Early Learning
Through Discovery

The Franklin School understands that a child’s brain undergoes an amazing period of development from birth to three – producing more than a million neural connections each second. Our curriculum is built to enhance that development.

 

The Franklin School is a model child development center operated by Spartanburg County First Steps and located in the Northside of Spartanburg.  In January 2019, the center opened its doors and welcomed children and families from the Northside community and from close neighbors and partners including Wofford College, USC Upstate, and School District 7. The Franklin School is designed to serve infants, toddlers, and preschoolers from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds in an environment where leading research and expertise on early education’s best practices take center stage. The state-of-the-art building was designed to fuel young minds by providing optimal learning experiences using both indoor and outdoor classrooms  guided by nurturing caregivers.

What makes The Franklin School Special?

The Children’s Museum of the Upstate- Spartanburg and the SC Aquarium work together to provide The Franklin School children opportunities to enjoy  exhibits and sea life.  This year they will learn from these experts about saving our coastal turtles through a turtle hospital exhibit.

USC Upstate’s Child Development and Family Studies program, meets at The Franklin School in their on-site classroom, Monday –Friday.  This fall the students will be designing special activities to support our children’s learning.

A low child to teacher ratio can be found in every classroom.  Infants, toddlers and two year olds have a 1:4 ratio allowing our youngest learners to be nurtured by supportive caregivers.

The Franklin School is home to seven model playgrounds carefully designed to support the development of critical skills for young children.  Those skills include self-regulation and cooperation.

 

Partnerships

As a result of strong community collaboration, The Franklin School is supported by many local and state partnerships.  The unique structure of the center allows for in-depth observation and reflection on teacher practice which in turn elevates the quality of early care and learning.

Who We Are

Unique in its design, with its large inviting classrooms, stocked with developmentally appropriate materials, The Franklin School is a first-class child development center right here in Spartanburg, SC’s Northside.

What We Do

The Franklin School boasts well-qualified teachers who value creativity and hands-on activities that promote optimal brain development in a loving and nurturing environment.

What We Do

The Franklin School boasts well-qualified teachers who value creativity and hands-on activities that promote optimal brain development in a loving and nurturing environment.

Our Supporters

The Franklin School is the product of dozens of local supporters of early childhood education. This center of excellence is only a reality due to the generosity of those supporters.

Click below to apply for the 4K Program at The Franklin School.

In The News

Budget & Credit Workshop

Come participate in an informative workshop on budgeting and credit management! In this workshop, you'll learn the fundamentals of creating a budget, managing your expenses, and building good credit. Expert facilitators will share tips and strategies for achieving...

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$10 million, year-round Franklin School opens next month

“It’s the first of its kind,” Story told members of the Spartanburg City Council Wednesday. “We’re not aware of anything else like this that incorporates the multiple public programs, and the mix of income with the top-notch academic environment, in terms of the presence of USC Upstate. We’re not aware of anybody else doing anything like this.”

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Redevelopment projects accelerate in Spartanburg’s Northside

After years of planning, a spate of community-development projects is coming to life this fall in Spartanburg’s Northside neighborhood.

Positioned along a half-mile stretch of Howard Street, the projects carry a combined price tag of $56 million and aim to ensure that residents of the historically underserved area have greater access to cradle-to-career education, affordable housing, health care, and recreation.

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Sneak Peek: Inside the Northside’s new Franklin School

Laura Reynolds scrawled a simple message for students on the floor of the brand new Franklin School this week: “Don’t try to blend in, you were born to stand out.”

“I think that’s an important message for anybody to hear,” said Reynolds, the dean of the University of South Carolina Upstate’s Department of Education.

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Interested in enrollment?

The Franklin School is committed to a diverse community of students that reflects all of Spartanburg County. Click below to learn more about our enrollment opportunities.

The Franklin School    100 Franklin Street, Spartanburg, SC, 29303, United States   864-586-7130