Way to Grow

“A copy of this return is reviewed by the finance committee of the board of directors. Then it is distributed to the board of directors for review and discussion. After the board of directors has reviewed the document, it is filed.”

“Way to grow monitors and enforces the conflict of interest policy as needed.”

“The executive committee of the way to grow board of directors uses a process for determining compensation for the ceo that included all of the following elements: review and approval by the executive committee of the board of directors, the members of which are independent and without a conflict of interest as defined in regulation section 53.4958-6(c)(1)(iii), use of data as to comparable compensation for similarly qualified persons in functionally comparable positions at similarly situated organizations, contemporaneous documentation, substantiation and recordkeeping with respect to deliberations and decisions regarding the compensation arrangement the above described process and an assessment is performed at least annually for the ceo. The executive committee reviews and approves all compensation changes of the ceo in advance of the change.”

“All employees, key or otherwise are given a performance review annually and any salary adjustments are based on a formula within the review format. The performance review is given by their supervisor & approved by the executive director. The director's receive reviews by the executive director, and the executive directors receives her review by the board.”

“All governing documents of the organization, including federal form 990, conflict of interest policy and financial statements can be reviewed by contacting: way to grow at 125 west broadway, 110, minneapolis, mn 55411.”

“Organization in 2004. Way to grow's core philosophy is that parents have primary responsibility for nurturing and guiding their children. Way to grow helps parents gain the knowledge, skills, and access to resources to foster development in their children. By helping parents prepare their children for school, we are preparing them for life. Program services: the mission of way to grow is: working closely with parents and communities, we ensure that children within the most isolated families are born healthy, stay healthy and are prepared for school. Way to grow began in 1989 as a collaborative community effort to support families with children ages birth to 5 by nurturing and encouraging a child's first teachers - their parents. In 2010, way to grow launched great by 8 in partnership with minneapolis public schools, a 5-year initiative to expand our successful and statistically proven home visiting model to include children from kindergarten (age 6) through 3rd grade (age 8). Now, way to grow educates over 2,200 families annually, working with 34 different schools in minneapolis. Over the last few years, the great by 8 expansion has not only facilitated dramatic growth in the number of home visits from 5,300 (in 2005) to 12,442 in 2013, but has greatly improved our impact. In 2005, only 38% of our students passed kindergarten readiness assessments; by the end of 2013, however, 88% of way to grow children were deemed ready for school. Over the past three years, 77% of our students met or exceeded the literacy benchmark assessment; and 75% were reading at or above grade level. Compared to low-income students as a whole in minneapolis, students in way to grow's programming are reversing negative academic trends. Way to grow uses a proven home visiting model, center-based programming, strong partnerships and evidence-based curricula and assessments to give low-income families in minneapolis the knowledge and resources to stabilize their homes and engage with their children's early development and educational progress. Our research-based great by 8 curriculum is implemented through year-round, multi-year, language-to-language home visiting and/or connections with parents and teachers to provide resources and information to meet families' basic needs, teach parents about child development and school expectations, and provide comprehensive health education and support. Through great by 8, way to grow ensures at-risk children in minneapolis are regarded as ready for school and meet key grade level benchmarks in core subjects - thereby closing the academic achievement gap. The success of great by 8 hinges on the strong collaborations way to grow has developed with minneapolis public schools (mps), our partnering charter schools (harvest prep, best academy, mastery schools and minnesota school of science in the 2012-13 school year) and dozens of local organizations committed to improving the livelihoods of our overlapping target population. The scope of school readiness services includes: helping parents develop individualized goals to foster their child's development; providing monthly play, learn & grow parent-child classes coaching parents on positive parent-child interactions and how to nurture early literacy skills; offering four prenatal education classes (six sessions in length) each quarter; tracking access to healthcare for well-child visits, including immunizations; connecting families to community resources for basic needs. Way to grow's service delivery model uses a culturally diverse staff, who speaks seven languages. The staff specializes in reaching families that many human service agencies consider the "hardest to serve." families bear this label because they are isolated, not yet connected to community services and supports, and have significant barriers in trusting mainstream providers and institutions. Way to grow gains the confidence of these individuals, including teen parents, immigrants, single parents, and famili”