Triple P Greenville wins Riley Institute statewide award

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Triple P Greenville (Positive Parenting Program) received the thirteenth annual Dick and Tunky Riley WhatWorksSC Award for Excellence on November 7 in Columbia. This award, which is presented by The Riley Institute at Furman University, includes a $10,000 prize to be used to further the program’s work.

Former United States Secretary of Education and former South Carolina Governor Dick Riley presented the award, which is given annually to a program that is positively impacting public education in South Carolina. The award is named for Riley and his late wife, Ann “Tunky” Riley, a devoted teacher and passionate advocate for quality public education for all children.

“This award bears the name of two of the greatest public education advocates our state and nation have ever seen,” says Dr. Don Gordon, Executive Director of The Riley Institute. “We want this award to signify the importance of the on-the-ground work that small- and medium-sized programs across the state are doing to ensure that children are getting the in- and out-of-school support they need to thrive.”

Triple P Greenville is a partnership between Greenville First Steps, the Children’s Trust of South Carolina, Greenville County Schools, and 20 community partners. Triple P follows a national model as a multi-tiered system of parenting supports for the family. In Greenville, Triple P has assisted in reducing problematic behaviors in children and improving wellbeing and parenting skills, which ultimately have a positive impact on children’s academic performance and success.

Riley also recognized three finalists—SmartARTS (Greenville), York School District One Parenting Partnerships, and Kids On Point (Charleston)—which each received $1,000.

“I am just thrilled that Secretary Riley and Furman’s Riley Institute continue to celebrate innovation in the state, and to be a part of this group of incredible educators is an honor,” says Derek Lewis, Executive Director of Greenville County First Steps.

The winner and finalists will become members of the Riley Institute’s WhatWorksSC Clearinghouse, an online resource that collects and shares key strategies for improving South Carolina’s public schools. They will also be featured on South Carolina ETV’s knowitall.org, which compiles thousands of media resources for teachers and students from pre-K through 12th grade.

For more information about the WhatWorksSC Award and Clearinghouse, visit furman.edu/wwsc or contact Claudia Winkler at claudia.winkler@furman.edu. For more information about Triple P Greenville, contact Derek Lewis at derek@greenvillefirststeps.org.