Blog

Welcome to the Way to Grow blog! Here you’ll find parenting tips, early childhood resources, and stories from home visits across the Twin Cities. We believe parents are their child’s first and most important teacher, and our home visiting model is built around that: bringing tools, activities, and encouragement right into the home. Browse for book recommendations, everyday learning ideas, program updates, and family stories from across our community.

So, What Exactly is an IGDI? 2560 1707 Chelsea DeLong

So, What Exactly is an IGDI?

IGDI [ig – dee]   IGDIs, or Individual Growth and Development Indicators, are frequently discussed here at Way to Grow. “The IGDIs are next week.” “Don’t eat those snacks in the fridge; they’re for the IGDIs!” “When do the IGDI results come in?” More than an third of America’s young children lack the skills crucial…

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Fun and Learning: It’s in the Bag! 2560 1707 Chelsea DeLong

Fun and Learning: It’s in the Bag!

“Welcome to today’s class!  Is everyone ready to get started?”  Head Teacher Eka Nagoya is ready to start a Parent-Child class at Way to Grow’s Preschool Pals center in North Minneapolis, and his enthusiasm is contagious. In addition to its home visiting program that served nearly 1,500 children and 761 families last year, Way to…

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Different, but the Same 2100 1575 Ivy Marsnik

Different, but the Same

While February may be Black History Month, Way to Grow’s early learners in our Preschool Pals and P.A.L.S. (Parent-Child Activities Lead to School-Readiness) preschools celebrate diversity all year long as part of their day-to-day curriculum. At the start of the school year, we talk about ourselves as being “different, but the same.” We may have different skin…

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Shamsa’s 20 Years and Counting 2560 1707 Maren Nelson

Shamsa’s 20 Years and Counting

From a corner of the Way to Grow office, boisterous laughter rises above the quiet workday chatter. No one has to ask—everyone knows that voice, and smiles spread around the office. Shamsa Idle, a Way to Grow Family Educator, throws her hands in the air, smiling as she recalls a story from her most recent home visit to…

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A Volunteer Program that’s Making a Difference 2560 1707 Lisa Bryant

A Volunteer Program that’s Making a Difference

Pictured: Melody, a Wooddale Church volunteer, mentors Anna (left) and Dalylah (center) as they learn about research and making a prediction by testing an object’s buoyancy. For three years, Way to Grow has collaborated with volunteers from Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie on a tutoring initiative that’s enhancing children’s learning experience. Two evenings per week,…

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Giving Parents a Voice 2560 1707 Lisa Bryant

Giving Parents a Voice

On September 26, Way to Grow launched the first in a series of parent engagement workshops designed to equip parents with the necessary resources and information to advocate for their children’s education and ultimately impact long-term educational outcomes.  My Voice Matters, an innovative initiative developed in collaboration with several of our community partners, will provide…

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Shine Celebration recap 1800 1200 Lisa Bryant

Shine Celebration recap

Thank you!  Our 2017 Shine Celebration: Blessings in Disguise, held on Friday, October 27 was an extraordinary evening of community and generosity!  Over 400 guests came out to The Depot in Minneapolis to celebrate the work of Way to Grow and empowering parents to be their children’s primary educator.  Together with sponsors, table hosts and…

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Playing with Your Child Promotes Brain Development and Long-term Growth 2560 1707 Lisa Bryant

Playing with Your Child Promotes Brain Development and Long-term Growth

Did you know making faces and smiling at your baby, responding to gestures, or playing “peek-a-boo” during the first critical years of life, has a profound effect on your baby’s overall growth, brain development, and educational achievement? Your playful interactions, which may seem insignificant to you, actually are helping to develop the building blocks for…

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Our children’s health and education: the best investment we can make 2560 1707 Ivy Marsnik

Our children’s health and education: the best investment we can make

“It was an accident,” Arthur J. Rolnick, Ph.D. says of coming to focus much of his economic research on children. “Since we [at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis] found the way states conventionally promoted economic development to be fundamentally flawed, we argued that we have to rethink economic development in this country. That led…

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Paying it Forward 150 150 Ivy Marsnik

Paying it Forward

Way to Grow is deeply thankful for the financial support we receive. In fact, gifts allow us to work with the most isolated families in Minneapolis, and ensure that children are born healthy, stay healthy, and are prepared for school. Last year, we served 2,432 children and parents through 11,563 home visits. With your continued…

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You are Your Child’s Best Advocate 2560 1700 Lisa Bryant

You are Your Child’s Best Advocate

One of the most important responsibilities of a parent is to advocate for your child—being their cheerleader on the sidelines, a defender against their opponents, and a voice when their words seem muted. Every day, you strive to provide your child with the best so that their journey in life is a little less bumpy, with fewer twists and turns. As a…

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Way to Grow announces its participation in the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program 667 553 Lisa Bryant

Way to Grow announces its participation in the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program

MINNEAPOLIS—July 26, 2017—Way to Grow, the Twin Cities’ preeminent leader for early childhood and K-3rd grade education has announced today that it is participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and has begun to serve meals at no separate charge to children enrolled at Way to Grow Preschool Pals (Center for Families),…

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