KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Voters in Kent County will decide if they want to renew a millage designed to support early childhood development during the primary election this August.
The Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage is up for a 0.25 mill renewal (or $0.125 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation annually) for Kent County voters on Aug. 6. If passed, the millage will provide funding for the next six years.
The original millage was passed in 2018 with over 150,000 voters saying yes.
Ready by Five is part of First Steps Kent, an independent nonprofit organization that strives to make sure that every child in the county will "enter kindergarten healthy and ready to succeed in school and life."
The millage renewal, if passed, will fund community-based organizations that provide early childhood programs.
Some of the types of programs that the millage will fund include:
- 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
The renewal campaign for the millage launched earlier this month with a kickoff event at Millennium Park.
Supporters of the millage say that in 2023, more than 13,600 children and their families participated in a program offering.
“The first five years of a child’s life are critical,” said Ready by Five Campaign Consultant Amy Tuner-Thole. “They are the most important for brain development. Research shows children who start ahead stay ahead.”
Here is the exact ballot language on the millage proposal:
"SHALL KENT COUNTY LEVY 0.25 OF ONE MILL, WHICH EQUALS 25 CENTS PER $1,000 OF THE TAXABLE VALUE ON ALL REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION, FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 1, 2025 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2030, INCLUSIVE, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PLANNING, EVALUATING, AND PROVIDING SERVICES TO PERSONS THROUGH AGE 5 AND THEIR PARENTS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, AND SERVICES TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF CHILDCARE AND TO INCREASE PUBLIC INFORMATION REGARDING AVAILABLE CHILDCARE? THE AMOUNT RAISED BY THE LEVY IN THE FIRST CALENDAR YEAR IS ESTIMATED AT $8,794,547."
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