Growing Up Healthy Receives State

Excellence Award

Growing Up Healthy and Austin Aspires staff members pictured with state and local officials

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) honored Growing Up Healthy in October for its innovative, collaborative work in improving early education and childcare access for children and families in Northfield and Faribault, particularly children of color.

Growing Up Healthy and Austin Aspires received the 2023 Commissioner's Circle of Excellence Award for their “Tri-City Connections'' partnership. This was the result of a shared Early Childhood Hub grant from DHS that supported the early childhood navigator work of Growing Up Healthy (a flagship program of Northfield Promise in Northfield and Faribault Cradle2Career in Faribault) and of Austin Aspires in Austin.

The three communities worked collaboratively to improve early education and childcare access for children and families, particularly for low-income children of color. In each community, bilingual early childhood navigators led outreach to pregnant people and families with young children; staffed resource hubs and neighborhood events intended to improve families’ access to resources and social connections; and provided feedback to organization partners about systems-level changes needed to improve services for local children and families.

During the Oct. 17 award ceremony in Northfield, DHS Commissioner Jodi Harpstead said that the close partnership of Growing Up Healthy and Austin Aspires and their work with other community organizations “shows the power of cross-sector collaboration and a whole family approach–that we can achieve more and make families even stronger by working together rather than on our own. You are fabulously ahead of the curve, and I can’t wait to watch how you keep building on the strong foundation you have set.”

Registration Drive Taps Youth Interest in Voting

MYC member Danica Sorem helps register fellow students at Northfield High School.

“Hey, you’re 16 right? Come register to vote!” hollered Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC) member Danica Sorem. 

Clad in a “VOTE!” shirt, Sorem called out to fellow Northfield High School students during a lunch flex period in early October. Positioned just outside the upper cafeteria at a long table filled with voter registration QR codes, registration forms, and voter stickers, she answered questions and provided assistance to anyone passing by who was interested in voting in their first election. The efforts by Sorem and other MYC members paid off: together, during the three-day October push, they registered more than 120 students!

Earlier this year, the State of Minnesota passed legislation allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote. Across the United States, 4 million young people can’t vote because they don’t register on time. This is less of a problem in Minnesota, where same-day registration exists, but the MYC members said they prefer to get Northfield students registered early so they don’t feel intimidated to register on the day of an election. 

Students must be at least 16 to pre-register, and they must be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the election in which they intend to vote. The 5-minute process is easy and can be done online here.

TORCH Back-to-School Event Engages Families

A Northfield student chats with school psychologist Camila Donoso

Late in August as the outside temperatures crept above 90 degrees, dozens of local Latine families gathered in the Northfield High School cafeteria for the third annual TORCH back-to-school night. The goal of the event was to engage and connect Spanish-speaking parents and their children to the programs and resources available to them at the middle school, the high school, and in the community. 

“This was the largest event so far. We had ninety-one students and family members and over twenty staff and volunteers that made the evening a success,” said High School TORCH Director Tessa Kiesow. “It’s nice to see that the numbers have grown and that the families are engaged and wanting to learn about these opportunities. Early intervention is always a good thing!”

The event was based on research conducted during the pandemic by StriveTogether, a national network of about 70 communities striving to achieve racial equity and economic mobility (including Northfield Promise). The research showed that a gap existed between school expectations and what Spanish-speaking parents understood about how school functions. Many parents wanted their children to stay in school and graduate from high school, but they weren’t sure how to support that goal. By facilitating parent and staff connections, the back-to-school event helps families become more familiar with Spanish language resources available in the schools and gain a better understanding of how to support their students at home. 

Participating in the event were TORCH staff from the high school and middle school; members of the Growing Up Healthy Parent Child+ team; and representatives from the Northfield Area Family YMCA, HealthFinders Collaborative, and ACES (an after-school math program at the middle school). Camila Donoso, the Spanish-speaking school psychologist at the high school, and other Spanish-speaking staff helped families fill out forms and download important technology resources, like Schoology and Skyward, to help keep up with their children's assignments. Families also enjoyed a free catered meal and received a $25 gift card for school supplies. 

To learn more about the TORCH program or to make a donation, visit northfieldtorch.org.

Northfield's Literacy Gains Featured

in Online Article

Family Engagement Navigator Cindy Santa works with an elementary student.

Northfield’s exciting and encouraging literacy gains by its multilingual students were featured in a Sept. 13 article in the Sahan Journal, an online newspaper dedicated to reporting for immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota. 

Kudos to HCI staff member Cindy Santa (family engagement navigator with Growing Up Healthy) and Northfield Public Schools Director of Instructional Services Hope Langston for helping tell Northfield’s story, and to all the teachers and staff who are making positive changes for students and families in our community!

Check Your Mailbox in November

for Promise Magazine!

The first issue of Promise magazine has been printed and will be distributed soon to all the households in the Northfield School District. Learn about the return of agriculture education to the Northfield High School and recent successes in third grade reading, and meet an NHS graduate who’s participating in the Northfield Teaching Fellowship program. Promise magazine will be published twice a year by Healthy Community Initiative. Its purpose is to highlight the ways in which Northfield Promise is helping kids and youth thrive, thanks to the continued collaboration of numerous community partners.

Have a story idea for the magazine or the e-newsletter? Email HCI Communications Coordinator Joy Riggs at [email protected].

COVID-19 Reminder

In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval and authorization of an updated vaccine to target the COVID-19 variants that are circulating nationally. These new vaccines are available locally for those who are 6 months old and older. The Minnesota Department of Health and Rice County Public Health encourage everyone to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines. Rice County Public Health is currently vaccinating with the Moderna 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccine is available at Rice County Public Health for children ages 6 months through 18 years who are uninsured or on a MA health plan, and also for uninsured adults. For those with private insurance, COVID-19 vaccine can be obtained from local pharmacies and medical clinics. In addition, Rice County Public Health has limited supplies. If you have questions about the vaccine, call Marie at 507-332-5928 or Angie at 507-384-6450.

Northfield Promise has been recognized as a Systems Transformation community by the national StriveTogether network, becoming the fourth Cradle to Career Network community to earn this designation.  StriveTogether is a national movement with a clear purpose: help every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance. In partnership with nearly 70 communities across the country, StriveTogether provides resources, best practices and processes to give every child every chance for success. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network reaches more than 14 million students, including more than 8 million children of color and over 6 million children experiencing poverty. The network spans 30 states and Washington, D.C.