Way to Grow

General Mills Foundation – Supporting Partner through 25 Years

General Mills Foundation – Supporting Partner through 25 Years 150 150 Ivy Marsnik
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A Very Special Delivery
A Very Special Delivery 150 150 Way to Grow

Yesterday, we received a very special delivery: a collection of bilingual board books in Spanish and Somali! The books were purchased with funds raised through our yearly Santa Claus appearance at Magers and Quinn Booksellers in Uptown, Minneapolis.

Pictured above: Gary Mazzone, ‎Outreach & Sales Director at Magers and Quinn Booksellers; Elizabeth Fields; Jenny Donovan; Carolyn Smallwood, Executive Director of Way to Grow; Carrie Johnson, Director of Early Education at Way to Grow; Melissa Meyer, Annual Fund & Communications Manager.

Thanks to Magers and Quinn and the United Educators Credit Union for their continued support of Way to Grow!

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Talking to Your Baby Early and Often
Talking to Your Baby Early and Often 150 150 Way to Grow

A recent Associated Press article highlights the importance of the work that our Family Educators have been doing for years. During home visits, Way to Grow’s Family Educators work to encourage our parents to talk to their children (regardless of their age) throughout the day. This exposure to words and conversations has a tremendous impact on a child’s development.

As writer Lauran Neergaard reports, “New research shows that both how much and how well parents talk with babies and toddlers help to tune the youngsters’ brains in ways that build crucial language and vocabulary skills — a key to fighting the infamous “word gap” that puts poor children at a disadvantage at an even younger age than once thought.”

To read the full article from Friday’s Star Tribune, click here.

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Student of the Month!
Student of the Month! 150 150 Way to Grow

We’re excited to share this incredible Way to Grow success story!

This is Family Educator Collette Fredrickson reporting:

“On Monday morning, Osemwivie, kindergarten student and Way to Grow participant, was named Student of the Month at her school! Last August, Osemwivie was unable to read a single word and refused to even try out of fear of failing. She did very well on her IGDI (Individual Growth and Development Indicators) assessments but hadn’t started the formal reading instruction that happens in Kindergarten.

In a matter of weeks, Osemwivie was well on her way to reading A level books. By January, she was reading and comprehending G level books with ease. Her mom has done a fantastic job of integrating reading into everyday activities such as car rides, grocery shopping, waiting at the dentist, and their nightly bedtime routine. Lately, mom is the one who listens to the bedtime stories while Osemwivie reads the book. (Osemwivie even corrects her family educator’s reading ‘slip-ups’.)”

Congrats to Collette, Osemwivie, and her mother for all their hard work!

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Beyond School Hours
Beyond School Hours 150 150 Way to Grow

Next week, Way to Grow’s Executive Director, Carolyn Smallwood, and Director of Early Education, Carrie Zelin Johnson, will travel to Atlanta to give a presentation on our home visiting model to attendees of the Beyond School Hours conference. Now in its 17th year, the Beyond School Hours conference is one of the nation’s largest and most inspiring education conferences. We’re excited to be returning for the second year in a row to present two breakout sessions.

read more

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A Very Special Visitor
A Very Special Visitor 150 150 Way to Grow

This week, we had a surprise visit from Beverly Propes. Ms. Propes was a member of the team at the Greater Twin Cities United Way that was instrumental in helping launch Way to Grow 25 years ago. A licensed school nurse, she is now a wellness consultant with Minneapolis Public Schools and a member of the board of directors of the Givens Foundation for African American Literature.

So great to see you Beverly! What a way to kick off our 25th Anniversary year!

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Words to Grow
Words to Grow 150 150 Way to Grow

This week, a group of our Family Educators (and a special little helper who had a free day from school due to the cold!) assembled word kits for families of third grade students.These kits are designed to help parents get their children ready for the MCA tests.

This is just one of many ways that Way to Grow brings literacy into the homes of our families. To learn more about our Elementary Education programming, please click here. Stay tuned to the Great by Eight blog for a list of our favorite books that meet state standards for reading comprehension.

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Invest Now or Pay More Later: A Conversation about Early Childhood with Economist Dr. Art Rolnick
Invest Now or Pay More Later: A Conversation about Early Childhood with Economist Dr. Art Rolnick 150 150 Way to Grow

 

Way to Grow Board Member Dr. Art Rolnick, the Co-Director of the Human Capital Research Collaborative at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, recently joined Marti and Erin Erickson, co-hosts of Mom Enough, in their studio. As usual, Art spoke eloquently about the importance of investing in early learning programs. We’re so grateful to have Art’s support.

To hear the interview, click here.

On their blog and in frequent interviews, Marti and Erin explore the many facets of motherhood in today’s world – from confronting the daily joys and struggles of helping kids grow up well, to balancing work and family, to considering the big questions of how society views and values mothers and mothering. Follow along at momenough.com.

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U of M Economist Publishes Study on Early Ed
U of M Economist Publishes Study on Early Ed 150 150 Way to Grow

Courtesy of University of Minnesota / MinnPost

University of Minnesota professor Aaron Sojourner recently published a study in The Journal of Human Resources centered on the role that high quality pre-k programs can have in tackling the achievement gap.

In an article published in MinnPost, Educator reporter Beth Hawkins wrote, “By age 3, children from low-income families are typically one standard deviation behind their wealthier peers on IQ tests. The 1,000 children in the study who got the very early intervention had the same cognitive abilities as middle- and upper-income kids at age 3.”

In his interview with Hawkins, Sojourner said, “Status at 18 can be well predicted by status at age 5, so we keep going back earlier,” said Sojourner. “And there is compelling experimental and quasi-experimental evidence that early life conditions have large, lasting impacts on life course.”

Hawkins also referenced a study by economist (and Way to Grow board member) Art Rolnick that proposed early ed funding for all low-income 3 and 4 year olds based on the incredible return on investment such funding has shown to have on the economy.

Click here to read: New study: High-quality preschool for poor kids under 3 would eliminate achievement gap

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Farewell, Lily!
Farewell, Lily! 150 150 Way to Grow

Yesterday, we bid farewell to one of our wonderful Family Educators. Lily Romero recently graduated from MCTC with her RN degree and has already accepted a position at the HCMC clinic in Richfield.

Lily, you will be missed. Richfield, you’re in good hands!

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