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.

Availability of the Revised Early Childhood Indicators of Progress: Minnesota’s Early Learning Standards (ECIPs) 1161 736 Ivy Marsnik

Availability of the Revised Early Childhood Indicators of Progress: Minnesota’s Early Learning Standards (ECIPs)

In the first five years of life, a child’s brain grows to 85% of its full capacity. Children begin to form a sense of what is possible and attainable in their young lives, exploring the world around them and finding their place within it. We know the first years of life are critical to a child’s…

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Community in the Classroom 2560 1707 Ivy Marsnik

Community in the Classroom

The goal of our programming is simple: to help every child succeed in school and life by providing a high-quality educational experience for the entire family. At Way to Grow, feeling welcomed and supported doesn’t stop with our family educators who build deep and trusted relationships with families through home visits. We also work to provide space…

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The Gift of Hope

The Gift of Hope 150 150 Ivy Marsnik
Staff Voices: Representing Native American Identity 934 618 Ivy Marsnik

Staff Voices: Representing Native American Identity

At the age of 16, I ran away from the city to move to the White Earth Reservation in northwestern Minnesota. I always loved it up there. As children, we’d go every summer, and just about every weekend in between, to spend our days canoeing, ricing, and berry picking at my grandfather’s. We’d visit with…

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For School Success, Start with Breakfast 2048 1362 Ivy Marsnik

For School Success, Start with Breakfast

Parents know that school mornings can be the busiest time of the day. Between getting kids to school on time, signing permission slips, making sure homework is done, and everything else, breakfast can be a last minute thought. However, unless you are certain your child is eating breakfast at school, breakfast at home is vitally…

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Way to Grow Alumna Receives Full Ride Scholarship

Way to Grow Alumna Receives Full Ride Scholarship 2560 2048 Ivy Marsnik
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! 1200 798 Ivy Marsnik

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!

Last fall, Waabomiimii began attending Way to Grow Preschool P.A.L.S. after her mom met Miriam, one of our Family Educators, at a recruitment event. At four years old, Waabomiimii did not know her ABCs or how to count, but over the last year she has grown tremendously. Making leaps and bounds, Waabomiimii now knows all…

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Healthy Bodies, Healthy Lives 2560 1707 Ivy Marsnik

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Lives

Nutrition and education are interconnected and deeply affect the lives of the families we serve. Studies show that nutritional deficiencies early in life can negatively affect overall health, cognitive development, concentration, academic performance, and have a lasting, detrimental effect on learning and memory. In response, we expanded the health component of our work to include…

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Parent Engagement Rates Soar 2560 1707 Ivy Marsnik

Parent Engagement Rates Soar

[Tweet “When parents, schools and communities work together to support learning, children do better.”] Over the past several months, Way to Grow has been working to increase parent engagement, and we have seen incredible results! Throughout the summer, hundreds of families have joined in our Cooking Matters health and nutrition classes, attended our Meet the Scholar…

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Who is Dr. Steve Perry?

Who is Dr. Steve Perry? 150 150 Ivy Marsnik
Jessica & La’rissa 150 150 Ivy Marsnik

Jessica & La’rissa

If you are lucky enough to find yourself in a room with Jessica and her 18 month-old daughter, La’rissa, you know what pure pride and joy looks like. But, 21 year-old Jessica wasn’t always so full of life. Jessica enrolled in Way to Grow during one of the most challenging times in her young life;…

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Mayor Hodges Visits Way to Grow as City Launches Talking is Teaching Initiative 150 150 Ivy Marsnik

Mayor Hodges Visits Way to Grow as City Launches Talking is Teaching Initiative

Last week, Way to Grow teamed up with Mayor Betsy Hodges and TPT to launch and promote the City’s “Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing” campaign. The Talking is Teaching campaign is the first initiative to come out of the Mayor’s Cradle to K cabinet, formed in 2014. Carolyn Smallwood, Executive Director of Way to Grow…

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