The research is clear: investing as early as possible in a child’s life yields the greatest return¹. Yet, our youngest children in Richland County are often left behind. In fall 2024, only 39% of kindergartners in the Richland One School District walked in ready to start kindergarten - a figure that drops as low as 15% in parts of our district².

Moving the needle on kindergarten readiness requires investment in our local child care system. For today’s working families, child care in Richland County is not affordable: the average household spends 34% of its income on child care for two children³ - nearly five times the ideal 7% limit⁴. This is not just a family issue; it is an economic one. High costs and a lack of quality providers are driving factors to our local workforce staying on the sidelines^5,6.

As your councilwoman, I will put my experience in early childhood systems to work for our families building on the strengths of the providers that have served our communities for decades. The child care system across our country has never properly been funded or supported, but in Richland County, our families and providers deserve better. Through community-driven approaches, innovative financing solutions, and public-private partnerships, I believe Richland County can be a place where every kindergartner walks into school ready.

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Sources

1. Heckman J (2008). “Schools, Skills and Synapses”. Economic Inquiry, 46(3): 289-324. [Obtained from: https://heckmanequation.org/]. Accessed 22 Mar 2026.

2. Richland County School District 1: 2024-2025. SC School Report Cards. [URL: https://screportcards.com/]. Accessed 18 Mar 2026.

3. Richland County, SC (2025). County Health Rankings. [URL: https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/health-data/south-carolina/richland?year=2025]. Accessed 18 Mar 2026.

4. Child Care in America: 2024 Price & Supply. Child Care Aware of America. [URL: https://www.childcareaware.org/price-landscape24/]. Accessed 18 Mar 2026.

5. South Carolina’s Unified State Plan for Education and Workforce Development (2024-2025). South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. [URL: https://dew.sc.gov/sites/dew/files/Documents/ccwd-usp-report-v2-compressed.pdf]. Accessed 18 Mar 2026.

6. Data obtained from scchildcare.org. 38% of providers in Richland County are “high quality,” defined as an ABC Quality rating of B or better. Accessed 18 Mar 2026.