The Ready by Five Early Childhood Provider Network
The Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage provides dedicated and sustainable funding for programs that improve the health, school readiness, and well-being of children under age five. The organizations below are the first Ready by Five millage recipients. Click on their name to contact them and learn more about their work.
Outreach and Navigation Providers
OUTREACH AND NAVIGATION services educate parents about resources available to support healthy child development and early learning and connect them to programs in the community. They engage expectant parents and parents of young children, with a strategic focus on those with the highest needs. Ready by Five providers work as a greater network to ensure families get the services they need.
Central Intake Navigators. These organizations can direct any family looking for local early childhood resources or programs:
- Family Futures
- Help Me Grow Kent
- Health Net of West Michigan
- Hispanic Center of Western Michigan
Niche Navigators. These navigation experts serve a specific population within Kent County. Each program reaches families and directs them to the available resources in Kent County.
- The Hands Connected Network
- Family Promise of Grand Rapids
- Health Net of West Michigan
- The West Michigan Partnership for Children
Healthy Development
HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS These services ensure expectant parents and those with young children have access to comprehensive, coordinated care that maximizes the child’s physical and emotional health and regular screenings to identify developmental delays, disabilities, and emotional concerns. Examples of services include developmental screening tools, healthcare-focused programming, behavioral health services, and programs addressing environmental hazards.
Ready by Five Healthy Development providers include:
- Arbor Circle
- Cherry Health
- Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC)
- Family Futures
- Family Promise of Grand Rapids
- Healthy Homes of West Michigan
- Kent County Health Department
- Ready for School
Parenting Education Programs
Home Visiting Services are when trained providers, such as nurses or parent educators, regularly visit families in your home or comfortable meeting place to offer a variety of one-on-one education and support. Millage-funded Home Visiting programs include:
Ready by Five Home Visiting providers include:
- D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s
- Easterseals Michigan
- Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative
- Family Futures
- Kent ISD
- MomsBloom
- Spectrum Health System
- Vibrant Futures
Translation and Interpretation Services. These agencies provide interpretation and translation services (in-person, telephone, and written) to programs that are funded by Ready by Five. Languages include, but are not limited to, Spanish, Nepali, Kinyarwanda, Serbo-Croatian, Swahili, Burmese, American Sign Language, Vietnamese, and Karen.
Translation and interpretation services will be conducted by:
- Bethany Christian Services
- Hispanic Center of West Michigan
- Liaison Linguistics
Early Learning Programs
High-quality early learning experiences nurture a child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. Examples of services include play and learn groups, supports for caregivers, and linkages to early intervention services.
Play and Learn Communities
Play and Learn Communities are facilitated play groups that guide parents and/or caregivers with young children through group and individual play activities that model learning opportunities and build an understanding of child development. Ready by Five Play and Learn Providers include:
- Cherry Health
- Comprehensive Therapy Center
- Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative
- Grand Rapids Community College
- Vibrant Futures
Learn more about our Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage Network
Millage Recipients
Millage Recipient Profile - Hispanic Center of Western Michigan
Located in the heart of Roosevelt Park, the largest Latino neighborhood in Grand Rapids, the Hispanic Center serves more than 12,000 individuals …
Millage Recipients
Millage Recipient Profile - West Michigan Partnership for Children
West Michigan Partnership for Children (WMPC) is a new recipient of Ready by Five Millage funding as of January 2021. WMPC works in collaboration to …
Liaison Linguistics
Millage Recipient Profile - Liaison Linguistics
Liaison Linguistics is new to the Ready by Five Provider Network. The agency will provide translation and interpretation support to families enrolled …
Millage Recipients
Millage Recipient Profile - Comprehensive Therapy Center
Comprehensive Therapy Center (CTC) meets the therapeutic and educational needs of people with disabilities through skill building, academic …
Millage Recipients
Millage Recipient Profile - Cherry Health
Cherry Health is an independent, non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with a primary focus of providing high-quality health services to …
Millage Recipients
Millage Recipient Profile - MomsBloom
When a new baby comes, parents often find themselves overwhelmed and in need of help – and don’t have enough supportive people in their lives. …
Millage Recipients
Millage Recipient Profile - Easterseals Michigan
Easterseals Michigan provides a wide variety of interventions that help individuals of all abilities, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder …
Millage Recipients
Millage Recipient Profile - D.A. Blodgett - St. John's
“The attachment and bond of a child to a caregiver is crucial as it sets the tone for so many aspects of that child’s life – social, emotional, …
Millage Awardees
Millage Recipient Profile - Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative
The Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative is part of the Ready by Five Provider Network!
Millage Awardees
Millage Recipient Profile - Family Futures
Family Futures of Grand Rapids is part of the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage outreach and navigation network.
Millage Recipients
Millage Recipient Profile - Arbor Circle
Arbor Circle's mission is to transform the lives of children, adults, and families facing mental health, substance use, and family concerns in a …
Millage Awardees
Millage Recipient Profile - Health Net of West Michigan
Health Net of West Michigan is part of the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage Outreach and Navigation Network.
Millage Awardees
Millage Recipient Profile - Family Promise
Family Promise of Grand Rapids is part of the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage outreach and navigation network.
Millage Recipients
Millage Recipient Profile - Bethany Christian Services
First Steps Kent welcomes Bethany Christian Services to the Ready by Five Provider Network. Bethany receives millage funding for two of its services.