2023 Impact

What does it take for all our kids to succeed in school and in life? It begins will babies being born healthy and families having the skills and resources they need to provide a strong foundation.

Over the first five years, young children must have access to quality early learning experiences and health care. Parents need tools to monitor their child’s development and early intervention if there are any possible developmental concerns. All of this leads to a “kindergarten-ready” child, who:

• is enthusiastic about learning,
• plays well with others,
• listens and communicates,
• wants to be independent, and
• recognizes numbers and letters.

In collaboration with our community partners, First Steps Kent continues to help children across our community arrive at kindergarten ready for success. We oversaw and administered the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage, which funded 32 different programs in 2023. Our efforts included supporting Kent County’s early care and education professionals, working alongside them to reform and stabilize the child care industry. We also advocated for funding and public policy to support young children and their families, and led efforts to ensure our community’s early childhood stakeholders are aligned and working together. Finally, we prioritized listening to and investing in parents and early childhood professionals, ensuring their important voices are heard by our partners, funders, and policymakers.