindergartens because of the precedent set by the DSS voucher program.

"I think there's a clear and important role for faith-based as well as other private for-profit or nonprofit providers in improving early childhood education in South Carolina, and the state should be examining how it can be of assistance to those providers," he said.

He's scheduled to meet with Tenenbaum to talk about First Steps' role in her plan.

Rick Hahnenberg, president of the Upstate chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said his group is looking into the proposal but hasn't taken a position on it.

St. Anthony's isn't the only church kindergarten that is receptive to the idea of a partnership with the state.

Pamela Burgess, director of Springfield Baptist Church Child Development Center, said her kindergarten has room for nearly 75 more kids, which she'd be happy to take through a state program.

"I think it would be a good thing as far as children learning," she said, although she's concerned that the higher pay public school teachers earn could be a source of friction.

Some local church kindergartens, though, are already maxed out. Greenville First Presbyterian is full, said interim director Marty Garrison.

But she said it sounds like a good idea to open the church schools to more 4-year-olds, as long it doesn't change the religious component of their teaching.