Family Connects Greenville is a partnership between SC Department of Public Health (SC DPH) and Greenville First Steps. The program supports parents by linking SC DPH nurses, community resources, and families. The goal is to connect new parents with resources that support newborns and their families. This program is made possible by funding from the Duke Endowment, Greenville Health Authority, Margaret Linder Southern Endowment, SC DPH, Pickens County First Steps and Greenville First Steps.
A Family Connects Greenville team member visits families in the hospital and has a brief check-in. If families are interested, a home visit is scheduled to occur in the following 3 or 4 weeks.
The Family Connects curriculum provides a framework for families to get the right help at the right time. Family Connects home-visits work to help parents who have questions or want to know where to go to get additional resources or supports.
Reach Out and Read Carolinas is a nationally recognized, evidence-based literacy initiative administered through pediatric healthcare settings. Beginning at birth and continuing through age five, the program equips medical providers to foster early literacy and caregiver engagement during routine well-child visits. Children receive developmentally appropriate books at each visit, while clinicians model shared reading and support caregiver confidence in building nurturing, language-rich home environments.
Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) is a nurse home visitation program, with 30 years of longitudinal research, that is designed to improve the health, well-being and self-sufficiency of low-income, first time parents and their children. Home visits span a 2 ½ year timeframe and begin prenatally and continue through the second year of the child’s life. Visits range from weekly to every other week but can be altered if the nurse feels there is a need for more visits. Bachelor’s degree-level nurses utilize guidelines, clinical consultation, and intervention resources to implement the programs in a way that is adaptable to each family.
Locally, NFP is a partnership between Prisma Health and Greenville First Steps. The local site is funded by federal home visiting funds (MIECHV) drawn down by the Children’s Trust of South Carolina, Greenville First Steps, Pickens First Steps, and Oconee First Steps.
Triple P is a globally proven, evidence‑based parenting support system with over 35 years of research behind it. It equips caregivers with practical strategies to build stronger relationships, manage child behavior confidently, and promote healthy development—all while fostering self-sufficiency.
Greenville First Steps, with support from the Children's Trust of SC, provides Triple P parenting classes free to schools, childcare centers, nonprofits, and other organizations in Greenville County.
Triple P Seminar Topics:
Nurturing Parenting is an evidence‑based, trauma‑informed family support program designed to prevent abusive and neglectful parenting practices and promote positive, nurturing behaviors in caregivers. It's available to families at risk of abuse or neglect with children from birth through age 5. Programs are offered as group workshops, home visits, or a combination tailored to each family's comfort and needs. Nurturing Parenting aims to enhance caregivers' empathy, self-awareness, positive discipline strategies, and emotional resilience—ultimately interrupting intergenerational cycles of harm and strengthening family bonds.
SC First Steps partners with over 270 licensed child care centers and private schools across the state, making it easy for families to find a high-quality program that meets their specific needs. Additionally, First Steps 4K students and their siblings, ages 0-12, are now eligible for child care and after-school scholarships for up to 52 weeks.
At Greenville First Steps, we believe every child deserves access to books that spark imagination and build a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Through our Book Bank, we invest in high-quality, high-interest books for young children across our community. These books are donated to local childcare centers, schools, churches, nonprofits, and other community organizations, who then place them in classrooms and facilities or share them directly with families. By working through trusted partners, we ensure that children and their caregivers have greater access to engaging literacy opportunities from the very beginning.
Greenville First Steps also invests in expanding literacy access through our Little Free Library initiative. We purchase Little Free Libraries, engage volunteers to build and decorate them, and then donate the libraries to neighborhoods and community organizations. Once in place, these small, book-sharing boxes create welcoming spaces where families can borrow and exchange books at no cost, helping foster a culture of reading and connection across our community.
Greenville First Steps is proud to sponsor and support the Simple Civics: Greenville County podcast, with a special focus on their Ed Talks series. These episodes highlight important education topics and voices from across our community, helping to inform, engage, and inspire listeners. By partnering in this work, we are helping spread awareness about the issues that matter most for young children and families in Greenville County.
Greenville First Steps is excited to help launch the Greenville County Parenting Coalition, a new initiative bringing together parenting professionals from across the community. Still in development, this coalition will provide a regular space for professionals to connect, discuss current trends in the field, receive ongoing professional development, and share referrals and resources. By strengthening collaboration among those who support parents, the coalition aims to enhance services for families and ensure they have the tools and connections they need to thrive.
