Families don’t experience life one need at a time. Childcare falls through when a parent needs to get to work, a child is having a hard time making friends at school, and the grocery bill is higher than it was last month. All those things can happen in the same family at the same time.
Supporting a child means understanding that bigger picture.
Way to Grow CEO Coco Du explores exactly this in the newest episode on Mom Enough. She joins developmental psychologist Dr. Marti Erickson and maternal child health specialist and nurse practitioner Dr. Erin Erickson to discuss “Why Early Childhood Family Support Helps Children Thrive.”
Throughout the episode, Coco, Dr. Marti, and Dr. Erin talk about home visiting, health, early learning, trust, culture, and the relationships that make strong family support possible. Coco describes an “ecosystem of care” where families, organizations, and communities recognize how closely all of these parts of life connect.
Way to Grow’s home visiting model starts with the whole family, because supporting a child means supporting the people around them, too.
How a Home Visit Supports the Whole Family
At Way to Grow, home visiting is at the heart of our work. Family Educators meet with families from the prenatal years through third grade, building relationships that grow and change right along with children and families.
A home visit might include an activity to support a child’s development, a conversation about health, help preparing for school, or simply time to talk through a question that came up that week. The plan responds to what is happening with the child and the family.
Take for example, what Coco shared near the end of the episode:
During a home visit with a mom and her three-year-old, the Family Educator notices that completing preschool enrollment is weighing on the mom. The Family Educator listens to the parent’s worries, and by the end of the visit, the plan for their next visit changes! The next time they see one another, they will sit down and work through the enrollment papers together.
It’s an everyday moment, but it shows why home visiting can reach far beyond a single activity or lesson. The Family Educator came prepared to support the child, and by making space and listening to the parent, she found another way to support the whole family.
This kind of listening and connection grows out of a relationship built over time, where families feel comfortable sharing what they need, what they’re worried about, and what matters to them.
Families Are Our Most Important Partners
Trust is essential to building those relationships.
In the episode, Coco talks about honoring families’ language and culture, including matching families with Family Educators who share their language and cultural background whenever possible. Sharing a language and understanding a family’s culture can help build the trust that makes honest conversations possible.
Over time, those relationships create space for parents to ask questions, share what is working, talk about what isn’t, celebrate progress, and decide what they want to work on next. Family Educators keep checking in, listening, and adjusting as children grow and family needs change.
As Coco points out, families aren’t simply participants in Way to Grow’s work. They are our most important partners.
Support That Evolves with Families
Being a partner also means recognizing when a family needs something beyond what Way to Grow can provide directly. Family Educators help families connect with other organizations and resources in the community, depending on the questions, concerns, or needs that come up. This is that larger network of support Coco identifies as an “ecosystem of care.” No single organization can provide everything, but we can get better at connecting our work with one another’s and, as Coco says, “think outside our own lane.”
And connection is only part of the goal. Way to Grow children eventually graduate from our program. Coco, Dr. Marti, and Dr. Erin talk about what families carry forward with them after graduation: the knowledge and confidence to ask questions, find resources, navigate systems, and advocate for their children and themselves. Dr. Erin points out that those skills can continue supporting parents throughout their lives. The questions will continue to change as children grow. The goal is for parents to feel more prepared and confident to take on whatever comes next.
Listen to the Conversation
Listen to “Why Early Childhood Family Support Helps Children Thrive” for the full conversation with Coco Du, Dr. Marti Erickson, and Dr. Erin Erickson about home visiting, family partnership, and what it can look like to support the whole family. To learn more about Way to Grow’s home visiting and early learning programs, explore our programs and services.
