• Child Early Reading Development Education Program (CERDEP)

  • Child Early Reading Development Education Program (CERDEP) Overview 

    As the first step on your child’s educational journey, it is our goal to provide your student and family with quality preschool experiences along with the developmental and learning supports necessary for school success. 

    Permanently established by the SC Read to Succeed Act in 2014 and administered in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), the Child Early Reading Development and Education Program (CERDEP) provides a full-day comprehensive learning program for students who qualify under the established guidelines. 

    CERDEP classrooms focus on the development and learning support children must have in order to be ready for school. Students benefit from a small class size with maximum number of students being 20 and a ten to one student to teacher ratio. Parents benefit from dedicated opportunities to gain information that will allow them to support their child’s educational journey. 

    Requirements for Eligibility for CERDEP Enrollment 

    Parent(s)/guardian(s) of age- and income-eligible children must provide documentation of the children’s legal residency within a CERDEP school district. 

    Age Eligibility 

    To be eligible, a child must be four years of age on or before September 1st 

    Family Income Eligibility 

    Family income eligibility must be shown for enrollment: an annual family income of 185 percent or less of the federal poverty guidelines as promulgated annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; or Medicaid eligibility

    Acceptable forms of verification of family income include the following: a copy of current Medicaid card, pay stubs, tax returns or W-2 forms. 

    Screening 

    All children will be screened prior to the time of enrollment using the Developmental Indicators of Assessment of Learning (DIAL-3 or DIAL-4). 

    Immunization 

    Documentation of the child’s immunization must be provided at enrollment. 

    Application 

    Visit the link HERE to complete the application. 

    Resources: 

    SC CERDEP Guidelines 

    SC Early Learning Standards 

    CERDEP Parent & Family Handbook