New on the blog: free and low-cost summer ideas for Twin Cities families, plus thoughts from Ashley Booker, CEO of YWCA St. Paul.

During a home visit, Family Educator Phoua suggested rotating toys to help keep learning fresh and engaging. The mom’s response: “Wow! I never knew and thought of this before!” Sometimes small ideas make a big difference. 🧡 #EarlyLearning #ParentSupport

Weekend plans: grab a friend, step outside, and blow some bubbles! 🫧 What will you be doing?

Way to Grow is hiring virtual reading tutors for K–Grade 3 students! 📚 Help children build reading skills, confidence, and a love of learning. Virtual position. Materials and training provided. Send your resume to [email protected] today! 🧡

Summer’s almost here, and these small things make a big difference for kids and families!

If you’re working on a bedtime routine, you’re not alone. 🌙 At Together We Grow, parents share ideas, practice routines, and support one another. Recently, families focused on bedtime and read “Time for Bed” by Mem Fox, illustrated by Jane Dyer.

"When you have people in your corner who believe in you and want to see you succeed, it changes what feels possible." 🧡 -Krystal, Way to Grow Parent

"When you have people in your corner who believe in you and want to see you succeed, it changes what feels possible." 🧡 -Krystal, Way to Grow Parent

Behind every child who walks into school ready to learn, there's someone who made that possible. This Sunday, we wish a very happy Mother's Day to every mom, grandma, auntie, and caregiver who shows up every day. We celebrate you! 💐🧡

Summer’s almost here, and kids (and grown-ups!) are counting down the days. Help Twin Cities kids get ready for fun, sunny lake days! ☀️🧡 🔗 waytogrow.org/neighbors

It’s Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. We’ve been revisiting a resource from Mom Enough, and one idea really sticks: It’s not one hard day. It’s patterns over time. 🧡

From a galaxy far, far away to a story shared at home, moments together build language, curiosity, and connection. May the 4th be with you! ✨ #EarlyLearning

It doesn’t take much to make summer totally awesome. Think art kits, soccer games, and days at the lake... Put some heart in your cart and send a little summer to a Way to Grow family today!☀️🧡 🔗 www.waytogrow.org/neighbors

💛 Our Gold Sponsors help make Education is Power possible. 💛 What we do together matters. 🧡

A knock at the door, kids who light up, and books they reach for again and again. 📚 That’s Way to Grow. ☀️🧡

If learning only “counts” when it looks structured or planned, most of what actually helps young children build skills gets missed. That's because your child’s first teacher isn’t in a classroom, it’s you! 🧡 waytogrow.org/love-to-lear...

"With our heads. With our hearts. Together, we shine." ✨ We close National Home Visiting Week the best way we know how, with the families and Family Educators who live it! 🧡🔗 youtu.be/7barmazBMp4 #NHVW #NHVW2026

Every family. Every visit. 🧡 #NHVW #NHVW2026 #HomeVisiting #FamilySupport

Telling someone what it really took to bring your baby home isn't small talk. It takes trust — the kind that builds when someone speaks your language and understands your culture. This mom found that in Mafer, her Way to Grow Family Educator:

Learning happens all the time. All day, every day. 🧠 Just ask any Way to Grow Family Educator who has sat on a couch while a three-year-old explained why dinosaurs are actually still alive—and listened to the whole thing! That's where real learning lives.

It’s National Home Visiting Week! 🧡 Join us as we celebrate the relationships at the heart of this work. What does home visiting actually look like?

Community baby shower. Timberwolves. Lynx. Crunch. Now a basketball reading list for families! 🏀🧡

A parent who struggled with reading. A Family Educator who never made her feel less than. Today, she reads fluently and supports her child with confidence. This is what we do.🧡

"No one has ever thrown me a baby shower," said Britney, expecting her fifth child. "I got so emotional being here." That moment says everything about why Way to Grow hosts Community Baby Showers.

"So building a relationship first is very key. Just being there, showing up, & make sure that you are a good listener - something they might have a story to tell you. Most of the family can feel a genuine connection with our Family Educators." -Anthony Allen www.facebook.com/share/v/1JYmkg3MaR/

This week is NAEYC's Week of the Young Child, and we’re celebrating all the ways children learn and grow! ☀️ Check out these daily ideas for ways you can take part at home! #WOYC26 #EarlyLearning #PlayMatters

A family's love can reach far beyond their own home. 🧡 The Tushie family started Dresses From Ella in memory of their daughter, and for 19 years that love has been shared with children across the Twin Cities, including Way to Grow families. This spring, we received 153 dresses!

We were glad to be at the Capitol on March 25, standing with families and partners across our community at Advocacy for Children Day 2026! Take a moment to read this new blog from our Development Coordinator, Chelsea to learn more: waytogrow.org/advocacy-for... 🧡

Way to Grow's Anthony Allen joined Mom Enough to talk home visiting — what it looks like, how trust builds over time, and why showing up week after week matters. 🧡 Watch now! www.facebook.com/share/v/1DqP...

Support shows up and stays. That’s home visiting. 🧡 This Friday, Way to Grow's Anthony Allen joins the Mom Enough podcast to share what home visiting looks like for families. Join us live on April 10 at 12:30 over on the Mom Enough Facebook page!

Do you know what home visiting is? On April 10 at 12:30 PM, Way to Grow’s Anthony joins Mom Enough to talk about what it is, why it works, & why it matters. If you know a family with little ones, pass this along. 🧡 Follow Mom Enough on Facebook & join us live on April 10! facebook.com/momenough

Learning happens side by side. 🧡 #StrongFamilies

Meet Dr. Erin Erickson, one of our featured speakers for Education is Power 2026. Erin is a board-certified nurse practitioner in integrative and functional medicine at Allina Health and a longtime co-host of Mom Enough.

This one comes with a song. 🎵 Olivia’s picks: “Abiyoyo” & “It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny.” In one, P.J. learns that being himself is the best thing to be. Reader, we like you just the way you are, too. 🧡 Subscribe today for more great reads! 📩 waytogrow.org/subscribe #NationalReadingMonth

Some characters never go out of style… The Monkey King? Iconic. 🐒👑 Thanks, Daniel! 📚 @uchicagopress.bsky.social And thanks for this classic! #EducationIsPower #NationalReadingMonth #ReadTogether #Classic

Big Event Productions has been a trusted Way to Grow partner for 13 years. This winter, they jumped in to help make sure donations reached families quickly, at a time when their support truly mattered. This is the same care that Bob Chouinard and his team bring to every Way to Grow event. 🧡

What an amazing morning yesterday at the Capitol for Advocacy for Children Day! ✨ Way to Grow showed up alongside partners and advocates from across Minnesota to rally around children and families in our state.

Patricia, Way to Grow's Director of Programs, keeps it simple: presence over perfection. 🧡 Her picks this month: "The Power of Showing Up" and "I Believe I Can." 📚 #NationalReadingMonth #WayToGrowMN

What do children need to thrive — and what do parents need to provide it? Dr. Marti Erickson digs into both this week. Practical, not prescriptive. 🧡 Join us for a live podcast conversation May 13 at Education is Power! 📖 Read: www.waytogrow.org/blog ☀️ Save your seat: www.waytogrow.org/eip

Music + community. 🧡 The #NeighborsWhoCare drive brought the MacPhail community together with Way to Grow to support local families. “From providing music education through Sing Play Learn to direct support for families in need, we’re proud to make a difference together,” & we couldn’t agree more!

Sidewalk obstacle course, anyone? Free, hands-on spring activities for Minnesota kids, ages 0-8. 🌱 Read all about it! www.waytogrow.org/blog #EarlyLearning #SpringActivities

Meet Dr. Marti Erickson, one of our featured speakers for Education is Power 2026! She brings research into real conversations about real families. No perfection, just practical guidance for everyday life. Listen 🎧: www.momenough.com/2025/09/how-to-raise-a-boy/ Join us May 13🎙️: www.waytogrow.org/eip

CBX builds brands. This winter, they showed up for Way to Grow families. “We're grateful to support an organization like Way to Grow that gives a voice and stability to young voices when the world gets loud around them.” -Evan Gettinger, CBX Principal Neighbors who care take care of one another.🧡

Paris chose "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. The story follows a scientist and the person he brings to life, and how their choices affect one another. 📚🧡 For young readers, she's a big fan of the @diaryofawimpykid.bsky.social series by Jeff Kinney! #ReadTogether #NationalReadingMonth

Meet our Education is Power guest speakers! ☀️ Dr. Marti Erickson and Dr. Erin Erickson of the podcast Mom Enough will join Way to Grow May 13 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art for a live podcast and conversation. Register: www.waytogrow.org/eip

What connects us with one another? For Phoua, it starts with a story. 📕🧡 “Thank You, Omu!” celebrates connection, sharing, & generosity. She also recommends “A Map into the World,” a story about kindness and compassion. #NationalReadingMonth #ReadTogether @kaokaliayang.bsky.social

Community Engagement Manager Sheena's grown-up pick: "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison Her kids' pick: "Sideways Stories from Wayside School" by Louis Sachar Books challenge us to think. Books invite us to play. Both matter. 📚 waytogrow.org/subscribe #NationalReadingMonth #EducationIsPower

✨ Registration is OPEN for Education is Power 2026 ✨ 🎙️ Featuring a live podcast recording with the Mom Enough podcast! 🎙️ Register: www.waytogrow.org/eip #EducationIsPower #EarlyLearning

Way to Grow families and educators gathered for #TogetherWeGrow, a session filled with reading, crafting, counting, and connection. Families read “Breathe Like a Bear,” explored colors and shapes, and shared lunch together. Play is how kids grow! 🧡 #EducationIsPower #EarlyLearning

Some lessons stay with us. When life feels hard, stories can help children make sense of big feelings — and remind families that hope is still part of the story. 🧡📚 #NationalReadingMonth #ReadTogether #EducationIsPower #EBWhite