4k Enrollment is now open! We can help make the process easy.

Enrollment for Thornwell’s 4K program is now open! This enriching and educational program through South Carolina First Steps is designed to help 4-year-old children get ready to learn in school. The program is free for qualifying families.
Sometimes, the task of signing your child up for the program can seem confusing, but our highly trained and caring staff at our Child Development Center is here to help you every step of the way.
On February 24th from 4 pm to 7 pm, the Child Development Center will host a 4k enrollment event. CDC staff will be on hand to guide you through the registration process.
If you can’t make it out to the event, but still have questions, that’s ok! Simply call our office for more information: 864-938-2160.
What documents do I need to enroll my child?
- Birth Certificate
- Medicaid Card
- Current Shot Record
- Proof of Residency
Who is Eligible for South Carolina First Steps?
For the 2022-23 school year, your child must be:
- 4 years old on September 1, 2022
- Eligible for Medicaid, free/reduced-price lunch, or SNAP/TANF recipient; experiencing homelessness or transiency; or in foster care
- A resident of South Carolina
- Siblings of four-year-olds enrolled in the First Steps 4K program now qualify for childcare scholarships thanks to a partnership between SC First Steps and the SC Department of Social Services.
What if my child has a sibling?
- Siblings, ages 0-12 of enrolled First Steps 4K students can qualify for free child and after-school scholarships
- Sibling scholarships can be applied toward enrollment at any licensed child care center or afterschool program that participates in ABC Quality, the state’s voluntary quality rating and improvement system
- First Steps 4K + Siblings ensures care and education for the whole family, leaving no child behind.
- Families can apply online for both First Steps 4K and First Steps 4K + Siblings at Free4KSC.org.
What is Thornwell’s Child Development Center?
During the first five years of life, children are busy learning skills, making connections, and forming relationships that affect their adult lives. Under the guidance of qualified teachers, Thornwell Child Development Center provides an educational program that emphasizes growth in all developmental areas—social, emotional, physical, cognitive (intellectual), and spiritual—as a holistic, interrelated process. Each child, each teacher, each parent is accepted as a person of worth, value, and respect.
Thornwell Child Development Center is committed to developmentally appropriate teaching methods and techniques. Play is the language of children and the foundation of quality preschools. Through play, the developmental needs of young children are met. Using developmentally appropriate practices, Thornwell teachers support and promote optimal development in the areas most important to young children: establishing a sense of trust and safety; developing a sense of autonomy with connectedness; realizing a sense of empowerment and worth; forming an appreciation of diversity among people; constructing the foundations of morality and social responsibility; and having opportunities for meaningful play. The learning environment is rich, varied, warm, stimulating, and safe for young children’s healthy development.