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R r i de t o i nvest i ng ear l yReadyStart Ready. Stay Ready.

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Contents040614 Stories of Equity and HopeREADY 0210 12 Tri-Share Childcare: For EmployeesHelper: Velo Kids2022 Kindergarten Readiness CampMeet Bill from Darla Harris SchaapDirector of Reach Out and Read West MichiganNote 08 Tri-Share Childcare informationAs a young person starting her career, I was fascinated by and spent time selling "dreams" to people: the dream of a custom diamond ring finally being placed on your hand; the dream of gripping the steering wheel of your favorite car as you hit the pavement; the dream of fiber optic internet connecting everyone at your large corporation; and the dream of an inspiring work environment to support your employees' needs. These dreams, important and thrilling to make a reality for adults, made me curious about the dreams of those from our youngest generation, leading me to get involved in non-profit work. It was in that work that one thing was illuminated; no matter how big or small the dream, opportunity is required to see the dream realized. The major flaw in this requirement: potential is equally distributed across a population, but opportunity is not.Ready for School's mission to prepare children for success in kindergarten is a big dream - one that can only be fulfilled by support from and collaboration with parents and caregivers, healthcare providers, educators and community members. Reach Out and Read West Michigan has the great privilege of supporting that dream by partnering with healthcare providers to integrate reading into pediatric practices, advise families about the importance of reading with their children, and share books that serve as a catalyst for healthy childhood development. We are honored to be the local representative for this powerful intervention, working to support our medical providers in their pursuit to implement the model with fidelity, empower families to read together and in the process, create equal opportunities for dream realization!I invite you to check out http://www.reachoutandreadmi.org

Ready 03Photo : Ben White : https://unsplash.com/photos/EMZxDosijJ4Amplifying Stories of Equity and Hope - A Hope College / Ready for School CollaborationReady for School staff and Hope College students and faculty are excited to partner together to amplify stories of equity and hope around kindergarten readiness in the greater Holland area. Led by Dr. Donna Lowry of Ready for School and Dr. Regan Postma-Montaño of Hope College, ?Stories of Equity and Hope,? a $26,000 grant project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will help Ready for School gather and share stories of community experts (both parents / caregivers and professionals) via a podcast and create diverse mini-libraries for community partners.

Ready 05READY 05 A central idea of this project is that listening well and amplifying voices of community experts can lead to improved kindergarten readiness. To this end, Hope College student story gatherers (Carole Chee, Paris Patterson, Ester Turahirwa, and Samuel Vega), supported by Hope faculty (Postma-Montaño, along with Dr. Llena Chavis, Dr. Susanna Childress, and Dr. Jesus Montaño) and by Ready for School staff, will gather stories in video or audio form that speak to the challenges and successes in our community. Students and faculty on the team are committed to listening well to storytellers from a variety of cultural backgrounds in their language of choice (English, French, Kinyarwanda, Spanish, and Mandarin) and eager to share these stories with others.Photo by: The Standing DeskA second component of this project ensures that children and families of various social identities feel welcome in the community by finding their identities represented in books. Studies have shown that reading with caregivers is significant in brain development and that books that reflect a child?s identity can improve literacy skills and a desire to engage in school. The project plans to create mini-libraries in consultation with Postma-Montaño?s Children?s and Young Adult Literature class which focuses on social identity in books for young readers. These mini-libraries will be tailored to each particular site and include 10 mini-libraries for Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity family homeowners, 10 for pediatrician offices in partnership with Reach Out and Read, and 15 for Ready for School partner preschools. The project also will host the children?s author visit in partnership with the Mi Humanities Little Read Lakeshore in fall 2022. We invite you to keep an eye out for the podcast and Little Read Lakeshore author visit in the fall at the start of the school year!

"Be a part of something AWESOME."

Bike for EmpowermentREADY 07We are thankful for organizations like Ready for School, who see BIG potential in small children. They are our future. And we hope you will join us in partnering with this effort. Check it out at www.velo-kids.com Our mission at Velo Kids is to get kiddos outside and on bikes? promoting and cultivating healthy, active, outdoor lifestyles while teaching bike skills, safety and trail stewardship.We do this by offering a variety of programming throughout the summer: Urban and Mountain Bike Camps, Bike Adventure Clubs, Community Rides, free Bike Library that helps break down key barriers for kids who might otherwise be unable to participate, and more.We are thankful for our partnership with Ready for School and love sharing our love of bikes at the Kindergarten Readiness Camp Summer Kick-Off Events in the summer! These kids are the future of our community. It's our responsibility to help them grow happy, healthy, and confident. We MUST invest in them from the beginning. We MUST invest in their education, in their physical health, their mental health, in them as our future. We must let them play and teach them that their bodies are made to be active, to explore, to be curious, to MOVE.Jenny Whiteand mental health but everything about young peoples? lives. Study after study shows that poor fitness limits the ability to learn and in turn has a huge effect on school performance. (Ratey, 2013. Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain).A simple bike ride can have a huge impact on a child. Go for a bike ride!It 's just that simple!Lack of fitness affects not just physical

READY 08HELLO AND WELCOME. By David Hoekman Group Tour MediaBy building confianza, mutual trust, across the community,Ready for School prepares children for success in kindergarten by equipping parents and families through the integrated support of the Holland, Zeeland, and Hamilton communities.Meet Bill Badran, Senior Development Officer Q. What?s your role wit h the organizat ion?A. My job is to inspire through stories and build awareness on resources we provide? like access to year-round early learning through preschool scholarships, kindergarten readiness, early literacy and childcare solutions.Q. What impact does Ready for School have on t he community?A. A community-adopted early literacy screen in 2008 showed that fewer than half of our community?s children were ready for school when they entered kindergarten at age 5. In response to this critical need, Ready for School was launched. The good news is that in 2019, 70% of our community?s children were ready, and the work continues.Our impact is strengthened through partner-ships across the community. Some examples of impact right now are Kindergarten Readiness Camp, in which applications are now being accepted.We have partnered with healthcare providers to enhance early literacy through our Reach Out and Read West Michigan program. We are piloting a Tri-Share Childcare program? a program where qualified employees pay one-third, the employer pays one-third and the state pays one-third of childcare cost. This will help employers stay competitive,retain talent and help their team members.Q. Why does the organization and its goals matter?A. Top three reasons why Ready for School matters:1)Ready for School is closing the gap between potential and opportunity. How? Access, Education, community engagement and collaboration have been Ready for School?s blue print since 2017.With that we are working on a Tri-Share Childcare program.1) Kindergarten Readiness Camp: The move from pre-K to kindergarten is one of the most important transitions a child will make. By having your child attend our camp, they?ll reach kindergarten more confident, inspired and ready.2) Reach Out and Read West Michigan: Children that are read with more often have improved language and listening skills, experience stronger emotional connections to their loved ones and gain a life long love of reading.Q. How can people help or get involved?A. Here are ways you can invest in Ready forSchool?s work: financial donation (for example,give a dollar amount for a couple of the levels you?ve already established), volunteer with us with kids and families in the summer,by spreading the word during community events and/or through joining committees looking at child care solutions and strategy.Q. What is your favorite part about being involved with Ready for School?A. My favorite part about being involved with Ready for School is learning happens every day,everywhere. I see amazing value in early education. When I was an entrepreneur and a small business owner, one of our values was to bring on potential interns who were juniors or seniors in high school.This opportunity not only helps build experience but also guides these young individuals in their career path. Now that I?m involved with Ready for School.I?m pleased to be a part of a child?s kindergarten readiness path. Learning about the Kindergarten Readiness Camp was amazing. It?s amazing to know we have a camp that helps soon to be kindergarten-age kids feel comfortable on their first day of kindergarten. Because of the camp, educators are telling me they see early leaders. This is just one of the many programs that benefit our children and why I love my career at Ready for School.

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