North Charleston families will have access to at least 229 new Pre-K seats after Charleston County Economic Development committed $2.025 million to expand the school district's Universal Pre-K program.
The investment, announced in a CCED press release Sept. 29, pairs the economic development agency with Charleston County School District. CCED described the funding as a donation to support young children, working families and the local workforce.
CCSD Superintendent Anita Huggins said in the announcement that the partnership "will open doors for hundreds of children while giving parents and guardians greater opportunities to work, learn, and build a stronger future for their families." She called the investment historic and said Universal Pre-K's impact reaches entire families.
The expansion builds on CCSD's first Universal Pre-K program, which opened this school year at Charleston Progressive Academy on the Charleston Peninsula. North Charleston Elementary is among the schools named for the next phase.
Plans call for Universal Pre-K to reach additional communities next school year, according to the release. Expansion sites include North Charleston Elementary, Jennie Moore Elementary, Laurel Hill Primary, James Island Elementary and Hunley Park Elementary. The release did not specify how many of the 229 seats would go to each school.
CCED Executive Director Merle Johnson framed the investment as an economic strategy. "This investment is not simply about creating additional Pre-K seats; it is about removing a barrier for families and strengthening our workforce and economy for generations to come," Johnson said in the release.
CCSD plans to track broader outcomes. The district will measure employment changes, work hours, education and training opportunities, prior childcare costs and barriers families face in accessing early learning.
Daniel Prentice, identified in the release as CCSD's chief financial officer, called childcare "a workforce issue, an economic development issue, and a family issue." He said the investment lets the district address all three by bringing public education and economic development together to directly benefit children while helping parents participate in the local economy.
Charleston County Council Chairman Joe Boykin, in the release, called the investment a forward-thinking approach to supporting working families and strengthening the economy.
Huggins and Johnson discussed the expansion on the Thursday, Oct. 29 episode of Hallways & Headlines, the CCSD podcast. Enrollment details and application timelines for the new North Charleston seats have not been announced.
