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Way to Grow Welcomes Coco Du as New Chief Executive Officer
Way to Grow Welcomes Coco Du as New Chief Executive Officer 2000 1521 Way to Grow

Way to Grow Welcomes Coco Du as New Chief Executive Officer

Way to Grow is thrilled to announce the appointment of Coco Du as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 21, 2025. Coco brings a wealth of leadership experience and an unwavering commitment to community impact, making her the ideal leader for Way to Grow’s next chapter. She succeeds Carolyn Smallwood, who has served as an exceptional and inspiring leader since 2004, leaving a legacy of visionary leadership and innovation that has positioned Way to Grow for continued success. 

Coco joins Way to Grow with over a decade of experience leading mission-driven organizations, including her current role as Chief Experience Officer at Girl Scouts River Valleys. Her expertise spans strategic operations, organizational transformation, and advancing equity, particularly in service to children and families. As a Chinese immigrant and first-generation college graduate, Coco’s leadership is deeply informed by her lived experiences which have shaped her passion for serving those facing systemic barriers.   

“This opportunity is deeply personal to me,” said Coco. “As someone whose journey was profoundly impacted by access to education and mentorship, I am honored to lead Way to Grow in its mission to support families and children in realizing their full potential. Together with our incredible team, board, and community partners, I look forward to building on the strong foundation established by Carolyn and driving meaningful change in the lives of the families we serve.” 

Coco is uniquely equipped to guide Way to Grow through its next chapter, with her impressive background in strategic planning, operational excellence, and program growth. As Assistant Dean at Macalester College, she drove measurable results in the college’s impact and reach through her experience in coalition-building, fundraising, and creating culturally responsive programs. These skills position her to build on Way to Grow’s strengths while fostering innovation and ensuring the organization continues to adapt to meet the evolving needs of the families it serves. 

Michael Garrett, Board Chair, expressed the Board’s enthusiasm: “We are overjoyed to welcome Coco to Way to Grow. Her passion, strategic vision, and proven leadership align perfectly with this crucial moment in our growth and evolution. We are confident that under her guidance, Way to Grow will continue to innovate and thrive.” 

Way to Grow empowers families and children through education, resources, and fostering community connections. Under Coco Du’s leadership, the organization looks forward to an exciting future of innovation, collaboration, and expanded impact. 

Way to Grow’s executive search was conducted by Ballinger | Leafblad, an executive search firm dedicated to serving the civic sector, partnering with foundations, nonprofits, higher education institutions, and professional associations to identify and recruit exceptional leaders.  

About Way to Grow 

At Way to Grow, we support families with children from birth to age eight, providing year-round home visits focused on education, health and family well-being. We are proud to work with more than 2,000 parents and children in Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs—neighbors who work hard to provide for their children and who are active in their community and their child’s education. With a team of talented Family Educators, we help ensure all children are born healthy, stay healthy and are ready to succeed and thrive in school and in life. To learn more, visit waytogrow.org 

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

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A message for the Way to Grow community
A message for the Way to Grow community 1051 776 Way to Grow

Way to Grow’s CEO Carolyn Smallwood to retire in January 2025

A message from Michael Garrett, Chair, Way to Grow Board of Directors

It is with a blend of emotions that I announce, after a remarkable two-decade tenure at Way to Grow, our esteemed
leader and cherished colleague Carolyn Smallwood has decided to retire as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective
January 2025.

Carolyn has been instrumental in elevating Way to Grow to a prominent and influential position in the field of early
childhood education. She is a respected and tireless advocate for progress, spearheading efforts to remove obstacles to
early education by motivating scholars and enabling parents to champion their children’s cause. Carolyn is known for her
unwavering integrity, candid and forthright leadership, and her knack for forging robust community partnerships. During
her leadership, Way to Grow has assembled a skilled team and developed an operational framework that has garnered
respect both locally and nationally.

As Carolyn transitions to the next chapter of her life, she reflects: “Leading this remarkable organization has been one of
the greatest privileges of my life. To guide a dedicated team committed to early childhood education and the prosperity
of children and families has been deeply fulfilling and a source of immense pride. With the organization’s consistent
growth and promising future, now is an opportune moment to introduce a new leader who will preserve the legacy of
strength and expansion we’ve envisioned for Way to Grow for the foreseeable future.”

Way to Grow is privileged to have a skilled team of senior leaders dedicated to ensuring the continuity of our vital work.
The Board of Directors has established a search committee and secured an executive search firm to partner with us in this
significant leadership transition. The search will commence later this month and is expected to culminate by year’s end
with the appointment and announcement of a new leader.

While we will miss Carolyn’s active involvement, we are fortunate to have her with us for the remainder of the year to
appreciate, cherish, and reflect upon our shared experiences. We are organizing an event to honor and express gratitude
to Carolyn for her remarkable service to Way to Grow over the last twenty years.

As we conclude, we extend our best wishes to Carolyn as she embarks on this exciting new chapter of her life. We invite
you to join us in celebrating and acknowledging Carolyn for her unwavering commitment, leadership, and devotion to
Way to Grow, and to wish her a joyful and fulfilling retirement with her beloved family.

Should you have any comments or inquiries during this transition, please feel free to reach out.

With warm regards,
Michael Garrett
Chair, Way to Grow Board of Directors

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

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), 3333 4th Street North, Minneapolis, Minn. 55412.

CACFP is designed to improve the diets of young children and increase the opportunity for children to eat a variety of nutritious foods.  The program is operated by the Minnesota Department of Education, and meals meet nutrition standards established by the United States Department of Agriculture.

In the operation of USDA Child Nutrition programs, no participant will be discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

For more information about Way to Grow’s participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, please contact: Craig Allen, Education Coordinator at 612-874-4740, or callen@mplswaytogrow.org

To learn how you can help us do more, visit www.waytogrow.org, or call (612) 874-4740. Way to Grow is headquartered at 125 West Broadway Avenue, Suite 110, Minneapolis, Minn. 55411.

 

Way to Grow Celebrates the Achievement of Early Learners enrolled in ‘Great by Eight’

Way to Grow Celebrates the Achievement of Early Learners enrolled in ‘Great by Eight’ 150 150 Lisa Bryant
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Rallying for Minnesota’s Children – Advocacy for Children Day 2017
Rallying for Minnesota’s Children – Advocacy for Children Day 2017 960 638 Ivy Marsnik

Advocacy for Children Day celebrates early learning and gives parents, teachers, early care and education professionals, and communities from across the state an opportunity to stand up and be a voice for children. Led by the MinneMinds coalition, which Way to Grow is actively involved in, our staff and several families we serve are gathering at the capitol in support of equitable, child-centered, parent-directed, mixed delivery approaches to state policies affecting families and children. The 2017 policy agenda MinneMinds leads includes:

Ensuring Quality Care Through Parent Aware
  • Fully fund Parent Aware to continue the expansion of high‐quality early learning programs throughout Minnesota.
  • Support existing rated providers and grow from 3,000 programs to 4,400.
  • Ongoing support for rated providers and implementation of improvement strategies, with a priority on stronger recognition and incorporation of cultural competency.
Increasing Access to Quality Early Learning Through Scholarships
  • Increase funding and access of State Early Learning Scholarships for in need children birth‐to five to attend high quality early childhood development programs (Prioritize children with highest needs, including those facing homelessness and in foster care).
  • Complete efforts to fully‐fund scholarships for low‐income 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds to serve 7,000 new, at risk preschoolers.
  • Add funding for high priority groups for 0 to 2‐year‐olds (siblings, homeless, foster care, child protection) to serve 3,400 new, at risk babies and toddlers.
Assisting More Families In Need Through Home Visiting Programs
  • Increase access and funding for targeted home visiting programs to include 7,000 children in high poverty.
  • Provide community‐led solutions to high‐risk families to help stabilize them and give them a strong start.

What You Can Do

Attend the Rally

Join over 500 fellow early learning advocates as we fill the rotunda at the Minnesota State Capitol on Thursday, March 2, 2017. Activities for children begin at 9 am with the rally beginning at 9:30 am. From 11 am – 4 pm legislators will be available for visits.

Register Here

Submit a Letter and Children’s Art

Whether or not you are able to attend the rally, we encourage you to submit a letter to your senators and representatives and tell them why our state’s youngest learners matter to you. Greater Twin Cities United Way  will collect children’s artwork to accompany the letters submitted.

Mail your artwork to:
Lulete Mola
Greater Twin Cities United Way
404 S 8th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55404

Download Letter Template

Meet with Legislators

Meeting with legislators can be easier than you think. Follow these simple steps:
1) Find out who your legislators are
2) Set up a time to meet
3) Identify your main message and a personal story supporting that message
4) Follow these tips for holding a successful meeting

Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi Foundation for Children Awards More Than $1.3 Million in Grants

Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi Foundation for Children Awards More Than $1.3 Million in Grants 150 150 Ivy Marsnik

Minnesota Students’ Scores Mixed on Nation’s Report Card

Minnesota Students’ Scores Mixed on Nation’s Report Card 150 150 Ivy Marsnik
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Social Impact Project Launches in Minneapolis
Social Impact Project Launches in Minneapolis 150 150 Ivy Marsnik

A group of next generation philanthropists has come together to launch The New Impact Fund, a social impact project. We are excited to announce that Way to Grow is one of four family and childhood-focused programs included in the first round of social investments.

“At Way to Grow, we’ve seen the lasting impact of developing a foundation of learning in the home for families in poverty. From a single parent sharing her excitement that her daughter has earned a full scholarship to college because of a strong start with Way to Grow, to a preschool-age boy who formerly lagged far behind his peers now entering school scoring 75 points higher in literacy. A strong start has a strong return for individual families and our communities,” said Carolyn Smallwood, Way to Grow Executive Director.

The New Impact Fund support will help support the programming that empowers our next generation of leaders and fuels the promise of stronger, healthier communities for us all.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Minneapolis – The next generation of Minnesota philanthropists is coming together around a new social impact project called The New Impact Fund. The New Impact Fund, which is just completing its first cohort, is rallying next generation leaders to leverage their philanthropy to take action. The New Impact Fund announces over $410,000 in investment for their first effort. Alicia Phillips of Redwood Philanthropic Advisors and Jason Blumenthal of the Fulcrum Group are launching the effort.

The first cohort of investments is focused on family and childhood programs in Minneapolis. The Fund uses all the tools of capitalism: business investments, loans, and grants to drive change in Minneapolis. We believe that ending cycles of poverty in Minneapolis is possible by training the next generation of philanthropic leaders and innovators to apply analytics and new points of leverage to pervasive social problems.

“This is only possible through the development of new critical leaders, new ways of thinking, and new ways of using capital,” Phillips said. “The New Impact Fund provides the members of the cohort with the skills to effectively evaluate opportunities in terms of innovation, results, and effectiveness in addressing the issues of poverty. We believe the four

programs in which we are investing will create strong, positive change in the lives of Minneapolis families and children in poverty,” said Susan Shank, CFA and Chair of the first co-hort.

The investments were selected for the following programs:

Way To Grow

Way to Grow provides evidence-based programming, delivered primarily through home visits, that measurably improves the lives of families by stabilizing the home and setting a foundation for a culture of learning in the households of at-risk families in Minneapolis.

Baby Space

Baby Space works to strengthen, deepen, and broaden its family engagement program in order to achieve even better academic and social emotional outcomes for the American Indian families and children they serve.

Northside Achievement Zone

Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) uses evidence-based strategies to support North Minneapolis parents–the vast majority of whom are people of color living at or below the poverty line–in building the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to support their children’s growth, development and school success from birth to graduation and beyond.

Joyce Preschool

Joyce Preschool is supported for programming that empowers low-income families to support the social-emotional and cognitive development of their children. The school’s comprehensive and responsive parent support programming is a major factor in Joyce Preschool’s success in achieving a100% kindergarten readiness rate for its graduates.

About The New Impact Fund

The New Impact Fund is a group of next generation philanthropic investors committed to creating wealth through business investments, loans and grants that can add jobs to the economy, increase employment and bring upward mobility to the poorest neighborhoods within Minneapolis.

 

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Cradle to K Cabinet Releases Final Plan to Address Early Learning Disparities in Minneapolis
Cradle to K Cabinet Releases Final Plan to Address Early Learning Disparities in Minneapolis 150 150 Ivy Marsnik

Mayor Hodges and the Cradle to K Cabinet released the final Cradle to K report outlining policy, legislative and collaborative recommendations for 2015 and beyond.

“As much as possible, these recommendations are based on research and the prevailing best practices in the field and in our community.  We want to focus on what works.”
-Mayor Betsy Hodges

The Cabinet, focused on eliminating disparities for children in the City of Minneapolis from prenatal to age three, released the draft report earlier this year.  “I want to thank the community for the serious and heartfelt response we received to the draft report.  I think you will find we took many comments to heart and incorporated your feedback into the final report,” says Mayor Betsy Hodges, “These recommendations are grounded in our three goals and have been labored on not just by our 28 Cabinet members but also by our subcommittees and additional community members.”

The Cabinet is recommending systems alignment, leveraging existing resources, and increased investments in children in the areas of targeted home visiting, housing for very-low income families, child care assistance and early learning scholarships, and service funding for our most vulnerable children such as homeless children and children with special needs.  “The Cabinet’s work is not done,” states Cabinet Co-Chair, Peggy Flanagan, calling Cradle to K a labor of love. “We are ready to get to work.”

Carolyn Smallwood, Cabinet Co-Chair and Executive Director of Way to Grow, adds that the Cabinet is now putting together its implementation plan.  Carolyn outlined a few of the things the Cabinet will be working on right away:

  • Improving the mental health services for children zero to three
  • Combining efforts with Generation Next and others to continue to increase early childhood screening efforts
  • Working on ways to increase the availability of housing for the most low-income families
  • Looking at ways to increase early learning scholarship opportunities for families in Minneapolis and
  • Trying to connect with family, friend and neighbor care providers who provide the majority of care to very young children.

Of these, Carolyn highlights, “It is critical for family, friend and neighbor care providers to have the correct information on getting kids ready for school.”  The Cabinet’s vision for the future, as told by Mayor Hodges, is for every parent and child to have the same access to resources beginning with prenatal care, continuing to empower parents to create a nurturing environment for their children, having stable housing that can provide a safe place to learn, and not having that access be determined or affected by income or race.

The Mayor has said Cradle to K is one of her main priorities this year.  The full report is available on the Mayor’s website.

Check out Way to Grow’s feature on KARE 11.

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Mayor Hodges, Cradle to K Cabinet to Release Final Plan to Eliminate Disparities for Minneapolis Children
Mayor Hodges, Cradle to K Cabinet to Release Final Plan to Eliminate Disparities for Minneapolis Children 150 150 Ivy Marsnik

On Monday, May 18th at 1:30 p.m., Mayor Betsy Hodges and the Cradle to K Cabinet will release their final report which finalizes a plan to eliminate disparities for children in Minneapolis from birth to three years old. Prior to Monday’s release the Mayor and her cabinet met with over 200 community members in March and received considerable feedback over the internet to gather input on the recommendations and strategies for the final report.  The final report outlines policy, legislative and collaboration recommendations for 2015 and beyond.

The Cradle to K Cabinet is one of Mayor Hodges’ major initiatives, with a goal of eliminating disparities for children in the City of Minneapolis from birth to three years old. The Cabinet has been meeting since spring of 2014 and began accepting community feedback this past January. You can see a full list of cabinet members here.

WHAT:                 Mayor Hodges and Cradle to K Cabinet release final Cradle to K plan

WHEN:                Monday, May 18, 2015, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

WHO:                   Mayor Betsy Hodges, Co-Chair Cradle to K Cabinet Carolyn Smallwood,
Co-Chair Cradle to K Cabinet Peggy Flanagan, Members of the Cradle to K Cabinet

WHERE:             Way to Grow, 125 West Broadway, Suite 110, Minneapolis, MN 55411

RSVP:                   By 10:00 a.m., Monday morning, May 18, 2015 to:
Alexandra Fetissoff Alexandra.Fetissoff@minneapolismn.gov, (612) 673-3825

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