Parenting program seeks support
July 11, 2025
By Tom Steinmetz as a Guest Columnist for the Northfield News
My first six months as the Executive Director of Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) have been a patchwork of highs, lows, and everything in between. Saturday, June 14, was no different.
My emotions ranged from heartbreak to heartwarming. As Minnesotans mourned the tragic murders of Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, HCI’s Growing Up Healthy team held that loss while remaining focused on celebrating and honoring the 24 children who were graduating from Rice County ParentChild+.
ParentChild+ is a home-based, two-year program that supports children, and their families, to be ready for kindergarten. What began with 15 Rice County children enrolled in ParentChild+ during the program’s inaugural year (2019) has grown to 47 enrollees this past school year.
As part of the evidence-based model at ParentChild+, early learning specialists play and read with young children in the presence of parents and siblings to model interaction in an educational way. Families receive free early literacy books and early learning toys, and parents discover creative ways to teach their own children more effectively.
By visiting homes, ParentChild+ removes transportation barriers while working in a space where all family members feel comfortable. Specialists also provide wraparound support by connecting families to needed resources, like food and diaper access, while making warm hand-offs to key partners that assist families with housing, childcare, preschool, and early childhood screening needs.
This model is extraordinarily effective, even long after services end. Children who complete the ParentChild+ program are 50% more likely to be ready for kindergarten, 50% less likely to need special education, and 56% more likely to graduate from high school. Every $1 spent yields a $5.55 return on investment.



As I look back on this year’s ParentChild+ graduation day for those 24 kiddos, I picture the joy, pride, and sense of community on the faces of the children, family members, and staff. Everyone came together that day to celebrate.
Yet, as I also look ahead, I am reminded of the challenges we are facing — funding for HCI’s ParentChild+ was eliminated in this year’s legislative session. We are determined to sustain this vital, effective program for as many children and families as possible, but we will need our community’s support.
If you would like to learn more about ParentChild+, please reach out to me. I am eager to talk about HCI’s programming, why we do what we do, and how you can partner with us to grow and sustain our impact. You can send me an email at tom@healthycommunityinitiative.org or call HCI’s office at 507-664-3524.
