Ready by 5 reports nearly 17,000 residents reached in 2025; presenters warn of provider closures and procurement changes

Jennifer Headley Nordman, president of CFSKENT, and Ready by 5 staff presented the program’s 2025 annual report to the Kent County Board of Commissioners Policy and Operations Committee on May 12, saying the early-childhood millage continues to reach families countywide.

The presentation showed Ready by 5-funded programs served 16,528 individuals in 2025 (up from 15,372 in 2024), delivered nearly 29,000 services across all ZIP codes and had a 98% utilization rate, with roughly $9.2 million of $9.3 million awarded reimbursed, Jasper Tinoco, the program’s data specialist, told commissioners.

Those figures matter, presenters said, because early investment in ages 0–5 yields long-term benefits for education, health and earnings. "The earlier we invest, the greater return that we have," Kiana, vice president of community investments, said, summarizing the program’s rationale and its alignment with early-childhood research.

Ready by 5 staff walked commissioners through category and dosage data. Tinoco presented a breakdown showing early learning programs served about 12,000 individuals; outreach and navigation served roughly 2,400; parent education about 1,600; and healthy-development services just over 1,000. An internal matched comparison of kindergarten-readiness measures showed mixed but generally positive directional results for academically focused services, with presenters noting measurement limits and the need for further data integration.

Commissioners pressed for detail on measurement and eligibility. Commissioner LeGrand asked what constitutes an "academic service" in the readiness analysis; Jennifer Headley Nordman, citing her background as a nationally certified school psychologist, said the measures the districts use are literacy-based and look at indicators such as letter recognition and letter sounds. "If you're looking at literacy-based skills, it's much easier and much cleaner," she said.

Presenters also flagged operational changes in the local service network. They said Bethany Christian Services curtailed interpretation services tied to refugee resettlement and Health Net of West Michigan reduced operations amid federal funding shifts. "These closures are not due to Ready by 5—we are a portion of their funding—but they do reflect a broader policy change and reductions in the funding environment," Kiana said. Ready by 5 said Voices for Health and the Hispanic Center of West Michigan are stepping in to provide interpretation while an RFP remains open, and the program has consolidated its procurement categories from eight RFP types to four to simplify contracting for providers.

Commissioners also asked about service reach in lower-density areas. Board Chair Green noted smaller map dots in some outlying ZIP codes and questioned how the program expands services there; presenters said ZIP-code eligibility and county-boundary rules sometimes make nearby families ineligible and that they are asking service proposers to document ZIP-code coverage to guide expansion.

No formal policy action or vote was taken on Ready by 5 during the meeting. Presenters committed to sharing additional research references and agreed to provide commissioners with follow-up materials on measures and outreach strategies.