Historic $2M investment fuels major Universal Pre-K expansion in North Charleston (FILE)
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) —Charleston County Economic Development is investing $2.025 million to help expand Charleston County School District’s Universal Pre-K program in North Charleston, a partnership officials say will increase access to early childhood education and support working families across the region.
The funding will help create at least 229 new Pre-K seats in North Charleston, building on the district’s first Universal Pre-K program launched this school year at Charleston Progressive Academy on the Charleston Peninsula. The expansion marks the next phase of the district’s plan to broaden access to early learning opportunities throughout Charleston County.
The investment, district leaders say, reflects the growing recognition that access to affordable, high-quality childcare can help parents and caregivers enter the workforce, work additional hours, remain employed or pursue education and training opportunities.
“We are so grateful for CCED coming alongside us with this historic investment,” Superintendent Anita Huggins said. “Universal Pre-K gives our youngest learners a strong start, but we know its impact reaches the entire family. This 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.”
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The partnership will measure not only how many new seats are created and filled, but also broader impacts on participating families, including employment, work hours, educational opportunities, childcare costs and barriers to accessing early learning.
“Childcare is a workforce issue, an economic development issue, and a family issue,” CCSD Chief Financial Officer Daniel Prentice said. “This investment allows us to address all three at once. By bringing public education and economic development together, we can use our resources in a way that directly benefits our children today while helping more parents participate fully in our local economy.”
Charleston County Council Chairman Joe Boykin praised the investment as an example of addressing workforce challenges beyond the workplace.
“I commend Charleston County Economic Development for recognizing that some of the most significant barriers to workforce participation begin outside the workplace,” Boykin said. “This investment demonstrates the forward-thinking approach needed to support working families and strengthen our economy.”
CCED Executive Director Merle Johnson said the initiative is intended to strengthen both families and the region’s long-term workforce.
“The strongest economies are built long before a person’s first day on the job,” Johnson said. “They begin when children have the opportunity to learn and when parents have the support they need to participate fully in the workforce. 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.”
The North Charleston expansion is part of a broader district effort to increase access to Universal Pre-K countywide. Additional expansion sites are planned next school year at North Charleston Elementary, Jennie Moore Elementary, Laurel Hill Primary, James Island Elementary and Hunley Park Elementary, serving communities including North Charleston, East Cooper, James Island, Johns Island and West Ashley.
“This is bigger than adding classrooms,” Huggins said. “It is about what becomes possible for a child, a parent, and ultimately an entire community when we remove a barrier and create an opportunity.”
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