Children's Trust of South Carolina
News
July 2018
Legislators Discuss Opportunities to Improve Child Well-Being in S.C. Based on KIDS COUNT Data
South Carolina Climbs to No. 38 in Annual Rankings
Partnering with the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children, Children’s Trust held a panel discussion June 27 at the University of South Carolina School of Law focused on child well-being indicators and opportunities for policy improvements.

Children's Trust CEO Sue Williams moderated a conversation among four state legislators who serve on the committee: Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, the committee chair; Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort; Rep. Beth Bernstein, D-Richland; and Rep. Neal Collins, R-Pickens.

The discussion came on the day of the release of the KIDS COUNT 2018 Data Book, which features rankings of child well-being compiled annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT project. For the fourth consecutive year, South Carolina moved up in those rankings.

By rising to No. 38 – its best-ever ranking as measured in the domains of economic well-being, education, health, and family and community – the state is showing how investments in children, families and communities are starting to make a real difference.

For the first 25 years of the rankings, South Carolina fluctuated between No. 42 and No. 48, never able to make the kind of strides that could be called consistent progress. But this steady uptick over the most recent four years has child-serving professionals and state lawmakers taking notice.
Speaker Lucas Salutes Graduating Families
The Strengthening Families Program received a ringing endorsement at a recent graduation from South Carolina House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Darlington.

Speaking at the June 22 ceremony for 11 graduating families at the site administered by Darlington County First Steps, Lucas praised the curriculum and the efforts of the family members in completing the 14-week program, which is designed to help families develop positive discipline practices, stay resilient in tough times, reduce conflict, improve parenting skills, and assist children with social skills, relationships, and school performance.

Children’s Trust implements the Strengthening Families Program with 20 local partners in 24 counties across South Carolina through funding from The Duke Endowment and the S.C. Department of Social Services. All of those sites recently completed the spring cycle with graduation ceremonies for 251 graduating families at 29 SFP sites around the state.
Three New Members Join Children's Trust Board
Children's Trust announces the addition of three board members pending approval by the governor's office. They bring a wide variety of professional and personal experience to our work preventing child abuse, neglect and injury across South Carolina.
Arlene Andrews board member
Arlene Andrews, Ph.D. , is a distinguished professor emerita in the College of Social Work at the University of South Carolina with extensive experience as a community psychologist, nonprofit leader and board member. While at USC, she served as the director of the Institute for Families in Society, and she's currently on the board of trustees for the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families. 
Jason Bristol is a senior commercial banker at TD Bank in Columbia, where he develops relationship strategies to retain and expand existing relationships, fosters and develops new banking relationships, and participates in several community events. He has previously served on our organization's Development Committee.
Robin Dease, D.Min. , is the Hartsville district superintendent with the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. As part of a lifetime of service, she currently serves as a board member for General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church and the Claflin University board of trustees.
Donating Is Easier Than a Walk on the Beach
Don't worry about renting a tux or buying a new dress this August. No need to hire a babysitter either. Children's Trust isn't hosting its annual gala.

But whether you're in black tie or Bermuda shorts, Children's Trust still needs your support. Please donate the amount normally spent at the gala and auction to continue helping us prevent child abuse and neglect.

So leave your heels in the closet and stick your toes in the sand. Visit the website to donate, and bring the hot summer to a cool close by making your gift by Labor Day.
Donor Spotlight: Founders Supports Kids
Founders Federal Credit Union horizontal logo
There's little question why Founders Federal Credit Union has made a strong commitment as a donor and sponsor of Children's Trust.

Sharon Teague, Founders market executive in Lancaster/Columbia, makes it clear.

“Children’s Trust’s passion to help children in South Carolina is inspirational. It matches the same values Founders has for its members by educating and assisting our members with their financial needs," Teague said. "Our employees assist our members in saving money for college, advise them on steps they should take before buying a house or car, and more. We have also created programs to educate children, allowing them to make financial decisions which will positively affect their future. Founders focuses on creating better communities for its members and their families.”

Founders, one of the largest and most innovative credit unions in the nation, was founded in 1950 in Fort Mill to provide financial services to the employees of Springs Industries, Inc. Founders now serves over 219,000 members with more than 30 locations in North and South Carolina and a
network of over 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs. The credit union, which has over $2.2 billion in assets, has a legacy of giving and service as well as a belief in the importance of donating time, talent and resources in order to promote strong, healthy, safe and vibrant communities.

Adrienne Bellinger, the chief development officer at Children's Trust, sees the strength of that commitment.

" Founders has served as a partner of ours since 2013, and it becomes deeper and more meaningful each year," Bellinger said. "We are grateful for their leadership in corporate philanthropy. Their belief that all kids should grow up free from harm is evidenced by their investment in our work."
Children's Trust Announces Investment in Pee Dee

State-Local Partnerships Pay Off for Area Families
Children’s Trust hosted an investment announcement ceremony at the Florence County Library June 22 to salute its 10 funded partners covering 10 counties in the Pee Dee.

Those organizations were brought together to highlight their work delivering the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, Strengthening Families Program (SFP), and Community Support for Young Parents program in the various communities.

Children’s Trust announced its investment of $1.6 million in the Pee Dee ­– out of $9.1 million across the state – during the current fiscal year. The Pee Dee event was the last of four held beginning in April, with previous events taking place in the Midlands, Upstate and Lowcountry.
Home Visiting Summit 2018 Set for Sept. 17-18
The time to register is now for the Home Visiting Summit 2018 hosted by Children's Trust. By signing up before July 27, the cost to attend the event will be $80. It will rise to $100 after that date.

Scheduled for Sept. 17-18 at the University of South Carolina Alumni Center in Columbia, the biennial summit  is focused on providing a quality learning, networking, and systems-building opportunity for home visiting and early childhood interventionists in South Carolina. The keynote speaker is Paul Schmitz, who builds the collective leadership of organizations and communities to achieve greater social impact through his roles as senior advisor at The Collective Impact Forum and CEO of Leading Inside Out.
Rock Stars Were Out at Home Visiting All Sites Assembly
The annual three-day retreat hosted by Children’s Trust for its 16 sites funded by the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) federal grant featured the child-serving professionals who are improving child health and uplifting families across South Carolina.

The 110 event attendees at the North Charleston Marriott June 27-29 received the opportunity to communicate with peers, work toward collective goals, and receive training and professional development, as they were celebrated by Children’s Trust with a “Rock Star” theme for their spirited and passionate commitment to serving moms and young children.
Keeping Kids Safe from Heatstroke This Summer
Katrin Bost, the safety initiatives coordinator for Children’s Trust, offered life-saving information in a June column on how to keep children safe from heatstroke in cars this summer.

Unfortunately, the dangers of heatstroke for children in vehicles rise with summer’s sweltering days. Already in 2018, there have been 26 pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths in the United States, and three of them have occurred in South Carolina – one each in North Charleston, Greenville and Spartanburg.
Child Well-Being Coalition to Host Workgroups
The South Carolina Child Well-Being Coalition, which is led by Children’s Trust with funding from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, is a group of local and state agencies, child-serving organizations, and community leaders committed to finding ways to help children grow up free from the devastating effects of systemic poverty.

The effort launched with a May meeting that brought together 175 attendees, and this week, Children's Trust will host a series of smaller workgroup meetings in the areas of health, economy, education, family, and community at its 1330 Lady Street office. The health workgroup met July 20.

  • Economy, July 24, 10 a.m. to Noon
  • Education, July 25, 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Family, July 26, 2 to 4 p.m.
  • Community, July 27, 1 to 3 p.m.

For more information, contact Amy Moseley, community coalitions manager, at 803-744-4032 or amoseley@scchildren.org .
Meet Our New Employees
J. Montana Cain , Ph.D., joins the research and evaluation team as a senior evaluator. She implements, coordinates, and monitors evaluation activities for the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) and the Strengthening Families Program (SFP), trainings, parent partnerships, and coalitions. She also partners with staff on quality improvement initiatives and manages the development of our web-based evaluation system. She earned her doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in educational psychology, measurement, and evaluation.
Dana Powell moves into her role as the parent and community engagement coordinator. She establishes parent advisory councils, empowers parent members to be advocates for all parents in their community by engaging in community coalitions, and ensures parents have the tools and resources they need to guarantee protective factors are in place both for them and their children. Prior to joining Children’s Trust, she worked with the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy for nearly 10 years.
Staff Promotions and Transitions
Children's Trust announces the following title changes in recognition of new or transitioning roles within the organization.



  • Amy Moseley is transitioning to community coalitions manager.

  • Cathy Ramage was promoted to senior coordinator for home visiting.


  • Abby Wilson was promoted to senior manager of community implementation.
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Published by Children's Trust of South Carolina.
Children's Trust of South Carolina is the only statewide organization focused on the prevention of child abuse, neglect and injury. The organization trains and educates professionals who work directly with families and also funds, supports and monitors proven prevention programs. Children's Trust is the voice for South Carolina's children and advocates for strong, well-founded policies that positively impact child well-being. Children's Trust is home to Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, KIDS COUNT South Carolina and Safe Kids South Carolina.