Following the killing of George Floyd last summer, amid the ensuing social unrest and the concurrent pandemic, members of Northfield YouthBank met (safely) to have honest, heart-to-heart conversations about racial justice. The short-term result was the crafting of a commitment to anti-racism statement that the group posted on its website. But the discussions also propelled […]

Emily Lloyd was an early reader, one of those kids who always had her head in a book. When she grew up and became a librarian, she thought she could get every child to love reading like she did. But when she became a parent herself — to two active daughters who preferred sports to […]

Northfield Promise’s partnership with Northfield Public Schools in connecting low-income students to the internet during the pandemic was highlighted in this op-ed in the Hechinger Report by StriveTogether President and CEO Jennifer Blatz. Northfield Promise was also mentioned in this Politico sponsored interview with Blatz about Cradle to Career successes (and the child pictured is […]

A $20,000 grant from Women in Northfield Giving Support (WINGS), coupled with a matching grant from a national funder, has given Northfield community college students a new place to pursue their educational dreams. The Northfield Community College Collaborative (NCCC) moved at the end of the summer into vacated space on the second floor of the […]

Members of Northfield’s Rotary Club planned to spend time over the summer coordinating outdoor Library Book Bike activities throughout Northfield. When COVID-19 shut down those plans, Rotarians directed their efforts toward another literacy-related activity: building and stocking Little Free Libraries. They built and installed eight new little libraries in low-income neighborhoods throughout Northfield. “We are […]

Young kids visiting the new Northfield Community Education Center are celebrating today because they have a great new place to play. For months, representatives from Northfield Public Schools, Northfield Promise, StriveTogether, and KABOOM! (the nonprofit organization focused on ending playspace inequity) have worked together to increase access to playspaces for local kids with the creation […]

Members of the Northfield High School Class of 2020 missed out on many traditional rites of passage last spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But thanks to a unique outreach program, they received something previous classes haven’t had: an extra boost of support after graduation. Through a partnership of Northfield Promise, the Northfield Public Schools, […]

In her rare moments of free time, Odalis Ascencio plugs in her headphones and laces up her shoes. Propelled by determination and the rhythms of reggaeton – her hype music – her feet pound the trails of the St. Olaf College Natural Lands, or the track at Carleton College. Each step brings her closer to […]

Thiago’s eyes are wide and bright. He sits on the living room floor with his mother, Elizabeth Flores, on a gray March day and examines the colorful blocks and plastic miniature zoo animals spread out in front of him. But the 20-month-old boy doesn’t sit still for long. As his older siblings work on homework […]

Northfield Promise is one of four cradle-to-career partnerships selected nationwide Northfield Promise, a cradle-to-career initiative serving youth in Northfield, Minn., has received up to $350,000 per year over three years from StriveTogether, a national network working to bring communities together around data to make decisions and improve results for kids. Northfield Promise will use its grant […]