Ready by Five is Seeking Resident Proposal Review Board Parent Leaders

First Steps Kent and Kent County are committed to having parents with young children involved in all aspects of ensuring the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage resources are invested wisely and fairly. That's why First Steps Kent is accepting applications for parents to serve on the Resident Proposal Review Board (RPRB).

What Is Ready by Five? In November 2018, Kent County passed a .25 mil increase. This generates more than $6.6 million annually through 2024 to provide dedicated funding for community-based early childhood programs.

The Ready by Five Resident Proposal Review Board has the responsibility to review requests for funding, make recommendations for funding levels, and monitor investments for maximum impact. 

Things to Note:

  • Meeting dates and times are included below and will require meeting during and after business hours. This commitment will generally not exceed 120 hours per year. We are asking for a two-year commitment beginning May 2024.
  • Individuals who serve on the board must be a current resident of Kent County and a parent or primary caregiver of a young child (ages five or younger).
  • Parents can not have worked at any of the Ready by Five provider organizations in the last two years.

What it looks like to be a Parent Leader:

  • To prepare board members, The RPRB convenes for a one-time orientation. During this time, the group learns about what is required for proposals to be funded and how to score all funding request proposals. Orientation date for 2024: Wednesday, May 15 from 9 a.m. – noon.
  • Proposals are distributed to each board member with scoring materials and directions. This will arrive around May 30, 2024.
  • Each member reviews all assigned proposals and submits scores and any questions they have about the proposals through an online score sheet. The number of proposals can vary depending on the year, in a typical year it takes about 40 hours to review and score all proposals. The deadline to submit online scores and feedback is June 14, 2024.
  • The full RPRB meets for 3-5 days (depending on the number of proposals) to discuss how all members scored each proposal. It is really important that parents can attend all meetings. During these meetings, the RPRB comes to a decision about what proposal should be funded and how much they should receive. Meeting dates for 2024 RPRB: June 20-26. 
  • Access to reliable technology (phone, email, computer, and internet) for communication and attending virtual meetings is needed for this position. First Steps Kent may be able to provide assistance in some situations. Please explain in your application if you wish to serve in this role but are unable to because you do not have access to technology.   

Diversity and Inclusion: We are committed to creating a culture in which all individuals feel supported and recognized. The board shall include members from all areas of Kent County and include people of different ethnicities, races, religions, sexual identities, and/or genders.

Position Stipend: $35/hr for time attending meetings and scoring funding proposals.

How to Apply: If you are interested, please let us know by completing this online application. The last day to submit this application is Monday, May 1, 2024.

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