The Institute for Families in Society at the University of South Carolina (UofSC), in collaboration with the Core for Applied Research and Evaluation (also at UofSC), has partnered with South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness (First Steps) to conduct the current evaluation to satisfy the legislative requirement (Section 59 152 160) that "an evaluation of the progress on the initiative's goals and purpose must be completed by November 1, 2014, and every five years thereafter by an independent, external evaluator under contract with the South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Board of Trustees." According to the enabling legislation, "the purpose of the evaluation is to assess progress toward achieving the First Steps goals and to determine the impact of the initiative on children and families at the state and local levels." This evaluation covers 5 years, from 2013-2014 to 2017-2018, and focuses on the overall impact of First Steps programs and services. (author abstract)