Oconee County First Steps

10/26/2026

🎃 Trick or treat… or read! 📚

Oconee County First Steps will be at the 4th Annual Walhalla Area Trunk or Treat, handing out free books for your littlest ghosts and goblins! 👻

📅 TOMORROW : Tuesday, October 27
⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 Walhalla High School student parking lot

With over 50 trunks, food, games, and family activities, it’s a great night out for the whole family. Come find our trunk and pick out a book to take home.

Thank you to WHS DECA for hosting!

10/26/2026

Safe Sleep Week 4: A Smoke-Free Home and Car

One of the best things you can do for your baby’s sleep happens before they’re ever laid down: keeping the air around them smoke-free.

Babies exposed to smoke have a higher risk of SIDS. That goes for ci******es and for vapes. V**e aerosol isn’t just water v***r. It carries ni****ne and other chemicals that babies breathe in and that settle on clothes, furniture, and car seats.

🚭 Keep your home and car smoke- and vape-free, all the time.

🚭 If you or someone in your home smokes or vapes, do it outside, away from baby, and wash your hands and change your shirt before holding baby.

🚭 Ask visitors and caregivers to follow the same rules.

Thinking about quitting? You don’t have to do it alone. The SC To***co Quitline offers free coaching 24/7, including support during pregnancy, plus free ni****ne patches or gum for those who qualify.

📞 Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)
💬 Text READY to 34191
💻 www.quitnowsc.org
💻 More free quit resources, including help for va**ng and support in Spanish: https://dph.sc.gov/health-wellness/injury-tobacco-and-substance-use-prevention/tobacco-prevention-control/tobacco

10/22/2026

So powerful. Such a legacy for children. We will always love you, Dolly! 🦋📚

Following “CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton,” the CMA, Belmont University, The Walt Disney Company and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp have fulfilled their promise to donate a portion of the event’s proceeds to Dolly’s Imagination Library, announcing a combined $1 million donation to support the organization’s mission📚👏

10/21/2026

📚 The 2026 SC School Report Cards are out, and Oconee's schools have a lot to celebrate. Reading scores for students in grades 3–8 are up and now above the state average! 🎉

But learning starts long before kindergarten. Results show nearly 2 in 3 Oconee kindergartners aren’t ready for kindergarten on their first day of school, and that number went up this year.

The first five years shape everything that comes next, and every family deserves support. That’s why Oconee County First Steps is here to help. Below are local resources for families with young children, offered by us and our community partners.

🦋📖 Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: a free book mailed to your child every month, birth to age 5 (Sign up link in comments.)

🩺 Reach Out and Read South Carolina: free books and reading tips at your child's well visits with participating pediatricians. (Link in comments.)

👶 BabyRead: a trained volunteer reads with you and your little one at your local library, plus free books and snacks. (Link in comments.)

📚 Storytime at your Oconee County Public Library: free and fun for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

💬 Love and Logic parenting classes through Our Greater Good - Oconee County (Link in comments.)

🧩 BabyNet: free early intervention if you have questions about your child's development (under age 3). Call 866-512-8881 (Link in comments.)

✨ COMING SOON from Oconee County First Steps:

🏡 Parents as Teachers: home visits to support your child's growth and learning
🎒 HIPPY: fun, at-home learning activities to support your 4K student at home
(Links in comments to learn more)

Our schools are moving kids forward. Let's help more kids start ready. 💙

🟦 PLEASE SHARE

10/21/2026

🎃 Come see us at Halloween on the Green! 🎃

A big thank you to the Seneca SC Events for inviting Oconee County First Steps to Halloween on the Green! We’ll be there handing out free books to kids, so stop by our table with your littlest trick-or-treaters!

📍 Alexander Amphitheater, 300 Main St, Seneca
📅 Saturday, October 31
🕔 5 to 8 pm, rain or shine
Check it out: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DewLt6BA1/

There’s trick-or-treating for kids 12 and under and a costume contest for kids under 12.

👶 Tips for trick-or-treating with toddlers:
✔️ Hold hands or keep them in the stroller or wagon
✔️ Go early while it’s still light. Toddlers get tired and overwhelmed fast!
✔️ Bring a flashlight and stick to well-lit areas
✔️ It’s okay to stop early. A few stops is plenty for little ones.
✔️ Practice saying “trick or treat” and “thank you” at home first

10/20/2026

Even bears love books! And they can BEARly read! 🐻📚😁

Be like the bear and develop a lifelong love of reading and learning!

10/20/2026

What a wonderful way to combine reading and outdoor fun! 📚☀️🌳

Oconee County Public Library is bringing learning and adventure together with a special program featuring outdoor play and sensory activities in the beautiful setting of High Falls County Park!

It’s a great opportunity for kids to explore, learn, and enjoy the outdoors while families spend quality time together at the park!

What a fun way to make memories and encourage a love of learning! 💚

Join us at High Falls County Park for fantastic fall fun with stories, songs, and hands on play. 🍂 Storytime will begin at 10:30 with free play until 12 PM. Recommended for ages 0-5 but all are welcome.

🎉Park admission is FREE for program attendees. Just mention the library program at the front gate!

10/20/2026

🌟 Now Hiring: HIPPY Parent Educator — Oconee County 🌟

👉 Apply link: https://form.jotform.com/.../FY27-HIPPY-Application-teacher

Oconee County First Steps, in partnership with the Oconee County School District, is looking for a part-time Parent Educator for our new HIPPY program (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters)!

This is a chance to work directly with families, empowering parents as their child's first teacher through weekly home visits and a hands-on early literacy curriculum — helping 4K kids build the skills they need for kindergarten and beyond.

💰 Compensation: Up to $18,650 (pre-tax)
📋 13 hrs pre-service training + ongoing coaching and support
👨‍👩‍👧 Caseload of 8 families, weekly visits, up to 9 hrs/week

Know someone who'd be great with families and kids? Tag them below or reach out!

📞 Questions: Nicole Sheppard, 864-380-6134
✉️ [email protected]

👉 Apply link: https://form.jotform.com/.../FY27-HIPPY-Application-teacher

10/19/2026

Our Greater Good's belief system!!

Become a part of the "greater good" and volunteer today!

Message us for more information on how to get involved.

10/16/2026

Safe Sleep Awareness Month 🩷💙 Week 3: Keep the Crib Bare

The safest crib is a boring one. For every sleep, naps included baby’s space needs only a firm, flat mattress and a fitted sheet.

🩷 Nothing else in the crib. That means no bumpers, blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, or sleep positioners.
💙 Worried baby will get cold? Use a wearable blanket or sleep sack instead. Skip the weighted ones.
🩷 Swings, car seats, and loungers aren’t for routine sleep. If baby falls asleep in one, move them to a flat, safe surface.

Watch this 60-second video from Meant to Be Close, made with parents and health professionals to help families keep babies safe while they sleep:
https://vimeo.com/1086933569/2c75a92883

Want the whole story? Watch the full film (27 minutes):
https://vimeo.com/1086916183/e1ae749679

Learn more from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx

Please share with any new or expecting parents you know.