The groundwork for the collaborative plan gives voice to the many participants heard in the SC Needs Assessment Report, a document produced using Preschool Development Grant Birth-5 funds to understand statewide priorities for South Carolina's young children and their families. Three data collection strategies, which engaged more than 5,000 people, were used to determine statewide priorities /needs:

• 15 regional meetings were held across the state with 440 participants
• online survey that garnered 3,114 responses focused on priorities of parents/caregivers
• approximately 130 focus groups engaging more than 1,495 people with each South Carolina county focused on engaging families/ caregivers and young children.

Participants in the regional meetings provided input in the development of four goals and related objectives in each of three areas:

• Early learning and development
• Health and well-being
• Family and community

Surveys and focus groups allowed researchers to triangulate data within the same three areas to determine trends across data collection methods to inform the statewide priorities.