Skip to main content

In 2021, TFP made a commitment to this neighborhood by opening our new building: to be a genuine community anchor and partner. Like many organizations, the years that followed required us to focus on keeping core services running. We never lost sight of the broader vision, and now is the time to act on it. 

When Hennepin County set out to bring a Family Resource Center to South Minneapolis, The Family Partnership said yes. Yes to opening our doors. Yes to being the place where this work takes root. Yes to our neighbors and neighborhood. 

“So many organizations have spent the last several years focused on staying open, staying funded, doing the things,” says Emily Larson, TFP’s President and CEO. “The Family Resource Center is a chance to ask a different question: how do we do our work better—with each other, and with the community we’re all here to serve?” 

“The Family Resource Center is a chance to ask a different question: how do we do our work better with each other, and with the community we’re all here to serve?” 

– Emily Larson, President and CEO
Community voices matter. Families united in support of racial equity, social justice, and safe futures for children and communities.

South Minneapolis has endured a great deal in recent years. The murder of George Floyd. The surge of ICE raids and violence. Federal funding cuts. Sustained economic pressure on families already managing a lot.

Through it all, one thing has remained consistent: families here are not struggling because they aren’t trying.

“I don’t want to walk into a place and feel like a case,” one community member shared during a needs assessment organized by Hennepin County. “I want to feel like a person. A whole person.”

The FRC exists to do things differently. Built around the evidence base for early intervention and coordinated support, it is designed to be a place families can walk into and find answers to many of their questions during a single visit. 

South Minneapolis Families Helped Design This Resource Center 

Plans for the FRC started with listening. 

In 2025, Hennepin County organized a community needs assessment. The process involved real conversations with South Minneapolis families about what was missing and what would help. Notably, service gaps weren’t the biggest issue—by far. Many families described avoiding the very systems designed to support them, out of fear that asking for help would be used against them. 

“We don’t ask for help unless it’s life or death,” one caregiver shared. “Even then, we think twice.” 

Families across cultural communities described how they withheld disclosures and opted out of services for self-protection. They described being over-monitored and under-supported. They described seeking help and being treated with suspicion. 

What they asked for was different: a place to come as they are. To be seen as whole people, as experts in their own lives, as parents who love their kids and deserve support without fear. 

“Just let us come in and be people,” said another community member. “Not cases. Not numbers.” 

“Just let us come in and be people,” said another community member. “Not cases. Not numbers.” 

– Community Member, Hennepin County

The FRC’s design is a direct response to that ask. A community advisory structure ensures families continue to have a voice in how the center operates. 

Multilingual Family Services, No Appointment Needed, at E. Lake Street 

Welcoming families with accessible support services, mental health resources, and community programs at The Family Partnership Resource Center.

The goals of the Family Resource Center affirm TFP’s two-generation approach: when adults in a family are supported, children thrive. Now families can walk into our building and connect with navigators who have deep roots in Minneapolis and training in trauma-informed care. 

  • Location: 1527 E. Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55407 
  • Hours: 10am to 4pm, Monday through Thursday

Meeting with a navigator is free and no appointment is needed.

Services are available in English, Somali, and Arabic, with translation and language line assistance for additional languages. Staff will always tell families upfront what they can and can’t keep private, so families know what to expect.

The partner organizations coming together here each bring strong, trusted relationships with South Minneapolis families. Together under one roof, families don’t have to start over every time they need something different. 

Partnering organizations for the South Minneapolis FRC include: 

Available supports include: 

Meet the Coordinator Behind the Family Resource Center 

Meet the compassionate leaders behind The Family Partnership, working every day to support children, families, and stronger communities across Minnesota.

Leading the launch is Vikki Reich, TFP’s FRC Coordinator, whose background spans direct social services and organizational communications, a combination made for this kind of work. 

Vikki knows this work from the inside. She has worked in youth residential treatment, group homes, and Adult Protection at Hennepin County. She holds a master’s degree in psychology and counseling. And she spent eight years at TFP helping tell the story of why this work matters. 

Vikki also knows this neighborhood. She lived in South Minneapolis for nearly 30 years, raising her children here and seeing how this community absorbs one crisis after another with resilience that doesn’t always make the news. 

“After everything this neighborhood has been through, I think there’s a real yearning for people to connect, to look out for each other, and to meet each other’s needs in very practical ways,” says Reich. “This community gets a bad rap. But I raised my kids here. I know what it actually is. And the FRC being right here, at Bloomington and Lake, feels exactly right.” 

She came back to help make more of it possible. And every week, families are beginning to walk into our building and find many doors open to them. 

Join Us for the Grand Opening on June 10th 

The Family Resource Center soft-opened on April 13th. Now it’s time to celebrate, and we want you there! 

The FRC’s grand opening is your chance to meet the navigators, see the space, and witness firsthand what your investment in The Family Partnership has helped make possible. Come see what it looks like when a community designs its own support system. 

RSVP NOW

If you’ve supported The Family Partnership, you’ve been part of this commitment all along. Come see what that investment has made possible. And bring someone who should know this work is happening. 

The South Minneapolis Family Resource Center is located at 1527 E. Lake Street inside The Family Partnership’s building. Funding is provided by Hennepin County through the Department of Children, Youth and Families and the Sauer Family Foundation. Outcomes research is conducted in partnership with the Wilder Foundation. 

Let’s talk!

If you have any questions about the South Minneapolis Family Resource Center, please contact us today.

Vikki Reich

Family Resource Center Coordinator

Direct: 612.599.2392
Email: VReich@thefamilypartnership.org

As of May 1, 2026, The Family Partnership will transition its outpatient mental health and school-linked mental health (SLMH) services to partner organizations in the Twin Cities. 

We remain committed to mental health care in this community. That means making sure everyone has the information they need to continue accessing care, whether you have been a client with The Family Partnership or newly seeking services. 

If you or someone you know needs mental health care

If you are looking for a new mental health provider, the organizations below provide services in the area: 

For children and teens (under 18): 

For adults: 

Have questions? You can reach us at (612) 729-0340 or info@thefamilypartnership.org. 

The Family Partnership’s other programs and services continue

Our work has always been rooted in healing, and it always will be. 

A note from our leadership

“I am deeply grateful to our behavioral health team for the care and dedication they have brought to this community. This transition reflects our commitment to doing right by our clients and staff—and to building a TFP that can serve families for generations to come.” 

— Emily Larson, President and CEO 

What the Sugar Bush Has to Do With Preschool

It’s mid-March at Porky’s Sugarbush, where woodsmoke mingles with the sweet smell of heated maple sap. Candy-colored buckets hang from gray-brown tree trunks, catching a slow drip of sap. Nearby, children’s voices rise and fall in laughter and language that has been spoken on this land for thousands of years.

This is a learning day for the Ojibwe immersion classroom from Four Directions Preschool, led by our partner Wicoie Nandagikendan. Right now, young learners from Minneapolis have the opportunity to run through the snow, mix maple syrup into soft sugar, and offer tobacco to the maple trees in thanks for their gifts. It’s the Anishinaabe new year: a time to celebrate the generosity of the land and the ways all living things depend on one another.

How Wicoie Nandagikendan Is Raising the Next Generation of Ojibwe Speakers

Whether on East Lake Street or at the sugar bush, young children at Four Directions Preschool are always learning. Their most important lessons happen in relationship: by weaving care and knowledge together.

That is exactly what Wicoie Nandagikendan brings to Four Directions. Founded in 2006, Wicoie Nandagikendan is the first Indigenous urban preschool immersion program in Minneapolis and one of the only Ojibwe language immersion early childhood programs in the country. Ojibwemowin is more than a subject on the schedule. It is the language through which children experience everything, inside the classroom and out.

For children in Wicoie Nandagikendan’s classroom, learning in Ojibwe means deepening the way they relate with the world and sustain connections to family and community across time. With fewer than 25 first-language Ojibwe speakers remaining in the United States, that connection is both precious and urgent.

“Every child in this classroom has the potential to be a fluent Ojibwe speaker, and many already are,” says Liz Zinsli, lead teacher at Wicoie Nandagikendan. “We are creating a pathway for the language to live on through the children.”

The Benefits of Ojibwe Language Immersion for Young Children

Research confirms what families already know: children in immersion programs do more than keep pace with their peers—they thrive. Bilingual children develop stronger executive function skills, which include the ability to focus, think before acting, solve problems, and regulate impulses. They are more flexible and creative thinkers, better at reading context and responding to the needs of the people around them. Learning a second language, it turns out, makes children better at being human with each other.

For Native American children, the benefits run even deeper. The right to be educated in their own language is one that American Indian communities have had to fight to reclaim. Its restoration is still recent, still unfolding, and still urgent.*

What is happening in Wicoie Nandagikendan’s classroom is part of that reclamation. And on a spring morning at Porky’s Sugarbush, it looks like children running through the snow, singing songs in Ojibwe, and getting a taste of fresh maple sugar.

Wicoie Nandagikendan’s Ojibwe language immersion class visits Porky’s Sugarbush in Maple Plain, MN—learning in relationship with the land as part of their preschool program at Four Directions.

How Four Directions Preschool Builds on Family and Cultural Strengths

At Four Directions, honoring family and cultural strengths lives at the heart of The Family Partnership’s two-generation approach. Supporting a preschooler means supporting their whole family: with the unique gifts they’ve inherited and the unique visions they hold for the future. “South Minneapolis is home to a rich mosaic of cultures, languages, and lived experiences,” says Sarah Werner, Senior Director of Four Directions Preschool. “And that diversity is one of our community’s greatest strengths. Honoring that means being intentional: hiring staff who reflect the community, celebrating the strengths every child and family brings, and being a true partner to families in addressing whatever stands between a child and their full potential.”

Honoring [each culture] means being intentional: hiring staff who reflect the community, celebrating the strengths every child and family brings, and being a true partner to families in addressing whatever stands between a child and their full potential.

Sarah Werner, Senior Director of Four Directions Preschool

When a child knows their language, practices, and place in a long lineage of people who came before them, they hold something that will carry them for a lifetime. The four-year-olds learning Ojibwe today will grow up to be parents and elders themselves, passing on to the youngest generation what was passed on to them. At Four Directions, we are honored to provide a home where that continuum of knowledge is nurtured, and where the gifts of the land, family, and community form the foundation that everything else is built on.

*Learn more about the history of Native American boarding schools and ongoing healing efforts at the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.

Follow the story

On any given day, the Instagram feeds of Four Directions Preschool and Wicoie Nandagikendan share the joys of our early childhood programming. Follow both to stay close to the children, families, and community at the heart of this work.

This January marks National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and understanding how sex trafficking works matters urgently right now. ICE raids in Minneapolis are pushing exploitation underground while funding cuts destabilize safety nets. Everyday people are our strongest defense in recognizing trafficking and connecting people to help. 

There’s reason for hope. Mikki Mariotti directs The Family Partnership’s anti-sex trafficking program PRIDE. After 30 years of working with people who have experienced trafficking, she joined researchers from Clemson University, the University of Minnesota, Northeastern University, and RTI International as a subject matter expert in a groundbreaking project that did something different: it brought survivors onto the research team as experts. 

Mariotti and others in the survivor-centered advisory group shaped research questions, challenged assumptions that don’t match reality, and ensured trauma-informed processes throughout. Their goal: make academic findings useful for practitioners, not just other academics. 

“Everyone on the team valued one another’s knowledge,” Mariotti says. “It was a level playing field where we all learned and taught each other. That made the research actually useful in the real world.”  

The team also created a toolkit for other survivors engaging in research. Their work revealed numerous insights about how trafficking networks operate. Below, we’ll share five that are particularly relevant to Minnesota communities right now and practical ways you can help. 

1. ICE presence puts everyone experiencing trafficking at greater risk 

Nearly 3,000 ICE agents are now operating in Minneapolis, almost three times the size of the Twin Cities’ police forces combined. This affects everyone experiencing sex trafficking in our community, not just immigrants. 

Here’s why this matters: these federal agents have been told they have absolute immunity. That means limited accountability for their actions. For people already in exploitative situations, this creates serious safety concerns. 

The concerns are based on documented patterns. An ICE agent was indicted on charges of trying to sexually exploit a minor here in Minnesota. In Louisiana, an ICE officer pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a woman in detention, repeatedly, over many months. And right now, reports are coming from our own Minneapolis community about civil rights violations and abuse of power during ICE operations. 

For people being trafficked, this changes the calculation about seeking help. They’re already being controlled and threatened. Now reaching out for help means approaching agents who may not be held accountable for misconduct. For immigrants or anyone who might be seen as an immigrant, there’s added concern about detention or deportation. 

Traffickers understand this dynamic and use it to maintain control, threatening people with ICE contact when fear of authorities now feels justified. 

What you can do: 

Human Trafficking Prevention Month highlights the importance of survivor-informed research and community-based prevention efforts.

2. Someone you know might be at risk for human trafficking right now 

Many people imagine trafficking happens somewhere else, to people unlike them. But exploitation is happening in our community right now—in schools, workplaces, apartment buildings, and faith communities we share. 

Economic hardship can push people to seek extra income in risky situations. Stress and instability can lead to substance use that creates new vulnerabilities. Your neighbor, someone at your child’s school, or a person you sit next to at church might be facing these pressures right now. 

Trafficking doesn’t usually begin with kidnapping or force. It begins with offers that sound like help: a place to stay, a ride to work, help paying bills, quick cash. And it often begins in everyday relationships, with someone you might already know. 

By the time the “help” comes with strings attached, leaving can be genuinely dangerous. Traffickers rely on isolation, threats, and fear to maintain control. When someone feels they have no safe options, abuse can go unseen for months or years. 

When we show up for our neighbors, our relationships become a protective barrier that makes exploitation harder. 

Watch for these signs: 

3. Some people being trafficked are also forced into theft 

When ICE raids intensify, two things happen. The heightened enforcement makes commercial sex riskier. And buyers—unwilling to risk arrest or deportation themselves—pull back. This reduces demand and cuts into traffickers’ income. 

Traffickers pass the pressure on to the people they are exploiting. They force people into other criminal activity that draws less attention and doesn’t depend on buyers willing to take risks. Research shows theft increases by 10-40% during disruptions like this. 

This matters because as trafficking goes underground, you’re more likely to encounter someone being trafficked through theft or fraud than through obvious signs of sexual exploitation. The teenager shoplifting may be experiencing trafficking. The person caught with drugs may be controlled behind the scenes. The individual committing fraud may be too terrified to explain what’s really happening. 

If you work in retail, healthcare, education, or criminal justice: 

Human Trafficking Prevention Month emphasizes the role of everyday people in identifying risk factors and connecting others to help.

4. Your conversations can help disrupt human trafficking  

ICE raids and funding cuts are increasing stress and isolation while cutting access to housing, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment. When these systems fail, traffickers fill the gaps, offering what seems like help, then using that dependency for control.  

Immigrants and those who may be profiled face compounded risks: fear of deportation can make accessing services or reporting abuse more dangerous than staying trapped. 

Communities that speak up can help break this cycle. Your voice matters in addressing these root causes. 

Make your voice count: 

When communities understand how systemic failures and enforcement fears create vulnerability to trafficking, we can address the conditions that make exploitation possible. 

5. Coordinated action creates lasting change 

Minnesota’s approach to trafficking prevention spans a statewide network of partners providing services, housing, shelter, outreach, and support. The Family Partnership is part of this network. Ian Smart, PRIDE Program Supervisor, describes the people we serve: “Our participants are strong people that are really just looking for love and support and for guidance as well.”

Smart also names what stands in the way: “Access to resources is one of the barriers, and it’s a lack of knowledge. The more organizations there are like this, the better things we can do to help change the tides.”

This Human Trafficking Awareness Month, learn how Minnesota’s statewide network of organizations works together to support survivors and prevent exploitation. Featuring insights from service providers across the state, including The Family Partnership’s PRIDE program.

The research confirms this: implementing three or more anti-trafficking interventions together has exponentially more impact than single efforts alone.

Long-term community safety requires:

What you can do: 

Why this matters now 

Sex trafficking happens in Minnesota, in our communities. Right now, ICE raids and cuts to basic services are making more people vulnerable while pushing those currently being exploited deeper into the shadows. But when we understand how trafficking actually works and listen to people who have survived it, we can prevent it more effectively, spot it sooner, and help people rebuild their lives. 

“When we center survivor expertise, we create solutions that actually work,” Mariotti says. 

This January, support survivor-centered solutions. The Family Partnership’s PRIDE program provides long-term, survivor-led services and advocacy. Learn more about our anti-sex trafficking work and how you can help. 

Thank you for building family and community strength this year.

Whether you participated in programs, donated, volunteered or advocated, you helped weave together a stronger fabric in households and communities across Minneapolis.

One of our core beliefs is that all families and communities have strengths. As you read about staff, participants and partners sharing strengths of their own families and communities, we invite you to reflect:

Together, let’s continue to nurture the strength that lives in each of us and pass it along to future generations.

WATCH OUR HOLIDAY E-CARD

When my grown sons come home for the holidays, we eat family meals together twice a day. It’s not mandatory, but none of us want to miss it. Full bellies, full hearts—that’s how we do it.

Emily Larson, President & CEO
One of TFP’s core beliefs is that all families and communities have strengths.

When families and teachers work together, children grow stronger. I’m grateful to be part of that shared strength at Four Directions.

Kelly Suzick, Assistant Director, Four Directions Preschool
Kelly Suzick, Assistant Director of Four Directions Preschool, celebrates a recent graduate who is kindergarten-ready.
We celebrate kindergarten readiness made possible by the partnership of families and community.

I’ve decided to live in the present and appreciate the people around me. Sharing blessings with my community helps us through the hard times.

Juan Cordero, Office Manager
We believe that family, in all of its forms, is the foundation of strong communities.

My community and family are strong because it shows up for people when they are most vulnerable. Strength to me is not perfection—its compassion, consistency, and the willingness to help someone rebuild their lives when they have nothing left.

My family is strong because I have love and support. I finally have people who love and care about me. PRIDE has helped me rebuild my life, and showed me that community can be a lifeline, I walked in as a stranger, homeless in active addiction, being exploited through prostitution and mentally unstable. They provided safety, clothes, shower, food and case management. They were the first people I could trust in a very long time. They welcomed me with dignity and care.

PRIDE continues to strengthen me today, by walking beside me, through their support I was able to get and stay clean, they’ve helped with my housing and my education. Today I have full custody of my son, I have my own apartment and am working towards my goals. PRIDE did more than help me with resources; they helped restore my sense of belonging and showed me what a strong healthy community looks like. I invest in my own long-term healing and I see myself as part of that community not just a recipient.

PRIDE Participant
We honor families and communities that show up with compassion and consistency, helping each other rebuild and belong.

My family taught me that when things are hard, and you don’t feel strong, there is always a way forward—even if it is hard to see in the moment.

First, take a tiny step: gather your strength by looking for a silver lining. Turn to whatever positive you can find in the moment. Next, write down your options. There are always options! (And you have power there.)

Then, take just one tiny step forward—whatever is small enough to do. Make sure to celebrate every small win. As hard as it is, eventually, you feel strong again. And proud of what you endured.

Meshach Weber, Board Member
We celebrate the strengths families pass down through generations.

We wish you and yours a very Happy Holidays and bright start to 2026!

To learn more about building strength in families and communities through The Family Partnership, read about us, our services, and approach.

Logos of the MEFS assessment and EGG Toolkit joined by a plus sign, representing the partnership that strengthens executive function skills in preschoolers.

The Family Partnership is teaming up with Reflection Sciences to bring our groundbreaking EGG Toolkit to preschool classrooms nationwide. The executive function curriculum launches in the 2026-27 school year. Together, we’re giving teachers research-backed, easy-to-use tools. These tools nurture joyful learning, build healthy brain development, and set children up for lifelong success.

John Everett Till, The Family Partnership’s Chief Strategy Officer, learned that new brain science takes nearly 20 years to reach early childhood classrooms. He knew that was too long to wait. In 2017, Till partnered with Chris Wing, CCC-SLP, Ph.D., to create EGG Toolkit (Empowering Generational Greatness), a classroom-tested curriculum for preschoolers. EGG helps children build executive function skills like focus, self-regulation, and problem-solving during peak brain growth.

Through our partnership with Harvard Center on the Developing Child, we rapidly tested, improved, and refined EGG in our therapeutic preschools and partner programs. The result? A proven, scalable curriculum now ready to reach more children nationwide.

SCHEDULE A DEMO

National Distribution of an Early Learning Curriculum Through Reflection Sciences

Reflection Sciences is the exclusive distributor of EGG for Preschools, with the curriculum available to programs nationwide starting in 2026-27. Early childhood educators gain access to the curriculum and ongoing professional development from The Family Partnership, ensuring teachers are fully supported.

What makes this collaboration so powerful is how our two innovations work hand in hand:

The MEFS is a gold-standard, web-based assessment of executive function in early childhood. It provides objective, real-time insights into children’s cognitive skills. This helps educators tailor instruction and track growth. When paired with EGG Toolkit, the MEFS enables a complete system for supporting and measuring essential brain skills.

Together, these tools create a complete cycle of growth that strengthens essential skills through play while giving preschool teachers the tools to foster self-regulation and attention in the classroom.

This partnership gives early childhood educators powerful tools for classroom success. EGG Toolkit and the MEFS assessment work together to strengthen executive function skills, reducing behavior challenges and creating more time for meaningful learning.

A Partnership Advancing Child Development and Preschool Success

The collaboration with Reflection Sciences began eight years ago. We spotted a flyer about the MEFS at the University of Minnesota. Both organizations quickly recognized a shared purpose with complementary strengths. The Family Partnership focused on building young brains through storytelling and play. Reflection Sciences developed cutting-edge tools to measure that growth.

Isaac Van Wesep, CEO of Reflection Sciences, leading a partnership to bring brain science research into preschool classrooms and support early childhood brain development.
Isaac Van Wesep, CEO of Reflection Sciences, has built the partnership on a shared commitment to closing the gap between neuroscience research and classroom practice, ensuring brain-based innovations reach the children who need them most.

Isaac Van Wesep, CEO of Reflection Sciences, has seen firsthand the impact of TFP’s work. He’s visited our early childhood sites in Minneapolis and observed our positive impact on families and young children, even those facing adversity and trauma that can disrupt executive function development.

“The Family Partnership has taken what researchers know about early brain development and trauma and translated it into practices that help whole families move forward,” says Van Wesep.

TFP’s strengths-based approach resonated deeply with Van Wesep’s vision. He champions innovations grounded in brain science and proven effective in real classrooms.

For Van Wesep, this work is personal. He was born with intelligence but didn’t fully develop executive function skills as a child. Those early experiences shaped his life. He can’t change his own childhood, but he can help create better outcomes for other kids.

SCHEDULE A DEMO

The Family Partnership has taken what researchers know about early brain development and trauma and translated it into practices that help whole families move forward.

Isaac Van Wesep, CEO, Reflection Sciences

Why Executive Function Matters Now More Than Ever

Executive function (EF) skills have emerged as an important predictor of school readiness and long-term success in life.

Yet millions of young children begin preschool already at a disadvantage. Research shows that nearly two-thirds of U.S. children experience at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE). These include poverty, community violence, or caregiver stress. Adversity and trauma can disrupt healthy brain development. The effects are far-reaching. Children who face chronic stress or trauma often struggle with self-regulation and attention. This widens the opportunity gap that persists well into grade school and beyond.

At the same time, teachers are carrying an increasing emotional load. Managing classrooms where many children have difficulty focusing or calming themselves can lead to burnout and high turnover. This undermines stability and learning for everyone. Educators need tools that support children’s brain growth. They also need tools that make classrooms more joyful and sustainable places to teach.

TFP created EGG Toolkit to help preschool children build the executive function skills that buffer against trauma and stress. The curriculum gives teachers practical tools to nurture reflection and connection in the classroom. The toolkit helps close opportunity gaps and strengthen program success for both children and teachers.

Results from early pilots of EGG show statistically significant improvements in emotional language, storytelling, and classroom behavior. These are key behaviors associated with executive function. Full results from our statewide pilot will be available in early 2026.

SCHEDULE A DEMO
A smiling preschooler reads Dr. Seuss books, developing executive function skills like focus, self-regulation, and early literacy through EGG Toolkit activities.
Executive function skills form the foundation of “learning how to learn,” helping preschoolers build focus, self-regulation, and social understanding that prepare them for success in school and life. Featuring more than 150 books, EGG Toolkit nurtures early literacy and gives children the language to describe their feelings and connect with others.

Strengths-Based Learning Assessment for Preschoolers

A major breakthrough in this partnership is how the MEFS solves a longstanding challenge in early childhood assessment, balancing objectivity with practicality.

Traditional executive function assessments often rely on observational checklists—subjective tools that can be influenced by bias. TFP’s teachers found those discouraging and wanted something that highlighted children’s strengths.

The MEFS changes that. Using a web-based game, children complete interactive tasks that directly measure cognitive skills. When they reach a level they can’t pass, the game cheers and makes a positive exit, giving a clear, encouraging picture of how each child is doing.

The scientific rigor behind the MEFS sets it apart. It’s the first digital, direct measure of executive function that doesn’t require a human observer, eliminating inter-rater bias.

With a normed dataset of more than 52,000 children—over ten times larger than comparable assessments—the MEFS delivers exceptional reliability. It can detect changes in children’s executive function skills on a month-to-month basis, giving teachers actionable data to guide instruction and measure progress over time.

A preschool teacher guides a child in a drawing activity, representing brain-science backed activities in EGG Toolkit that strengthen executive function and early learning skills.
The MEFS provides clear, reliable insight into each child’s executive function skills, and EGG Toolkit uses those insights to drive real progress. Together, they form a powerful pair for early learning success.

From Minnesota Classrooms to Early Childhood Programs Nationwide

Both The Family Partnership and Reflection Sciences are Minnesota-grown organizations committed to helping all children succeed. Till sees the partnership as key to expanding EGG’s impact across the country.

“With EGG and the MEFS, we have something that can benefit children across the country,” Till says. “A generation is too long to wait. This is our chance to reach thousands of families—and the timing is right, as more people recognize that executive function is the foundation of school readiness.”

Reflection Sciences provides the technology and distribution capacity to make that vision possible. They had the MEFS assessment tool but wanted a curriculum to go with it—making it a perfect match. EGG and MEFS together give preschool classrooms everything they need to support each child’s success.

Van Wesep envisions even deeper integration ahead, with opportunities to embed EGG within Reflection Sciences’ technology platform. Imagine a system where assessment and curriculum work seamlessly together, helping educators tailor support for every child in real time.

We have something that can benefit children across the country. A generation is too long to wait.

John Everett Till, CSO, The Family Partnership

Building Resilience Through Early Brain Development

At its core, this partnership represents a breakthrough in early childhood education by bridging the science of healthy brain development with the everyday realities in preschool classrooms.

Through the combination of rigorous assessment and a proven curriculum, early childhood educators gain the insight and tools to nurture every child’s executive function growth during the critical preschool years.

As these innovations expand nationwide, The Family Partnership and Reflection Sciences are ensuring that cutting-edge brain science reaches the children who need it most. This collaboration—built over nearly a decade—demonstrates what’s possible when organizations unite around a shared commitment to help families thrive through evidence-based support for executive function development.

SCHEDULE A DEMO

EGG for Preschools is available for the 2026-27 school year through Reflection Sciences. Interested programs can learn more and schedule a demonstration.

Ten years ago, Cheyenne was living on the streets in Minneapolis and experiencing sexual exploitation. That’s when she heard from another survivor about a place where she could do her laundry for free: a drop-in center run by The Family Partnership’s anti-sex trafficking program, PRIDE.

A Place to Rest and Begin Again

The Family Partnership’s PRIDE program operates a drop-in shelter where hundreds of survivors like Cheyenne can access basic needs like a hot meal, warm shower, and a safe place to rest without judgement.

At first, Cheyenne was hesitant to visit PRIDE’s drop-in center because there weren’t many safe spaces available to her. But she took a chance and visited. Our drop-in center soon became a place Cheyenne could visit on cold days.

She could get a warm meal, take a hot shower, or get some much-needed sleep. Most importantly, she found a place with us where she could meet her basic needs without judgment.

Cheyenne always knew she wanted something different for herself. After some time, she was ready to make a change. Her ultimate goal was clear: regain custody of her son.

She knew the first step in her journey was to get sober. Cheyenne started meeting with a PRIDE case manager to set goals and develop new coping skills. As she built more stability, she was able to get sober and exit the life of trading sex.

Cheyenne always knew she wanted something different for herself…Her ultimate goal was clear: regain custody of her son.

Finding Support, Every Step of the Way

Cheyenne always knew that she wanted something different for herself. After some time, she was ready to make a change and began meeting with a PRIDE case manager.

For years, Cheyenne stayed focused on her goals. She took one step after another toward the life she envisioned for herself and her son.

Over time, she tapped into additional resources from The Family Partnership for support along the way. Cheyenne saw a mental health therapist to address her past trauma and worked with a parenting educator to develop self-regulation and parenting skills.

As Cheyenne pursued her own healing, she became more present for her son, which strengthened their relationship.

As Cheyenne pursued her own healing, she became more present for her son, which strengthened their relationship.

Mother and Son Reunited

This year, Cheyenne accomplished her ultimate goal: she obtained full custody of her son.

Her case manager, who had walked alongside Cheyenne for years, had the privilege of witnessing this life-changing moment when Cheyenne’s family was legally reunified.

Thanks to Cheyenne’s persistence and self-advocacy, she is now parenting her son full time in their new home. Cheyenne will be there for all the important moments, from reading books at bedtime to joyful birthday parties. Next year, when he enters kindergarten, Cheyenne will be there to take first-day-of-school photos and walk him into his classroom.

Cheyenne’s relentless pursuit of healing has built a better future for her family.

Families like Cheyenne’s come to The Family Partnership for the resources they need to heal and thrive, including mental health therapies, family home visiting and case management through our PRIDE program.

More Families Are Seeking This Support

Cheyenne’s story is powerful, but she is not the only one. Right here in Minneapolis, new people come to our drop-in center every week as the first step toward a better day or a better life.

The Family Partnership’s anti-sex trafficking program, PRIDE (Promoting Recovery, Independence, Dignity and Equality), provides support services to sexually exploited adults, youth, and their families so they can live a life free of exploitation and abuse and move toward self-sufficiency.

This work—and our ability to walk alongside hundreds of survivors each year—is made possible in part through the generosity of community members who believe in healing and hope.

With the right support and resources, survivors of sexual exploitation can take steps toward long-term healing and brighter futures for their families—just like Cheyenne did.

Learn more about PRIDE’s offerings, history and partnerships here.

The Family Partnership is excited to welcome Emily Larson as the agency’s next President and CEO beginning July 1. Emily is a seasoned and trusted executive leader with clear values and tenacious dedication to families and community. Emily has two decades of experience setting long term vision, building high-impact teams, and establishing actionable steps to make meaningful change.   

Emily Larson, new President and CEO of The Family Partnership smiling and looking to the side, wearing an orange blouse and dangling earrings in front of a building and trees in Minneapolis.

Most recently, Emily served as mayor of Duluth, Minnesota, where she managed complex budgets, fundraised millions of dollars for city improvements, and built deep relationships with stakeholders to coalesce around shared goals. Twice elected, she championed policies to support residents and improve the well-being of the community. 

Emily is a Twin Cities native who started her career in social work. She credits her family as the origin of her passion for equity. “I grew up in St. Paul with a family of people who were doggedly justice minded. My aunty worked at TFP back when it was Family & Children Services. So, my first interaction with the organization was providing childcare for family meetings that my aunt facilitated.” Later, in Emily’s 12 years as a social worker, she partnered with families who had low or no income, who were experiencing housing instability, and who were navigating mental and chemical health issues.  

Emily cites these experiences in direct service as her motivation for addressing systemic injustice at a larger scale. She pursued policy development, legislative advocacy, and organizational leadership as “preventative medicine” for the economic and racial injustices that impact families. She sought public office to promote housing justice and job cultivation, among many other social supports and strategies. Her goal in public office was to amplify the voices that are “underappreciated, undervalued, and pushed to the margin.” 

“Emily has the ideal combination of operational expertise to lead TFP through the issues we face and she’s a visionary who can take TFP to great heights.” 

Nima Desai, The Family Partnership Board Chair and Search Committee Member

TFP, like many nonprofits, faces an unpredictable political and financial landscape. Nima Desai, Board Chair and Search Committee member said, “Emily has the ideal combination of operational expertise to lead TFP through the issues we face and she’s a visionary who can take TFP to great heights.” We are grateful to CohenTaylor Executive Search Services for recruiting Emily and guiding the board through the search process. Emily has the experience, persistence, and grounded optimism necessary to stabilize TFP during this challenging time. When asked about this next chapter, Emily said, “TFP is about building power with families, and it has a great reputation in this community. This work needs to continue. There are not many other safety nets for families. The stakes are high. So, let’s get to work.” 

“This work needs to continue. There are not many other safety nets for families. The stakes are high. So, let’s get to work.”

Emily Larson, New President and CEO of The Family Partnership

Emily Larson has 12 years of experience in public service, first as Duluth City Councilor & Duluth Economic Development Authority Commissioner, then as Duluth Mayor. She also has 8 years of experience as a non-profit consultant and 12 years of experience as a social worker & emergency outreach worker. Emily’s extensive board service includes local organizations like YWCA, Center City Housing, and Arrowhead Regional Development Commission. She has participated at a State level in the Governor’s Housing Task Force, Young Women’s Initiative of MN, MN Mayors Together and regionally and nationally with Great Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway Initiative Cities, SeaGrant, Climate Action Municipalities, National League of Cities, and Energy, Environment and Natural Resources. 

Emily graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work from the College of St. Scholastica and later earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She is married to Doug Zaun and together they have two sons. In taking on this new role, Emily and Doug will now split their time between Minneapolis and Duluth. In addition to her professional work, she enjoys spending time outdoors, trail running, mountain biking, and rock climbing. She loves reading, tending to her many plants, talking to her sister on the phone, and spending time with her beloved family.  

Read the Star Tribune CEO announcement here.

Want to stay connected?
Get inspiring stories, news, and updates from The Family Partnership in your inbox.

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Help The Family Partnership celebrate our exciting new chapter by sharing this post!
Click the links below to share with your network.

Beginning July 1, early childhood programs across Minnesota can access EGG through grant-funded opportunities 

Minneapolis, MN

The Family Partnership is excited to announce that EGG Toolkit is now an official Parent Aware Aligned Curriculum, marking a significant step forward for early childhood programs committed to equity and school readiness. With this designation, Parent Aware rated preschool programs statewide can access grant-funded support to implement EGG Toolkit—proven to build executive function skills in children ages 3 to 5. 

EGG’s approval arrives just as Minnesota prepares to release updated Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs) that emphasize trauma-informed practice and executive function development—areas where EGG leads with science-backed tools for classrooms, home visiting programs, and parenting groups.  

“Parent Aware approval signals that EGG Toolkit is a trusted, high-quality curriculum that meets Minnesota’s benchmarks across several key developmental domains, including executive function,” said John Everett Till, Chief Strategy Officer at The Family Partnership and Co-Developer of EGG. “This designation means programs participating in Parent Aware can offer young children—especially those impacted by trauma or poverty—the chance to build core skills for resilience, focus, and lifelong success.” 

Why Parent Aware Approval Matters for Early Childhood Programs 

With EGG Toolkit now Parent Aware approved, early childhood programs can use grant funding to support adoption that covers costs for curriculum materials, professional development and quality improvement goals. 

Because Parent Aware participation is tied to Minnesota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System, using an approved curriculum like EGG helps programs boost their star rating and stand out to families and staff seeking high-quality, evidence-based care and education. EGG training also counts toward in-service licensing requirements. 

“EGG Toolkit has been a powerful addition to my classroom—not just for the kids, but for me as an educator,” said Colin, a preschool teacher at Four Directions who has used EGG in his classroom for the past three years. “It gives children the language and tools to manage big feelings, support each other, and build confidence in who they are. I see them practicing calming techniques on their own and encouraging each other in ways they never did before. EGG supports what matters most in early childhood: helping kids become kind, self-aware people who feel heard, respected, and ready to thrive—not just in school, but in life.” 

EGG is the only Parent Aware Aligned Curriculum that focuses specifically on building executive function skills—critical for school readiness, behavior regulation, and resilience in the face of trauma. The curriculum’s alignment with Minnesota’s forthcoming Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs), which now center executive function development as a response to the impact of trauma, positions EGG as a timely and forward-looking resource for early childhood educators statewide. 

Proven Impact on Child’s Executive Function Development 

EGG Toolkit is uniquely designed to build executive function skills—critical for children’s school readiness, behavior regulation, and lifelong success. These skills are especially important for children impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which can disrupt early brain development and create lasting barriers to learning and wellbeing. 

Independent evaluations confirm EGG’s effectiveness among preschool-aged children: 

These gains support brain development during a once-in-a-lifetime window for building executive function skills—ages 3 to 5—while also nurturing joyful preschool classroom environments. Teachers report fewer behavioral disruptions, more engaged learners, and stronger overall outcomes. EGG’s flexible, easy-to-use format helps educators create joyful, responsive learning experiences that benefit every child. 

The latest results from EGG’s 2024-25 Minnesota-funded pilot expansion will be available later this year. 

About EGG Toolkit 

Developed by The Family Partnership in collaboration with educators and brain science experts, EGG Toolkit builds executive function skills in 3- to 5-year-olds. 

Adaptations are available for preschools, home visiting programs and parenting groups. Activities take just minutes per day and build skills for success in school and life: 

To learn more about EGG Toolkit and how it can support your program’s school readiness efforts, visit www.eggtoolkit.com. 

#### 

About The Family Partnership 

The Family Partnership is a 147-year-old Minneapolis nonprofit providing advocacy and services in early childhood education and care, mental health therapies, family home visiting and anti-sex trafficking. Our mission is to build strong families, vital communities and better futures for children. We use a 2Gen approach with the latest insights from brain science to remove barriers and clear the path to success for those who have experienced trauma and deep poverty. 

#### 

Contact: 

John Everett Till (he/him) 
Chief Strategy Officer 
The Family Partnership 
JTill@thefamilypartnership.org