R.E.A.D.Y. History
In 1998 the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) developed the R.E.A.D.Y. (Read, Educate, and Develop Youth) program to make parents of young children aware of the amazing things that happen in the first years of a child's life. In addition to raising awareness, the project developed a resource kit to provide Michigan's parents of young children with basic information and materials to help take advantage of the early learning years. It was a goal of the program to help parents prepare their children to enter school ready to read and learn.
Legislative funding provided for the development, production and distribution of over 630,000 R.E.A.D.Y. kits to Michigan parents at not cost to the families. In addition, corporate sponsors supported production and distribution as well allowing for greater outreach, parent survey evaluation, and new product development that would meet the needs of Michigan's youngest citizens.
R.E.A.D.Y. Kits were developed for parents of three age levels; Infants (0-1), Toddlers (1-2½), and Preschoolers (2½-4). A pre-kindergarten packet was developed for those children arriving at Kindergarten round-up who had not been exposed to preschool or organized learning activities. This packet was soon found to be a valuable resource for all families attending kindergarten round-ups. Funding did not allow outreach to families of children over 4 nor were there sufficient funds to cover every child entering kindergarten so these packets became the first 'for-sale' R.E.A.D.Y. product.
Economic downturns ended the legislative funding for this program on September 30, 2001. At that time the Educational Materials Center (EMC) at Central Michigan University (the producers and distributors of the kits), in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education (the developers of the kit) began offering R.E.A.D.Y. materials for sale at the cost of non-Michigan specific materials only. This stop gap measure has allowed the program to remain active to those who could afford to purchase or who could find supporters to provide for their programs. At the same the partners began development of a product that would be suitable for use in all states and some foreign countries by removing Michigan contacts and references from the design of the materials. The goal of this effort was two fold: to share Michigan's investment with other states and to recoup Michigan's investment to continue the program in the state.
After the R.E.A.D.Y. program received national attention by being named one of the most innovative programs in the nation by the Council of State Governments, there was much interest expressed by other states in replicating the program and/or the kit. The cost of start up was prohibitive to most states. By preparing a product that could be used in other states, Michigan would share her start up investment with her neighbors who can purchase the product in whatever quantity needed and customize large quantities to meet local needs. At the same time, selling product to a broader customer base helps keep the cost of the Michigan program down. Funds above cost, recouped from the sale of product to customers outside Michigan, are reinvested into the Michigan program. The EMC is proud of the role we play in keeping this vital project alive and growing.
Today the R.E.A.D.Y. program has once again begun a free distribution to Michigan's most at risk families. It has also become part of Governor Jennifer Granholm's project Great Start. To learn more about the current R.E.A.D.Y. program as a Great Start effort, click on the Great Start logo below.
The R.E.A.D.Y. Kit is a Great Start Effort