Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage
Supported by the Kent County Ready by Five Millage
Ready by Five in Kent County
The Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage provides dedicated funding for programs to improve early childhood health, learning, and well-being. Every year, more than 10,000 children ages five and younger and their families participate in community-based programs funded by the millage. Kent County voters overwhelmingly (59% to 41%) renewed the millage for another six years in August 2024, after first approving it in 2018.
The millage is funded by a .25 mill property tax increase that generates about
$48 million in total
Ready by Five Programs
Ready by Five supports community-based organizations that provide around 30 different early childhood programs, including:
- Prenatal support
- Developmental screenings to identify potential delays and disabilities
- Assistance navigating the early childhood system
- Home visits that support caregivers
- Play and learn groups, which help develop language and learning skills
- Elimination of hazardous substances, like lead, from homes
- Intensive therapy for children dealing with behavioral health issues
- Books for families to support reading at home
Ready by Five complements state and federal funding, generating about $8 million a year to expand access to early childhood programming.
- Opportunities
- Millage Impact
- Millage Goals
- Millage-funded Programs and Services
Opportunities
Get Involved: The millage Resident Proposal Review Board (RPRB) is now recruiting new members. Please consider applying for:
2026-27 Funding Opportunities:
The Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage funds programs and services aimed at improving the health and school readiness of children aged five and younger. The next requests for proposals (RFP) will be released on April 1, 2026. A pre-proposal conference will be held on March 31 at 2 p.m. to go over the details of the next RFP. Register here for the info session.
The 2026-27 Letter of Intent is now open. Please apply using this link. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Ready by Five team at readybyfivekent@firststepskent.org.
