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Preschool Curriculum for 3 to 5 Year Olds in South Carolina

A complete, research-based preschool curriculum for South Carolina childcare programs — SC ELS-aligned, kindergarten-readiness focused, delivered monthly, and integrated with brightwheel.

SC ELS-alignedKindergarten-readiness focusedBrightwheel integratedNAEYC approved
About the curriculum

What is Experience Preschool?

Experience Preschool is a research-based curriculum designed for children 3 through 5 years. Each month, a complete curriculum kit arrives at your program — including lesson plans, hands-on materials, teacher guides, and family engagement tools — everything you need to build kindergarten-ready learners.

Experience Preschool’s monthly kits are organized around developmentally rich themes that build language, literacy, mathematics, science, and social-emotional skills in an integrated, play-based framework. Each theme connects to all eight developmental domains, supporting whole-child development without fragmented subject-area instruction.

Designed for preschool learning realities

Experience Preschool balances structured learning with play-based exploration. Lesson plans are designed for 15–30 minute whole-group and small-group experiences, with clear teacher language, differentiation tips, and embedded assessment opportunities.

What’s in each kit

  • 4 weeks of daily lesson plans
  • Hands-on learning materials
  • Teacher’s guide with differentiation tips
  • Family engagement take-home materials
  • Assessment and observation prompts
  • Literacy-rich read-aloud connections
  • Brightwheel digital activity companion

Kindergarten-readiness focus

  • Phonological awareness and early literacy
  • Number sense, counting, and early math
  • Scientific inquiry and observation skills
  • Social-emotional skills and self-regulation
  • Oral language development and vocabulary
  • Fine motor: writing readiness, cutting, drawing
  • Approaches to learning: persistence, curiosity
South Carolina-specific context

Why Experience Preschool is a strong fit for South Carolina programs

South Carolina preschool & Pre-K

Key regulatory and market context for South Carolina programs

1:5
South Carolina’s preschool-to-caregiver ratio for licensed preschool programs
SC ELS
South Carolina Early Learning Standards
ABC Quality
ABC Quality — South Carolina’s quality rating and improvement system

South Carolina’s First Steps 4K program requires curriculum aligned to SC ELS. Experience Preschool’s domain structure maps directly to South Carolina’s preschool standards.

ABC Quality is South Carolina’s voluntary QRIS (1–5 stars). Higher-rated programs receive enhanced Child Care and Development Fund reimbursement rates.

South Carolina preschool licensing context

South Carolina’s 1:10 preschool ratio supports small-group instruction and individualized learning. Experience Preschool’s lesson plans include both whole-group and small-group activity formats, with clear teacher guidance for differentiation across developmental levels — making it practical for mixed-ability preschool classrooms.

Skills & developmental domains

Developmental domains covered in Experience Preschool

Experience Preschool integrates all eight developmental domains from Experience Curriculum’s 35-skill framework, with activities calibrated specifically for the 3–5 year age range. Every monthly kit builds skills across domains simultaneously — supporting kindergarten readiness in a coherent, integrated way.

Social-Emotional
Attachment, trust, emotional attunement, early social responsiveness
Physical
Gross motor milestones, fine motor exploration, sensory-motor development
Language & Literacy
Pre-verbal communication, early vocabulary, caregiver narration and reading
Math & Reasoning
Cause-and-effect, object permanence, early spatial and number reasoning
Science
Sensory exploration, observation, natural curiosity about the world
Creative Arts
Sensory art experiences, music, movement, early aesthetic awareness
Social Studies
Family and community identity, cultural connections, sense of belonging
Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, persistence, initiative, attention — foundational learning behaviors
SC ELS alignment

Experience Preschool activities map to specific SC ELS preschool standards across all domains. An alignment document maps every activity-to-standard match, supporting documentation requirements for South Carolina’s ABC Quality system and Pre-K programs.

Sample monthly themes

What arrives each month

Each Experience Preschool kit is organized around a developmentally rich monthly theme. Here’s a sample of what a program year looks like.

SeptPre-K

Community Helpers

Social studies theme exploring community roles, helpers, and civic responsibility. Builds vocabulary, early writing, and social awareness skills.

Social StudiesLanguageWriting
NovPre-K

Exploring Nature

Science-focused theme with hands-on nature exploration, observation journals, and early data collection. Builds scientific inquiry, math, and literacy skills.

ScienceMathInquiry
FebPre-K

Friends and Feelings

Social-emotional theme building empathy, conflict resolution, and friendship skills. Supports self-regulation and the social skills needed for kindergarten success.

Social-EmotionalSelf-regulationCommunication
AprPre-K

Growing and Changing

Life science theme with planting, observation, and life cycle exploration. Builds early literacy (informational text), math (measurement, data), and scientific thinking.

ScienceLiteracyMath
Digital integration

Experience Preschool and brightwheel: a complete solution

Experience Curriculum is now fully integrated with brightwheel, the #1 childcare management platform. For South Carolina programs already using brightwheel for billing, attendance, and family communication, adding Experience Preschool creates a seamless curriculum-to-portfolio workflow.

Document as you teach

Educators can log observations directly in brightwheel during or immediately after activities. Notes link to developmental milestones and build each child’s portfolio automatically.

Keep families connected

Parents receive real-time photos, videos, and activity updates through brightwheel. Experience Preschool family take-home content can be shared digitally, keeping caregivers at home aligned with the classroom.

For programs documenting South Carolina SC ELS preschool observations, brightwheel’s milestone tagging and portfolio features significantly reduce paperwork. Documentation can be exported for ABC Quality reporting or family conferences.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Experience Preschool in South Carolina

Is Experience Preschool aligned to South Carolina’s SC ELS preschool standards?

Yes. Experience Preschool is formally aligned to South Carolina’s South Carolina Early Learning Standards (ages 3–5). An alignment document maps each Experience Preschool activity and skill to specific SC ELS preschool domains and standards.

Can Experience Preschool help my South Carolina program achieve a higher ABC Quality rating?

Many South Carolina programs find that using a structured, research-based, SC ELS-aligned curriculum supports their ABC Quality rating. Experience Preschool’s built-in observation tools and kindergarten-readiness focus also support rating requirements. We recommend confirming specific requirements with your local childcare resource agency.

Is Experience Preschool appropriate for South Carolina Pre-K programs?

Yes. Experience Preschool is designed for 3–5 year olds and aligns to South Carolina’s South Carolina Early Learning Standards (ages 3–5). Programs participating in South Carolina’s Pre-K initiatives will find that Experience Preschool’s structured, standards-aligned approach meets curriculum requirements.

What is the cost of Experience Preschool for South Carolina childcare programs?

Experience Preschool pricing is based on program size and the number of children served. South Carolina programs may also qualify for subsidized pricing if serving children through state-funded Pre-K programs. Pricing details and a free tour are available through the brightwheel website.

How does Experience Preschool support kindergarten readiness for South Carolina children?

Experience Preschool is designed with kindergarten readiness as a core outcome. Activities build skills across all eight developmental domains, with particular emphasis on language and literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional skills that South Carolina kindergarten teachers identify as most important for school success.

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Ready to bring Experience Preschool to your South Carolina program?

Research-based preschool curriculum for South Carolina programs — delivered to your door every month.