ReadyNation

What ReadyNation does

The Institute for Child Success (ICS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and applied policy organization founded in 2010 (with firmographic data indicating a 2006 origin under the ReadyNation brand) and headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, with reach across 33 states. The organization is dedicated to improving outcomes for young children prenatal to age eight by supporting the practitioners, providers, policymakers, foundations, and elected officials who serve them. Its work spans policy research and advocacy, measurement and evaluation, innovative financing (including Pay for Success structuring), professional development, and systems change initiatives.

ICS's core technology and product surface is the IMPACT Measures Tool®, a free digital repository of early childhood assessment measures scored on four key categories, developed in collaboration with the University of Oregon's Center for Translational Neuroscience under a Creative Commons license (the trademark itself is held by the University of Oregon). The organization also operates Strong Nation (a national workforce-development network with 8,000 members across 50 states), the Hello Family Spartanburg Pay for Success initiative (a $30 million public-private partnership using Nurse-Family Partnership home visiting), the South Carolina Early Childhood Common Agenda, the Early Relational Health Research Network, and FUEL for 50. ICS serves a federal, state, and local government audience alongside philanthropic foundations, distinguishing itself through a coaching-based engagement model that builds government staff capacity rather than performing work as a traditional consultant.

Revenue is generated through a mix of foundation grants, government contracts (including a Social Innovation Fund grant for Pay for Success work and partnership with HRSA's ECDHS initiative), corporate sponsorships, and individual donations, with no disclosed fee-for-service pricing. The organization does not publicly disclose revenue; with approximately 7 employees per firmographic data, it operates as a lean intermediary that has cumulatively catalyzed $948 million for young children and families since inception, supported 32.5 million children in 2024, and executed 75 initiatives across 33 states in the 2023-2024 period.

Name

ReadyNation

Legal name

Institute for Child Success

Website

https://readynation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Institute for Child Success is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports early childhood practitioners, policymakers, and philanthropic foundations through policy research, measurement tools, Pay for Success financing, and systems change initiatives spanning 33 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Policy Research and Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAKAB

Early Childhood Development (ECD) & Pre-Primary Education

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Education & Skills Development Programs

SECONDARYEDACAIAB

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses)

Education/Early Childhood Education/Early Childhood Teacher Training & Professional Development

Keywords

• Early childhood policy
• Policy research advocacy
• Measurement evaluation
• Pay for success
• Systems change consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington, DC

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ICS is a nonprofit research and applied policy organization that provides early childhood policy research, measurement and evaluation, innovative financing (Pay for Success), and technical assistance to government agencies, foundations, and early childhood practitioners. Its flagship digital asset, the IMPACT Measures Tool®, is a free repository of early childhood measures scored across four categories for use by programs and communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IMPACT Measures Tool: A free digital repository of measures for early childhood assessment, scored on four key categories to help find the best fit for communities.
• Strong Nation
• Hello Family

Products and services

• IMPACT Measures Tool® Free digital repository of early childhood measures scored on four key categories, allowing practitioners, programs, and organizations to search, compare, and access the measures best suited to their community.
• Policy Research and Advocacy Support Policy research and legislative support services for federal, state, and local government officials and policymakers working on early childhood policy, legislation, and regulations.
• Innovative Finance and Pay for Success Consulting Innovative financing solutions, including Pay for Success feasibility studies and technical assistance for governments and communities deploying outcomes-based capital for early childhood programs.
• Hello Family Spartanburg (Pay for Success Project) Pay for Success initiative focused on family support and early childhood outcomes; in Spartanburg, 91% of babies in the program avoided NICU admissions.
• Strong Nation Membership Network A national initiative with 8,000 members across 50 states focused on early childhood workforce development, providing resources, professional learning, and a community of practice.
• Professional Development and Empowerment Programs Conferences, continuing education, and professional learning services for early childhood professionals, including the Nurturing Developing Minds Conference and Building Brighter Tomorrows Conference.
• Systems Change Consulting Cross-sector systems change support to improve how health, education, and social systems support young children and families, delivered through coaching and direct consulting engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• $948 million catalyzed for young children and families since inception
• +6 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - Early Childhood Developmental Health Systems (ECDHS): Evidence to Impact InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICS partners with HRSA's ECDHS initiative to improve how health systems support young families across the country. This partnership represents a significant federal government collaboration focused on early childhood developmental health systems.
• University of Oregon - Center for Translational NeurosciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICS collaborates with the University of Oregon on the IMPACT Measures Tool® and EC PRISM projects. Text and materials are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. The IMPACT Measures Tool is a trademark of the University of Oregon.
• Corporation for National and Community Service - Social Innovation Fund (SIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICS received a SIF grant for Pay for Success initiatives, supporting feasibility studies and technical assistance for early childhood Pay for Success projects. ICS helps strengthen the pipeline of governments prepared to implement Pay for Success projects.
• Nonprofit Finance FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit Finance Fund has collaborated with ICS on Pay for Success and early childhood financing initiatives. NFF serves as aPay for Success intermediary and has co-presented on PFS topics.
• North Carolina Early Childhood FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICS collaborated with NCECF and BEST NC on the NC Pathways to Grade-Level Reading initiative, producing research-based policy papers on factors impacting third grade reading proficiency.
• Sorenson Impact CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a supporter contributing to ICS's mission. Sorenson Impact Center works on social impact and Pay for Success initiatives.
• Urban InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a supporter. Urban Institute conducts research on social and economic policy that informs early childhood policy discussions.
• Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICS co-hosted the Creative Connects for Early Arts event with Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, focusing on arts integration in early childhood education.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ZERO TO THREE: National nonprofit that advances the healthy development of babies and toddlers, with strong policy advocacy, professional development, and resource library offerings. Closely aligned with ICS's prenatal-to-age-8 focus, policy research, and practitioner-facing tools.
• National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER): Academic-policy research organization that supports high-quality early childhood education through state-by-state data, policy analysis, and research. Comparable in research-and-policy orientation to ICS, though focused primarily on pre-K access and quality.
• Child Trends: Leading nonprofit research organization focused on improving the lives of children and youth through rigorous data, research, and evaluation. Directly comparable to ICS in mission (child wellbeing research), customers (policymakers, foundations), and deliverables (research briefs, measurement tools).
• First Five Years Fund: Federal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing high-quality early learning opportunities for children birth through age five. Comparable in federal-level policy advocacy, stakeholder coalition building, and communications-driven GTM to ICS.
• CLASP: National policy organization advancing strategies that improve the lives of low-income people, with substantial work on child care and early childhood policy. Comparable in equity-centered policy research and federal/state-level technical assistance to ICS.
• ReadyNation: Business leaders' coalition that advocates for early childhood investment to strengthen the economy. Highly comparable in mission and stakeholder audience (policymakers, business leaders, foundations) to ICS's policy advocacy and systems-change work.
• Prenatal-to-Three Policy Impact Center: Policy research center focused on prenatal-to-age-3 policy and financing, producing state policy blueprints and evidence reviews. Highly comparable to ICS's prenatal-to-age-8 focus, Pay for Success work, and state-level policy engagement.

Emerging players

• Nonprofit Finance Fund: Community development financial institution and Pay for Success intermediary that has collaborated with ICS on early childhood financing initiatives. Comparable in innovative financing expertise; complementary rather than directly competing on policy research.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Institute: Large, established research organization producing evidence on social and economic policy including early childhood. Listed as an ICS supporter; broader portfolio but overlapping research, policy evaluation, and government advisory functions.
• Brookings Institution (Center for Universal Education): Major think tank whose Center for Universal Education produces influential early childhood and global education policy research. Broader scope but overlapping function in policy research, measurement, and influencing federal/international early childhood policy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Child_Success
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNByv2loTAMf8LCPFZ4rDFA
• Facebookfacebook.com/instituteforchildsuccess
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/readynation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ReadyNation