Ready By Five Early Childhood Evaluation
Basis partners with the First Steps Kent (FSK) to evaluate the Ready by Five (Rb5) Early Childhood Millage, a voter-approved funding initiative designed to ensure children in Kent County, Michigan are healthy and ready to learn when they enter Kindergarten.
Why Kindergarten Readiness Matters
Early childhood experiences play a critical role in shaping children’s long-term health, development, and learning. Yet families often encounter fragmented systems of care, with gaps between health, early learning, and family support services. The Rb5 millage was designed to address these gaps by funding a coordinated continuum of services for families from conception through age five.
By evaluating both implementation and impact, Basis helps FSK understand which services are reaching families, which strategies are associated with improved outcomes, and how early childhood investments can be strengthened to better support children and families across Kent County.
Statistics
Impact in Action
Helping Communities:
19 community-based service providers funded through the Rb5 millage in 2025.
Impact that Counts:
Rb5-funded providers served over 16,000 young children and parents in 2025.
Real, Direct Help:
Over 15,520 service encounters with young children and parents were completed in 2025.
Financing the Future
Early findings show that Participation in Rb5 services is associated with improved academic readiness among some groups of children entering kindergarten. Evidence from the evaluation also helped inform the successful renewal of the millage in 2024, demonstrating how local data can guide community investment in early childhood systems. By generating rigorous evidence about what works, and where additional effort is needed, the evaluation helps local leaders strengthen early childhood programs and ensure public investments produce meaningful benefits for children and families.