June 8, 2023
1500 Kent County Families Receive Learning Kits
Local organizations partner to provide summer activities to children
(GRAND RAPIDS, M.I.) – Family Futures is distributing 1500 educational kits to children in Kent County between June 5th and June 19th. Three-and-four-year-old children will receive kits to prepare them for kindergarten in partnership with Grand Rapids-based community organizations.
Kits are given primarily to members of Family Futures’ Connections program, a program available to all parents with children ages zero to five that gives them the knowledge and confidence to reduce the stresses of parenthood with community resource navigation and age-specific developmental screenings called ASQs (Ages and Stages Questionnaire).
Additionally, this year Family Futures is excited to expand the project and offer kits to some of its community partners for children participating in the programs. These partners include Grand Rapids Urban League, Healthy Homes Coalition, SECOM Resource Center, and Cedar Springs Schools. 700 of 1500 kits are being provided to partners in the community.
"Our goal is to work with community partners to create a solid foundation for the developmental growth of children in Kent County," said Candace Cowling, Executive Director of Family Futures.
Included in the kits are every item needed to complete the activities provided in the kit. Items include school supplies such as pencils, crayons, and paper, along with fun items to complete the experiments and activities inside such as dice, shaving cream, tweezers, Play-Doh, and more.
“These learning kits help spark a child’s curiosity for learning and help prepare them for preschool and kindergarten,” said Hillary Sawyer, Volunteer and Event Coordinator.
This is the fourth year of the learning kit project coordinated by Family Futures. This project is made possible by the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage.
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About Family Futures: Family Futures is a nonprofit that works to create communities in which all children achieve their full potential. We do that by supporting children and strengthening families just like yours. Our programs focus on children under age five. We work with parents to understand their children’s development, supporting them every step of the way and connecting them to resources when needed. When we all set up children and families for success, communities thrive.
About Ready by Five: The Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage provides dedicated and sustainable funding for programs that improve the health, school readiness, and well-being of children under age five. It allows more children and families from across the community to participate in programs that are proven to increase their likelihood of success in school and beyond. Kent County voters overwhelmingly approved the Ready by Five Early Childhood Proposal in November 2018, making Kent County the first county in Michigan with tax dollars collected specifically to support early childhood programming.
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