Ready by Five is Seeking Community Volunteers

The Ready by Five Resident Proposal Review Board (RPRB) is a resident-led group in Kent County that reviews funding requests for early childhood programs supported by the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage. It is made up primarily of parents and community members, along with two county commissioners, who bring both lived experience and public oversight to decisions about which services for pregnant individuals and children from birth to five should receive millage dollars. Apply using this form.

RPRB is also accepting applications for Parent Leaders. Learn more about that opportunity here.

RPRB members read and score proposals, meet to discuss and deliberate, and then recommend which programs to fund and at what levels, focusing on effectiveness, equity, and alignment with local needs. Their recommendations go to First Steps Kent’s board and then to the Kent County Board of Commissioners for final approval, making the RPRB a key community voice in how early childhood investments are made.

General criteria for all positions:

1. Must live in Kent County and demonstrate a commitment to children from prenatal to age five and their families.
2. Reflect the diverse composition of Kent County in race/ethnicity, neighborhood, language, and family structure, with an emphasis on equity in early childhood outcomes.
3. Ability to review materials independently and participate fully in group discussion, including completing scoring in advance, engaging in respectful dialogue, and working toward a consensus.
4. Strong communication skills, including comfort asking prying questions, giving constructive feedback, and disagreeing respectfully.
5. Willingness to complete an orientation/training on proposal review, conflict of interest form, and confidentiality agreements. Must also be willing to follow the Resident Proposal Review Board outlined processes.
6. Must not be currently employed by or on the board of an organization applying for Ready by Five funding or able to recuse voting when needed.
7. Save these dates: The RPRB convenes for two orientations. Orientation dates for 2026 are Wednesday, April 15 from 3-5 p.m. and Friday, May 1 from 10 a.m. – noon. Proposals are distributed around May 18. Each member reviews all assigned proposals and submits initial scores by June 1. It takes about 40 hours to review and score all proposals. The RPRB meets for three full days on June 8-10, 2026.

OPPORTUNITY 1 - Request for Kindergarten Teacher

Kindergarten teachers bring daily, first-hand insight into what children need to be ready to thrive in school, so they help RPRB distinguish between programs that sound good on paper and those that are likely to build real school readiness skills. They see how children’s early experiences, family supports, and preschool or child care quality show up in literacy, numeracy, self-regulation, and behavior in the kindergarten classroom, which makes their perspective especially valuable when weighing which early childhood investments will actually close opportunity gaps.

As volunteer reviewers, kindergarten teachers strengthen Ready by Five and the RPRB by adding classroom-based expertise to a resident-led process that already centers family and community voice. Their participation aligns with broader movements to elevate educator voice in policy and funding decisions, ensuring that those who implement educational practices help shape how dollars are spent. This can lead to more practical, high-impact recommendations, better alignment between birth–to–five services and K–12 expectations, and stronger accountability for using millage funds to support strategies that teachers know help children succeed.

The RPRB seeks the following:

• Currently licensed (or recently retired within the last 5 years) kindergarten or early elementary teacher with at least 3 years’ classroom experience.
• Demonstrated experience supporting kindergarten readiness (early literacy, numeracy, social–emotional skills, and smooth transitions from preschool or home to school).
• Familiarity with working with families of diverse backgrounds, including children with IEPs, dual language learners, and children experiencing poverty or homelessness

OPPORTUNITY 2: Request for Nurse Practitioner or Nurse

Nurse practitioners bring a broad, whole-child and whole-family lens to early childhood funding decisions because they routinely see how medical care, mental health, housing, food security, and caregiver stress intersect in young children’s lives. They can help RPRB weigh whether proposals meaningfully include preventive care, developmental screening, care coordination, and linkage to social supports rather than only treating problems after they arise. Their experience with diverse families in clinics, home visiting, and community settings also helps test whether programs are realistically accessible (hours, language, transportation) and likely to reduce health and developmental disparities, not inadvertently widen them. As volunteers, they strengthen Ready by Five by ensuring health-focused investments are clinically sound, family-centered, and aligned with best practices in early childhood health and development.

The RPRB seeks the following:

• Licensed nurse practitioner or Licensed Nurse in Kent County Michigan with experience in pediatrics, family practice, community health, or maternal–child health.
• Experience serving children birth to five and their caregivers (e.g., well-child care, developmental screening, immunizations, or home visiting).
• Understanding of how health, housing, nutrition, and family stress affect early development and readiness to learn.

OPPORTUNITY 3: Request for Licensed Child Therapist

Licensed child therapists specialize in infant and early childhood mental health, so they understand how early relationships, stress, and trauma shape brain development, behavior, and learning over time. As contributors to the Resident Proposal Review Board, they can help differentiate between proposals that merely mention “social–emotional skills” and those that use evidence-informed approaches, such as dyadic therapies, parent–child groups, or mental health consultation, to strengthen attachment and support caregivers. They are also attuned to how systems can either buffer or compound trauma for families, which helps the board evaluate whether programs are culturally responsive, non-stigmatizing, and accessible to families facing complex challenges. As volunteers, they help Ready by Five direct funds toward interventions that prevent expulsions, address challenging behavior thoughtfully, and build emotionally safe environments for young children and their caregivers.

The RPRB seeks the following:

• Licensed mental health professional (e.g., LMSW, LPC, LP, or psychologist) with specific experience in early childhood mental health (birth–five) or parent–child therapy.
• Knowledge of trauma, attachment, and social–emotional development in young children, including infants and toddlers.
• Experience collaborating with early childhood programs (e.g., home visiting, child care, preschool, or family support services).

OPPORTUNITY 4: Request for Speech Language Pathologist

Speech-language pathologists bring deep knowledge of how communication develops from infancy through the early grades, including early signs of delay, disability, and the needs of dual language learners. Within RPRB, they can assess whether proposals realistically support early identification (screening, referral pathways), embed rich language experiences in everyday routines, and coordinate with Early On and school-based services. Their perspective helps the board spot gaps—such as programs that unintentionally exclude children with communication differences, or that overlook families whose home language is not English. As volunteers, they help Ready by Five prioritize services that promote early literacy, support inclusive practices, and ensure children with speech and language needs are fully considered in funding decisions.

The RPRB seeks the following:

• Licensed speech-language pathologist in Kent County, Michigan, with experience providing services to children birth to five (e.g., Early On, preschool, or private practice serving young children).
• Knowledge of typical and atypical language development, including experience with children who use augmentative and alternative communication or are dual language learners.
• Experience working collaboratively with families, educators, and other professionals on IFSP/IEP or similar team processes.

What it looks like to be a RPRB Member:

• To prepare board members, the RPRB convenes two orientations. During this time, the group learns what is required for proposals to be funded and how to score all funding request proposals. Orientation dates for 2026: Thursday, April 15 from 3-5 p.m. and Friday, May 1 from 10 a.m. – noon.
• Proposals are distributed to each board member with scoring materials and directions. This will arrive around May 18, 2026.
• Each member reviews all assigned proposals and submits scores and any questions 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. Deadline to submit online scores and feedback around June 1, 2026
• The full RPRB meets for 3 days (depending on the number of proposals) to discuss how all members scored each proposal. During these meetings, the RPRB comes to a decision about what proposal should be funded and how much they should receive. Meeting dates for 2026 RPRB: June 8-10.
• 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.

How to Apply: Complete this online application by Friday, March 27, 2026.