For Parents

Way to Grow hosts Cooking Matters for a 6-week cooking course for Way to Grow families.

Family Cooking Classes Build Confidence

Family Cooking Classes Build Confidence 1200 900 Ann Frances Gregg

Family Cooking Classes Build Confidence

Way to Grow celebrates the power of food to nourish more than just bodies, it builds connection, confidence, and community, which is why we’re proud to partner with University of MN Extension for a six-week series of cooking classes for families through Cooking Matters. Each week, a local chef (Peter), a nutrition educator (Lani), Way to Grow parents, and our Programming Team come together to learn a new recipe and build kitchen skills that support long-term success at home. These shared experiences help families turn everyday cooking into positive family experiences.

We want to give a special shoutout to Brittany, a former participant in our first Cooking Matters series last year. From the start, she arrived early to help Lani and Peter with prep work. Her willingness and hard work made such a positive impact for everyone involved. This year, she returned as a formal volunteer for the full six-week course. We’re so grateful for her enthusiasm, skill, and time..

Week by week, recipe by recipe, these cooking classes are feeding families in all the ways that matter.

Teaching hands-on, healthy meals on a budget

Cooking Matters is a national program dedicated to helping families shop for and prepare healthy meals on a budget. Their hands-on, real-life approach aligns with Way to Grow’s mission of supporting families through education and empowerment. Each week, families learn how to:

  • Use simple techniques to cook with confidence
  • Try new flavors and foods with guidance from an experienced local chef
  • Use the Cooking Matters Recipe Finder to discover practical recipes perfect for busy lives
  • Stretch ingredients across meals

Parents and Family Educators gain practical skills and ideas they can immediately use. And children often join in – tasting, laughing, and celebrating the meals their parents create.

Why family meal planning matters

Way to Grow knows that consistent mealtimes support children’s learning and development. Family meal planning can boost language skills, pass on cultural traditions, and create space for emotional connection. When caregivers feel confident in the kitchen, they’re more likely to prepare balanced meals, and more likely to enjoy doing it.

Through this six-week series, parents discover that nutritious food doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. With the right tools and support, mealtimes are less stressful and more meaningful.

Chef Peter leading a family cooking class session
Parent cooking a new recipe during Cooking Matters session
Way to Grow mom preparing vegetables during class
Women discussing ingredients during a family cooking class
Brittany and Ronel smiling with Brittany’s cooking certificate

A program that feeds more than stomachs

Week by week, recipe by recipe, these cooking classes are feeding families in all the ways that matter. What starts as a simple meal often ends with shared laughter, new friendships, and a growing sense of confidence. Families leave with full stomachs and hearts, and skills that will last well beyond the final session.

Our final session was especially sweet. Participants received program certificates, shared a celebratory lunch, and enjoyed a favorite from the Cooking Matters recipe page – Black Bean Brownies. Delicious, rich, and packed with protein, they were the perfect way to end a season of learning and connection.

Way to Grow is grateful to the University of MN Extension program for investing in our community and showing what’s possible when we cook and learn together. We’re happy to share that a second series is in the works. Stay tuned!

To explore more about how Cooking Matters helps families thrive nationwide, visit cookingmatters.org.

Special thanks to John Gwinn for sharing his photos with us.


Want to become a Way to Grow family?

If you or someone you know is expecting a child or raising young children in the Twin Cities, we’re here to help. Our free, personalized home visiting program supports families from before birth through third grade with early education, health resources, and trusted, long-term support.

Learn more and apply today at waytogrow.org/enroll.

We’d love to walk alongside your family, too.

3rd Grade Graduation | Way to Grow, Minneapolis, MN

A Heartfelt Farewell: Celebrating Our Third Grade Graduates

A Heartfelt Farewell: Celebrating Our Third Grade Graduates 1200 900 Ann Frances Gregg

A Heartfelt Farewell: Celebrating Our Third Grade Graduates

This May, nearly 200 students, families, and staff came together at North Mississippi Regional Park in Minneapolis for a joyful third grade graduation celebration, a major milestone for the children and families of Way to Grow.

This event was more than a picnic, it marked the culmination of years of partnership, learning, and growth. Way to Grow supports families from before birth through third grade, ensuring every child is healthy, nurtured, and ready to succeed in school. Graduation is both a celebration and a launchpad, as our students take their next big step toward the future.

Third Graders, your future is bright, and Way to Grow is cheering you on every step of the way!

Way to Grow's 2025 3rd Grade Graduates
A very proud Way to Grow 3rd Grade Graduate with his medal
A Way to Grow family at 3rd Grade Graduation 2025
Way to Grow Family Educator, Miss Alison, and one of her students at 3rd Grade Graduation 2025
Way to Grow staff Jessica, Kim, and Coco, Way to Grow's CEO
Way to Grow Family Educator, Miss Phoua, and one of her students at 3rd Grade Graduation 2025

Celebrating Growth and Achievement

Families and educators enjoyed a beautiful day outdoors with jumbo yard games, badminton, a magician, and a BBQ lunch. Laughter filled the air as Family Educators shared reflections on each child’s journey in our early childhood education program.

These students have grown in so many ways, from building literacy skills to gaining confidence in the classroom. Their smiles said it all – they’re proud, prepared, and excited for what’s next.

Honoring Families and Community Support

As part of the celebration, and in honor of Mother’s Day, each mother received a single white rose. This small gesture recognized the love, resilience, and dedication of the caregivers who walk beside their children every step of the way.

At Way to Grow, we believe strong families build strong communities. These moments of recognition matter.

Congratulations, Class of 2025!

To our graduates: You’ve come so far, and we couldn’t be prouder. Your curiosity, courage, and resilience will take you far in life. Keep learning, keep dreaming, and know that you’ll always be part of the Way to Grow family.

With love,

Your friends at Way to Grow


Want to become a Way to Grow family?

If you or someone you know is expecting a child or raising young children in the Twin Cities, we’re here to help. Our free, personalized home visiting program supports families from before birth through third grade with early education, health resources, and trusted, long-term support.

Learn more and apply today at waytogrow.org/enroll.

We’d love to walk alongside your family, too.

Family Support from the Start: A Community Baby Shower

Family Support from the Start: A Community Baby Shower 1200 900 Ann Frances Gregg

Family Support from the Start: A Community Baby Shower

On March 18, Way to Grow and Sabathani Community Center hosted a heartwarming Community Baby Shower. The event brought together local families to celebrate new and expecting parents with essential resources, education, and support. Both organizations highlighted the importance of family support programs and access to parenting education resources, which help create strong foundations for early childhood development.

Way to Grow CEO, Coco Du, shared her reflections on the day:

“The best part of my day? Attending Way to Grow’s Community Baby Shower and seeing our team in action! I’m so grateful for our dedicated staff who provided maternal health education, ensuring every family felt supported. When we support families, we build stronger, healthier communities together.”

“The best part of my day? Attending Way to Grow’s Community Baby Shower and seeing our team in action! I’m so grateful for our dedicated staff who provided maternal health education, ensuring every family felt supported. When we support families, we build stronger, healthier communities together.”
-Coco Du, CEO of Way to Grow

Growing Strong with Way to Grow

Way to Grow believes every child deserves a safe and healthy start. Through our Growing Strong program, we offer early childhood family support with one-on-one guidance from our Family Educators. Parents receive coaching on safe sleep, prenatal and postpartum stress management, bonding and attachment, and brain development. Our goal is to help families navigate healthcare, from scheduling well-child checkups to staying up to date on immunizations. Our Community Baby Showers extend this mission, ensuring parents have access to holistic family services and community support.

During the event, our team provided maternal health education in both English and Spanish, ensuring every parent felt supported. Families received essential baby supplies, including diaper bags, sleep sacks, and much more. Attendees and staff discussed the importance of creating safe and nurturing home environments for their children.

If you or someone you know would like to become a Way to Grow family, fill out a Family Interest Form and we’ll be in touch! When you join Way to Grow, you become part of our family. We will be there every step of the way, walking alongside you as your family grows.

Sabathani Community Center: Maternal Health Matters

As our co-host, Sabathani Community Center shared the resources they offer to community members. Their Maternal Health Matters program focuses on supporting Black individuals through pregnancy and postpartum care with parent coaching and guidance. Services include home visits, perinatal yoga, and growing access to childcare and family resources. Families can learn more about these family-centered learning programs at sabathani.org/maternal-health.

Addressing Maternal Health Disparities in Minnesota

Events like the Community Baby Shower are especially important in Minnesota, where maternal health outcomes vary significantly across racial and economic lines. While Minnesota ranks better than the national average in overall maternal health, the state faces significant disparities, particularly in access to general healthcare. Black and American Indian/Alaska Native mothers in the Midwest experience some of the largest inequities in maternal health outcomes compared to White mothers (Surgo Health, Maternal Vulnerability Index, 2024). By providing free, accessible education and support, Way to Grow and Sabathani Community Center are working to address these disparities and ensure that every family—regardless of background—has the knowledge and resources needed for a healthy start.

Looking Ahead

A huge thank you to everyone who made this event possible, from our dedicated team members to the incredible families who joined us. Congratulations to all the growing families on their newest, precious arrivals! We look forward to continuing this work and strengthening parent-child relationships through community programs for parents.

For more information on Way to Grow and our home visiting programs for families, visit waytogrow.org.

For media inquiries, please contact: 
Melissa Meyer 
Vice President of Development 
mmeyer@mplswaytogrow.org 
612-874-4740 

Family Fun: Post-It Note Games

Family Fun: Post-It Note Games 800 350 Maren Nelson

Keep learning year-round with indoor actives like this! Sent to us by our Preschool Pals teachers, you can adapt the game to different skill levels.

You will need: 
A blank wall or door (or even the front of the refrigerator), sticky notes, marker. 

Step 1:
Write each letter of the alphabet on a different sticky note, and put them on the wall or door.
 
Step 2: 
Ask the child to identify the letter, spell words, or find the letter based on its sound. 
 
Download instructions for identifying the letter, matching letters, alliteration, and spelling and rhyming for even more fun!

Family Fun: Cheerio Bird Feeders

Family Fun: Cheerio Bird Feeders 3334 1459 Way to Grow

It can be hard to find fun activities to keep kids busy indoors during the cold winter months. Tap into their creativity and watch some local wildlife together with these bird feeders! 

You will need: 
Cheerios, floral wire or pipe cleaners, ribbon or string for hanging

Step 1:
Shape your wire first – our example uses hearts, but you can twist it into other fun shapes, too!
 
Step 2: 
Thread the Cheerios on the wire.  
 
Step 3:
Twist the ends of the wire together to close the shape and keep the Cheerios in place.
 
Step 4:
Hang it up outside near a window and enjoy watching the birds that come for a snack, or make it educational by helping your children identify the birds and learning about them together!

Family Fun: Wax Crayon Resist Art

Family Fun: Wax Crayon Resist Art 3334 1459 Way to Grow

It can be hard to find fun activities to keep kids busy indoors during the cold winter months. Tap into their creativity with this fun snowflake art! 

You will need: 
white wax crayon, white paper, watercolor paint, paint brush, cup of water, salt

Step 1:
Draw a design on a white piece of paper with a white crayon. (This is perfect for snowflakes or a snowman!)
 
Step 2: 
Choose a color (or several!) to paint on your drawing. Be sure to paint over all your crayon designs. They will pop against the colorful background! 
 
Step 3:
For extra pizzazz, sprinkle some salt over your painting while it’s still wet. This creates a beautiful and unique effect when mixed with the watercolor paint.
 
Step 4:
Let your painting dry and enjoy!

Family Fun: Fall Leaves Hand Tree

Family Fun: Fall Leaves Hand Tree 3334 1459 Way to Grow

Believe it or not, it’s still fall! If you miss those beautiful colors, our Preschool Pals staff has a great activity for you to do with your family!

You will need: 
paper, pencil, scissors, markers (or any coloring/painting tool), toilet paper/paper towel roll
 
Step 1:
Trace your hands with the pencil. The more hands you trace, the fuller your tree will be. We recommend 3-5 hands.
 
Step 2: 
Choose your favorite fall leaf colors and color your whole hand. You can practice staying in the lines as an extra challenge or choose to go over the line to make sure every part of your hand is colored.
 
Step 3:
Cut out your hands along the line you traced.
 
Step 4:
Cut two 1-inch slits on either side of the top of your toilet paper roll.
 
Step 5: 
Place your cut-out “leaf” hands in the slits of your toilet paper roll. Arrange the hands so that the tree looks full of leaves. 
 
Step 6:
Enjoy your new fall tree!

Family Fun: On the hunt!

Family Fun: On the hunt! 1080 1920 Maren Nelson

Run out of ideas for your kids this summer? Our preschool staff has you covered with a scavenger hunt bingo game!

Supplies:

Download and print off this bingo card and grab a marker.

What to do:

Go on a walk around your neighborhood or anywhere you could find these items. Look around carefully and encourage your child to identify items on the card, as well as the different things you encounter. Encourage older children to lead the hunt by thinking about where specific items can be found, and increase the difficulty by setting a timer. When you’ve found an item, cross it off on the card.

BINGO!

You’ve won when you find five items in a line (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal), or continue until you have found every item. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy your adventure together!

Learning at Home: Alphabet Wall Game

Learning at Home: Alphabet Wall Game 150 150 Maren Nelson

This activity comes from one of our Preschool Pals teachers and is a great game for you and your preschooler to play at home together.


What You Need:

  • Cards with all the letters of the alphabet (uppercase AND lowercase)
  • A wall you can put tape on in a room with lots of space to run
  • A helper! (that’s you, caregiver, family member, or friend!)

Game Set-up:

If you do not have letter cards, here’s how you can make your own:

Cut paper into small squares. On each square, write the upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Then tape these squares on the wall in a random order. (Make sure you tape them at a height your child can reach.)


How to Play:

Level 1: Letter Names

The helper calls out a letter from the wall. The child then runs to the wall, finds the letter, and tags it with their hand.

Level 2: Letter Sounds

The helper calls out a letter sound. The child then runs to tag the correct letter.

Level 3: Word Sounds

Option 1: The helper puts an object in front of them and the child must run and tag the first letter in the name of the object. (Example: the helper sets a cup in front of them, so the child should tag the letter “C.”)

Option 2: The helper calls out a word and the child runs to tag the first letter of that word.

7 Back to School Tips for You and Your Family!

7 Back to School Tips for You and Your Family! 2560 1709 Angelique McDonald

The start of a new year can bring challenges as well as excitement. We found this great resource from PBS to help you and your family get ready for the new school year. Here are just a few ways that you can get involved without getting overwhelmed! Click through to read more:

  1. Meet the teacher
  2. Tour the school
  3. Connect with friends
  4. Tool up
  5. Avoid last-minute drilling
  6. Chat about today’s event and tomorrow’s plans
  7. Ease into routine

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