According to unofficial vote tallies as reported by the Kent County Clerk’s office, the Ready by Five’s no-tax increase renewal of .25 mills passed with 70,313 yes votes to 48,787 no votes.
“We are grateful to our residents and voters for the strong support of the early childhood millage and confident that Ready by Five will continue to ensure our children are healthy and ready for kindergarten,” said Jennifer Headley-Nordman, president of First Steps, which administers the Ready by Five millage for Kent County.
The Ready by Five millage has provided funding to 18 community-based organizations. The .25 mill, six-year renewal will generate about $8.8 million in its first year and be used to expand access to early childhood programming. According to Ready by Five, the cost to an owner of a home valued at $300,000 would be about $37.50 per year, or $3.13 per month.