Media Contact: Brendan Daly (202.794.1580)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2015) — Save the Children and Save the Children Action Network today thanked Governor Nikki Haley and state legislative leaders for providing funding to support Save the Children’s early education and literacy programs in South Carolina.

“We thank Governor Haley and House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham for their leadership in investing in kids by providing funding that will make sure Save the Children can continue to have a positive impact in the community,” said Mark Shriver, president of Save the Children Action Network. “This funding will provide children in South Carolina with vital early learning services. During a recent trip to South Carolina, I saw first-hand the need for Save the Children’s work and we know that a high-quality early education is essential in making sure every child has a strong start to life.”

The majority of the new funding will go to support early childhood, literacy and health programs serving more than 6,000 children in Barnwell, Clarendon, Lee, Orangeburg and Union counties. Additionally, Save the Children will add early childhood home visiting programs to two elementary schools in Clarendon County, which currently only offers elementary school-aged programs. Save the Children will also expand programs to reach two additional high-poverty communities.

Save the Children will collaborate with other community programs, such as Reach Out and Read, First Steps and local public libraries, to offer high-quality summer programming for area children. The total impact of this funding includes partnerships with 14 communities and schools in at least six counties, benefitting approximately 7,500 children in rural poverty. It will also support program specialists who serve as the primary providers for training and technical assistance for the programs and who provide essential face-to-face connections with other non-profits and community members.

“Thanks to this funding, more of South Carolina’s most vulnerable children will get the support they need to succeed in school and reach their full potential. Our programs have proven results helping children from struggling families overcome the odds often stacked against them,” said Anna Hardway, Save the Children’s director of programs in South Carolina.

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Save the Children Action Network is the political voice for kids. We believe that every child deserves the best start in life. That’s why we’re building bipartisan will and voter support to make sure every child in the U.S. has access to high-quality early learning and that no mother or child around the globe dies from a preventable disease or illness. By investing in kids and holding leaders accountable, we are helping kids from birth to age five survive and thrive.