It started with an idea around a dining room table.
What began in Greenville in 2016 grew into something neither small nor ordinary: a statewide nonprofit dedicated to making life a little easier for South Carolina's childcare providers.
From a Little Idea to a Statewide Mission
Ten years, five chapters, and one steady mission: practical support for the people who care for South Carolina's youngest children.
- 2016where it all began
The Beginning
PSSA began as a program of Greenville First Steps. Our earliest support was the Resource Platform, giving providers access to business tools, policies, and practical resources.
- 2017the dining room era
Standing on Our Own
PSSA became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a statewide mission, and launched professional development and training for South Carolina's early childhood workforce.
- 2019better together
A Turning Point
Our partnership with South Carolina Child Care Resource & Referral expanded our visibility, credibility, and reach across the early care and education landscape.
- 2024room to grow
A New Chapter
Our first major support from SC DSS marked a new chapter, moving PSSA from sustaining the work to expanding what is possible for providers statewide.
- 2026hello, Pop-Ins!
Palmetto Childcare Connect
With support from SC DSS, we launched the pilot of Palmetto Childcare Connect, a substitute workforce initiative built around one of providers' greatest staffing challenges.
Patience. Perseverance. And a Little Stubbornness.
Building PSSA wasn't a straight line. Co-founders Leslie Latimer and Shelley Summer spent the early years working from Leslie's dining room table, earning recognition one conversation at a time. Getting noticed by other childcare agencies, building partnerships, and establishing trust took creativity, determination, and a healthy dose of stubbornness. One phrase came to define those years, and it still defines PSSA today:
“Patience and perseverance!”
Look How Far We've Come
The reach of PSSA's programs and services keeps growing across South Carolina. Here's where things stand today.
Resources available
Childcare programs served
Early childhood professionals trained
Professional development hours delivered
The People Who Helped Us Grow
We partner with state agencies and organizations across South Carolina and beyond to strengthen early childhood programs and expand access to resources and professional development.
Still Dreaming. Still Building.
We've come a long way from that dining room table. But the best part of PSSA's story is that we're still writing it, alongside the childcare providers, partners, and communities who inspire our work every day.
Want to say hello? Email Leslie or email Shelley.