Why Early Childhood Family Support Helps Children Thrive

Families don’t experience childcare, health care, education, housing, and employment as separate systems. They experience them as one interconnected reality. In this episode, we sit down with Coco Du, CEO of Way to Grow, to discuss why supporting children starts with supporting entire families.

Coco shares how Way to Grow‘s evidence-based home visiting model empowers families to navigate challenges, build on their strengths, and create a foundation for lifelong success. Serving families from pregnancy and birth through age 8, Way to Grow provides personalized support that adapts to each family’s unique needs, goals, and circumstances. By meeting parents and caregivers where they are, both literally and figuratively, the organization helps families access resources, strengthen parenting skills, and support their children’s healthy development and early learning.

Hear what it takes to bridge silos of care to create a more connected, family-centered approach. Coco shares what home visits actually look like, how family educators partner with parents and caregivers, and why families themselves are the most important drivers of positive outcomes for children. She also discusses the critical role of trust, relationships, and community-based support, as well as Way to Grow’s flexible, strengths-based model that adapts to each family’s circumstances rather than expecting families to fit into a one-size-fits-all system. Finally, Coco highlights how listeners can support Way to Grow.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, nonprofit leader, policymaker, or community advocate, this conversation offers valuable insights into creating the conditions where every child and family can thrive.

HOW CAN WE BETTER SUPPORT CHILDREN BY SUPPORTING THEIR FAMILIES?

How have you seen childcare, education, health care, or employment challenges overlap in your own life or community? What happens when organizations or systems focus on a single need instead of seeing the whole family? What stood out most to you about the home visiting model described by Coco Du, and why? After listening to this episode, what’s one action you can take to better support children and families in your community?