1634 Main St. Suite 100
Columbia, SC 29201
Web site: http://www.scparentwise.org
Hours: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm, Monday - Friday
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Director:
Ms. Heidi Vaughn
Phone: (803) 744-4029
Fax: (803) 744-4020
Evaluator: Dr. Kevin Swick, Dawn Huntley
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State PIRC Board:Kevin Hall, Esq., Chair
Joe Bouknight, Vice Chair
Catherine Miller, M.D., Secretary
Tom Murphy, Treasurer
Martha Scott Smith, Past-Chair
Kathleen Bounds
James E. Brogdon, Jr. Esq.
Ell Close
Teresa Coles
Jane Farrell, M.Ed.
Melissa P. Fritz
Karen Hill-Gordon
Frank S. Holleman III, Esq.
William Hubbard, Esq.
Marvin Infinger, Esq.
Lloyd Kapp, MD
Ann Y. “Tunky” Riley
Frank J. Wideman III Special Advisory Committees: The SC State PIRC advisory committee, with programmatic oversight is designed to include members from across many disciplines. - SC Dept of Ed, Safe Schools/ Youth Services
- SC Dept of Ed, Parental & Community Partnerships
- President, SC PTA
- Executive Director of Richland County First Steps to School Readiness
- Parents
- SC Dept of Ed, Evenstart
- SC Dept of Ed, Director of Early Childhood
- Kids Count Project Director
- SC Dept of Ed, Title 1 Office
- Brookland-Cayce High School
- Mary Black Foundation
SC State PIRC/Parentwise is the network of Parent Information and Resource Centers in South Carolina. Partnering with eight South Carolina school districts, SC PIRC/Parentwise helps fund parent educators across the state that model effective learning through play strategies, promote early language development, and work with parents to develop good parenting skills. Parental Engagement Model
Parental engagement models include Parents As Teachers and The Parent-Child Home Program.
Early Childhood Model
Early childhood programs follow the high quality guidelines set by NAEYC (the National Association for the Education of Young Children) and utilize curriculum approaches such as High/Scope® and CreativeCurriculum®.
Major Activities
SC State PIRC/Parentwise engages parents in the community through home visits, group meetings, child play groups, school improvement councils, related parent-teacher partnership activities, and collaborations with district Title 1 parent outreach.
How the Work Plan Meets the Needs of Parents
All SC State PIRC/ Parentwise sites administer the 4 component family literacy model (adult education/ literacy, parenting education, early childhood education & child care, and parent & child together time.) Quotes from parents: “You learn as a parent you are not alone.” “…English as a second language resources and activities.” “Being able to get my GED was most helpful to me.” “Building my confidence – I am a more confident parent now.” “Getting my family into routines – it has helped all of us.”
Alignment of Work to Statewide PIRC Efforts
In addition to this early childhood focus; SC State PIRC/Parentwise centers are accessible to all families of K-12 children in their communities, giving extra help to those with low-incomes and limited English proficiency. Helping parents understand the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND legislation (i.e. school report cards, supplemental educational services, and public school choice) is part of the effort, as is helping parents communicate effectively with school personnel. We are working hard in South Carolina to improve student academic achievement through increased parent involvement.
Unique characteristics?
Each SC State PIRC/Parentwise site offers a range of services that best meets the needs of the unique parent population it serves. Though each SC PIRC/ Parentwise center is closely affiliated with its local school district, sites range from inner city to rural settings. The participating families are diverse as well, and include teen parents, grandparents raising babies, single parents, multicultural families, multilingual families, and families of children with special needs. |
