Since it was passed into law in June 1999, questions have been raised about the First Steps to School Readiness initiative. Is First Steps spending funds accountably?

Was it wise to entrust decision-making about what type of programs to implement to county partnerships rather than funding a uniform program statewide? Are First Steps-funded programs based upon best practices in early childhood development?

A recent independent evaluation of First Steps, conducted by a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization and overseen by an independent external panel, provides answers to these questions. While the evaluation focused on the effectiveness of program implementation rather than program outcomes due to the youth of the First Steps' initiative, the evaluation clearly demonstrates that First Steps is on the right track. Although the evaluator identified areas for continued improvement, many promising trends and practices were identified. Specifically, the evaluation found:

• First Steps is "engendering a culture of accountability regarding expenditures and program implementation."

• First Steps has fostered collaboration and built capacity at the state and county levels in a way that should enhance services for young children and their families.

• In both planning and implementation, First Steps has drawn upon a set of guiding principles that are supported by research in early childhood development. These principles include following best practices, emphasizing community collaboration and requiring accountability.

The evaluator did not draw these conclusions in a vacuum. More than 340 First Steps-funded programs were reviewed, and the evaluator visited First Steps programs in 17 of our 46 counties. In addition, the evaluator relied on comprehensive analyses of First Steps-funded programs provided by early childhood development experts, analyzed fiscal and programmatic data and interviewed staff and board members at the state and county levels. There can be no doubt about the thoroughness or comprehensiveness of this evaluation.

In identifying areas for improvement, the evaluator, while commenting that First Steps has "continually worked to meet challenges," encouraged First Steps to:

• Continue to emphasize program quality as programs develop.

• Continue to provide training and assistance to county-level programs from the state level, and ensure that experiences are shared across counties.

• Continue to strengthen evaluative processes, including data collection and the formulation of an outcomes evaluation.

The evaluator also pointed out the large discrepancy between the funding allocated to First Steps and the funding for similar initiatives in California and North Carolina, calling South Carolina's funding "substantially less." As the report notes, in fiscal year 2001 North Carolina's Smart Start spent nearly $370 per child younger than 6 years old, and California's Proposition 10 program spent nearly $280 per child younger than 6. First Steps, however, spent just over $120 per child younger than 6. As the evaluator correctly notes, "Adequate resources are needed to sustain and strengthen the initiative and thereby to strengthen children's readiness for school."

As members of the First Steps Board of Trustees, we have taken very seriously our responsibility to ensure that the state taxpayer dollars appropriated to First Steps are well spent. We are delighted that this independent evaluation found that First Steps is accountable for those dollars. At the same time, we recognize our new responsibility to ensure that this evaluation's recommendations for First Steps are followed so that First Steps can become an even stronger means for improving school readiness. We look forward to meeting this new challenge, as we continue through First Steps to create a comprehensive system that ensures the school readiness of all of South Carolina's children.